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University of Arkansas officials announced record-breaking enrollment this semester. At nearly 24,600 students, the school surpassed last year’s fall enrollment mark of 23,199.
Preliminary totals also show undergraduate enrollment topping 20,000 for the first time, and freshman enrollment of more than 4,500 new students.
UA Chancellor G. David Gearhart said while those numbers are impressive, they’re not as exciting as the fact that the quality of students the university is attracting continues to grow as well.
“Many times growth at colleges and universities comes at the cost of academic standards, but the growth the University of Arkansas has been experiencing over the past few years is different — it’s quality growth coming mostly from existing students succeeding and making positive progress toward graduation,” said Gearhart in a news release.
For the last several years, the university’s incoming freshmen classes have been among the school’s best. This year is no exception.
“We continue to see an increase in students with grade point averages above 3.6 and ACT scores of 26 or higher,” Gearhart said. “We’ve also seen a significant increase in the number of students graduating in the top 10 percent of their class. So we can again say this year’s incoming class is the most academically accomplished and most prepared in the history of the University of Arkansas.”
Undergraduate enrollment at the university has soared, increasing by nearly 37 percent since 2007. In 2009, the university’s total enrollment was just under 20,000; three years later the undergraduate population alone – 20,433 – is larger than that, in addition to the nearly 4,200 graduate students now enrolled. The population of underrepresented students on campus is growing as well, up more than 24 percent over the last three years.
Official enrollment numbers will not be available until after the “11th day snapshot” required by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. That information will be collected on Sept. 4. The enrollment data is then analyzed and reviewed for accuracy before a preliminary report is submitted to the department, with the final numbers set to be officially filed by mid-October.
Too many.
THIS JUST IN: UA Chancellor G. David Gearhart asks A&P Commission for $1 million to help fund undergraduate scholarships. “The university doesn’t really need the money” Gearhart said. “But if the Fayetteville A&P is willing to give it to us, we’ll take it”.
And tuition keeps going up. In other news Book stores finally admit to gouging students.
Tuition keeps going up because state funding keeps going down. Last I heard state funding was under 15% of the UA budget.
Beside all the obvious complaints about admitting a record number of students while having to house them miles from campus, having classes in Barnhill, the Union and in dorms there’s also this:
Graduation, Retention and Transfer Rates:
First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 83%
Transfer Out Rate: 25%
4-Year Graduation Rate: 35%
6-Year Graduation Rate: 58%
Of course they have to admit more and more students, regardless of what experience those students are having on campus and in the classroom. With a little more than a third graduating on time, the University has to make up for the lost revenue from all the students dropping out or transferring. Fewer than four out of 10 Freshmen will graduate in four years, while taking on tremendous debt via loans, paid for by tax payers.
Rather than shoving students in like cattle, giving them a truly sub-par experience compared to previous cohorts, and laughing all the way to the bank, the University needs to slow down and let its construction, infrastructure and advising catch up to the exploding student population.
You got a link for those stats?
Of course! The National Center for Education Statistics has all of it at http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=106397
You will need to click to expand the “Retention and Graduation Rates” part.
In addition to these sad stats, the default rate has been steadily climbing since 2007. So, they’re admitting more and more students, more of whom can’t pay for school.
So if they stopped admitting students everything would be better?
@Me No, of course not. Nobody is saying to stop admitting students. I’m just suggesting that they have a plan for sustainable long-term growth that gives students a good experience.
Remember when flying was fun? I remember taking flights where I’d get served a nice meal, get all the peanuts I could eat, and get to visit with the pilot in the cockpit. Flying today is an assault on the senses as more and more passengers are being crammed into smaller spaces with fewer amenities in order to maximize revenue. The solution isn’t have fewer passengers, it’s achieve a balance between profit and experience.
A piece of a larger overall solution would be to bring back vocational classes in high schools and dedicated votech schools, along with ending the brainwashing that unless you have a college degree you’re worthless. Plenty of very good paying jobs out there that don’t require a college degree.
Absolutely agree with you. Great point.
blarrrgh and Michael have this situation described perfectly, thanks for speaking up.
When nearly 40% of incoming freshmen are not graduating within 6 years, often leaving after great expense and racking up student loans but no diploma, that is a serious problem. I do think at some level the admission standards are too low, given these results. Clearly too many of the incoming freshmen were just not ready for college. My only conclusion is to agree with others, the U of A is sacrificing quality for quantity.
Yes we need more vocational and technical training, and there should be no stigma associated with it. Get trained, get to work, and start earning money while your college friends are still sitting through comparative literature.
