UNC-P grad rates lowest

UNC-Pembroke is facing some of the lowest graduation and retention rates in the UNC system, and a system policy could be a major factor.

The low rates might be a result of the formula for universities receiving state funding, which is currently based on the number of students admitted to the university, said UNC-P Provost Charles Harrington.

According to UNC-system reports, the six-year graduation rate at UNC-P was 34 percent in 2001, far below the system’s average of 58.7 percent. The study, conducted in 2007, is the most recent data provided.

The same report shows a freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 71.5 percent as of 2006, the third lowest in the system, which averaged 81 percent.

Hannah Gage, chairwoman of the UNC-system Board of Governors, stated in an e-mail that UNC-P might have admitted some students not ready for a four-year university.

UNC-P draws from a highly disadvantaged region about 45 miles southwest of Fayetteville, which could contribute to the low graduation and retention rates, she said.

“I don’t want to take away from their challenge because it is enormous. But at the end of the day, each campus needs to take students who are positioned for success or at least be willing to provide the tools for their success if they’re not quite ready,” she wrote in the e-mail.

UNC-P Student Body President Arjay Quizon said 80 to 90 percent of the school’s students are dependent on financial aid and loans, making it harder for students trying to graduate on time.

“Most students are working a full-time job, providing for their families, and they still go to school,” he said.

Regional universities such as UNC-P attract students who might not have had the most outstanding high school performances, he said.

“Many of our students come from high schools that are not inordinately well-funded. These schools really cannot provide the types and range of experiences that these students would get from a more affluent school,” he said.

Gage said the low rates might be partially linked to a lack of focus on academic support.

A few years ago, UNC-P asked the Board of Governors to raise students’ fees to start a football team. They thought a team would increase students’ interest in the school and retention and graduation rates. The board advised the university to use the money from the increased fees to improve academic support for their students.

“Resource allocation is critical to student success, especially when a campus is dealing with a disadvantaged population,” Gage wrote in the e-mail.

She said the board has come up with solutions to emphasize tutoring programs and more academic support for students and is in the second or third year of a five-year plan to raise admissions standards.

“We know that students who have less than a 2.5 average in high school do not do well in the UNC system,” Gage said.



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