Efforts to keep students coming back to Utah State University have paid off.

Three years ago, the student retention rate — freshmen who return for a second year — was around 61 percent. Now, that number is around 75 percent.

One difference has been an initiative led by USU President Kermit Hall.

Since Hall arrived in January 2001, the school has hired almost 100 faculty. That has reduced the faculty-student ratio to almost 22-1. Three years ago, it was closer to 27-1.

Hall said: "That's a significant improvement for us."

USU has added 10 more academic advisers and counselors. Students entering USU are also better prepared, coming in with higher ACT scores and better class rankings, Hall said.

Then there's all the bonding and networking going on among students in what Hall calls "theme" dorms for students of like majors.

Select USU faculty have taken on the extra responsibility of becoming more involved in first-year students' education with one-on-one talks about things like academic progress. Even the orientation process for freshmen has been geared toward telling students early on that they'll succeed, Hall said.

"It's not just one thing," he added. "It's a whole combination of initiatives."

It started with a consulting firm that has turned around retention rates elsewhere. About $1 million in private money has gone toward targeting what Hall calls the "bridge" between a student's first and second years.

As a result, USU met its goal of a 75 percent rate two years ahead of schedule. Right now, USU is at least competitive with its peer schools, Hall said.

The University of Utah also has shown improvement.

As of the 2000-2001 academic year, the U.'s retention rate was about 75 percent. For 2002-2003, the latest data available, the rate was at 78.7 percent.

"I don't think we've made the magnitude of effort USU has," said Paul Brinkman, U. associate vice president for budget and planning. "But we have been consistently working on this over time."

The U. also has tweaked its advising process. The faculty-student ratio is now about 16 or 17 to 1.

Still, Brinkman cautioned against reading too much into retention numbers. At USU and the U., the rates can be skewed by first-year students who leave on two-year missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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USU officials estimate the school loses 350 to 400 students each year to LDS missions. A new "leave of absence" policy will begin tracking this fall just how many of those students return to USU after their missions.

"The fact that they're not there the second year doesn't mean they don't show up later," Brinkman said. "They're really not gone, necessarily."

At more selective schools, such as those in the Ivy League, Brinkman said the retention numbers should be higher, even in the 90s. For an urban university, he said, the U. is in good standing.


E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com

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