I wouldn’t be so quick to jump to your conclusions. Without a comparison to other institutions, these numbers communicate little else except that higher education is challenging academically and financially.
I looked at two other Universities, Arizona State and U of Washington. UW did better on four-year graduation rates and Arizona did worse. I’m sure there is a scholarly article out there with a rigorous comparison for anyone interested in drawing meaningful conclusions from stats like this.
mpetty, I have compared these stats to nearby schools and other SEC schools as well. Many are right around the same level as the U of A, some higher and some lower as you point out.
I was not ‘jumping to conclusions’ regarding the U of A. This problem is nationwide, not local. But I want to hold my local institution to a higher standard. Any excuse that sounds like ‘everyone else is doing it too’ is absolutely unacceptable to me and should be to you as well.
Petty, you’re correct. In fact, the graduation stats fall pretty close in line with other schools in states where education is consistently ranked poorly. However, I think it’s absolutely the wrong attitude to have in a state that is perennially near the bottom in education. So what if Arizona and Mississippi have lower graduation levels at state colleges? Should we be comparing ourselves to the bottom of the barrel or to the top?
If graduation rates in Arkansas are as poor as other similar state schools, then Arkansas is just another symptom of a much larger problem. Thousands of kids (and parents) are being sold a bill of goods that college is a must for a successful living. As a result, we have thousands of broke, unprepared twentysomethings who aren’t qualified to really do anything but had a great party for 2-3 years.
Personally, the “yeah we suck but other places suck too” is precisely the problem I see here and is what’s holding Arkansas back.
@ArkInvestor and blarrrgh – I’m only cautioning against the quantity vs quality conclusion you have drawn. I’m a full-time student surviving on a scholarship, federal grants, multiple part-time jobs, and student loans and I am acutely aware of the structural problems of our higher education system. It is precisely the structural nature of these problems that makes me question if your conclusion that UA students are not academically prepared and/or supported is warranted.
It has been my experience that the academic support programs at the University are comprehensive. This is a factor over which the University administration has more or less direct control. Nevertheless, students drop out, and it is often the case that their reasons have little to do with academic performance. That doesn’t mean the retention rate isn’t a problem worth solving, it just means that quantity vs quality may not be a correct explanation.
Agreed with pretty much everything here…
Correlation does not imply causation.
I knew I was due for a statistics 101 refresher one of these days. Thanks, Coody.
In a state with a very low percentage of residents having any college education this is good news. The fact that the quality of the freshmen classes continues to improve thus making it more likely they will graduate is even better news. The University is making great progress in constructing new facilities and renovating old ones to meet demand. There will be growing pains but considering the school’s importance to Fayetteville the enrollment numbers are a positive trend for both.
It looks like they’re going for quantity over quality. it is a shame that the taxpayers will have to fund new infrastructure and what not to accomodate all these students that the UA does not have room for. It appears they’ve turned into the Duggar family of higher education.
They haven’t lowered the admission standards.
I was referring to the quality of education and student life – not admissions. Everyone I have talked to this year who is up there (faculty included) says that it’s a complete cluster.
As a faculty member, I’d disagree that it’s a cluster. Having to teach students in Barnhill is unfortunate, but that’s not a problem of the growth, it’s because the old auditorium had to be torn down to build the new one. I’d also disagree that the quality of education has gone down. Our retention and graduation rates, while lower than we’d prefer, are on par with many other similar institutions (despite often having lower admissions criteria) and have been on the rise. They also announced yesterday that they had hired record numbers of new faculty. Also, if you look at the numbers, you’ll notice that the freshman class this year is not much larger than last, the growth is coming from continuing students.
The students currently being put up at the Red Roof Inn may beg to differ.
My wife and I graduated from U of A in 2004. We both worked while going to school but chose to take on some student loans so we could finish school quicker. We managed to find good jobs in Fayetteville and paid off our loans within 5 years. College was a great experience and despite all the complaints with our education system, it was absolutely the best investment I will ever make. No one is forcing these kids to go to college. The opportunity for success is there and as long as we’re not drastically lowering admission standards, more kids having that opportunity is positive. Unfortunately the shiny outcome is not guaranteed, but nothing is in life.
@Mighty Math Man With all due respect, I suggest you start talking to the students having to deal with this mess. I suggest hopping on Facebook and Twitter, following some students, and seeing the extent of this mess.
1. The campus is torn up. I know this is minor, but the UA campus used to be stunning, a pleasure to walk through, find a quiet spot and read, hang out. It’s now an eyesore everywhere you turn.
2. Students can seldom take the same route to class twice due to the gates being moved, sections being closed off, and trucks rolling in and out. It’s frustrating and time-consuming.
3. Freshmen are being housed off campus, in apartment communities like the Crowne at Razorback. While those apartments are certainly nice, it’s NOT the college experience they signed up for. They’re removed from the Union, Brough, campus… all the things they thought they were signing up for.
4. Because of the explosion of freshmen, new dorms are being built. Hotz is being converted and a new one being built near Brough. That area is a disaster. Can you imagine sleeping next to all that construction?
5. Pedestrians walking from Walton/Kimpel trying to cross the street are stuck for minutes, waiting in a sea of students to cross Dickson. Have you seen the pictures?! They’re ridiculous.
6. The constant construction noise makes classes in several locations, as well as the library, a very inhospitable environment for studying.
Being able to “handle” the amount of students != giving those students a great college experience. I think the expansion of the UA is wonderful and I look forward to the buildings being completed. But, it was supremely bad planning and a slap in the face to current students and current freshmen to do everything AT ONCE.
I agree the planning could have been better. Perhaps a general classroom building and a new dorm should have come before what I see as a vanity project like the Blackwell addition to Vol Walker, and the new gate.
The upside is, it will only be another 8 months or so before virtually all of the current projects are wrapped up.
That stinks for current students, but the upside is they will also get to be a part of the nicest U of A campus ever…if they come back.
@blarrrgh Campus is an eyesore yes, but what is the alternative solution? Sure, we could do one construction project at a time and have campus be an eyesore for 10 more years affecting scores more students, or we can try to do as many at once so that campus can be beautiful again by next fall. Which you prefer is obviously just a matter of preference, but I personally prefer it this way.
I’m quite well aware of all of those issues actually. I traverse campus at least a few times a day in any number of directions encountering many of the construction obstacles, and it’s never slowed me down enough to be late for anything. Is it inconvenient? Yes. Is it ugly? Yes. Is it manageable for the time being? In my opinion yes.
Over the summer I spent at least an hour a day in the library and never heard the construction outside. It’s possible we frequent different parts of the library, but on the North side of the first floor I heard nothing. I also hear nothing while teaching in the building directly next door to hillside auditorium – even in the classroom that is directly adjacent to the construction site.
I was also in Maple Hill (next to Hotz) recently and didn’t hear construction.
Maybe my experiences are unique, but aside from the eyesore and having a slightly longer walk I’ve yet to have any real issues with it all – and we will all benefit greatly when it’s done. I can respect your option, I simply see it differently.
The University is not only going through construction projects related to growth, but also updating most of the older buildings to modernize their mecanical systems to increase sustainability. There were major renovation and deferred maintenance needs that have been overlooked for decades that had to be done. The campus’ tranquility is suffering now for the betterment of the University in the longrun. If not now, then when?
Maybe UA will move up from its 132nd ranking, tied with Oklahoma State, the second best school in Oklahoma.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/spp%2B50/page+3
Why is the internet such a source of negativity? Unbelievable.
Seems like kind of a waste of time given the impending zombie apocalypse.
Zombies need a place to learn too!
Brains!
Indeed. They start with appetizers from College Republicans, and work their way up to a main course from entrenched Marxist liberal secular-humanist elites. Departmental secretaries provide dessert.
I’m shocked by the attitudes of some of you, especially Mr. Petty, and I’m normally a big fan of his.
These student success rates are simply unacceptable. I’m saddened that so many of you are OK with them. Your priorities are screwed up. I’ll put it in terms you can understand:
You say a 40 percent or even 50 percent success rate is in line with other institutions, so, roll with it. At the same time, a lot of you froth and salivate all year over the Hogs football season. But if that team was consistently 5-7 or 6-6, HEADS WOULD ROLL! There’d be protests in the street, planes with banners flying over, Internet madness, gnashing of teeth.
But academically, you’re fine with that success rate. See how messed up that is?
It’s the UNIVERSITY of Arkansas, not the university of RAZORBACKS. I love Jeff Long, but he’d be run out of town on a rail and those “Integrity goes a LONG way” t-shirts would be used as rags. Long knows that mediocrity in athletics is unacceptable.
Too bad so many of you think mediocrity among our students is OK.
Unless I’m mistaken, I don’t see anywhere, where anyone (Petty included) indicated that they thought the success rates were acceptable. Petty simply provided context – which is absolutely necessary in this situation. Simply knowing a statistic means nothing if you have nothing to compare it to.
If you’re going to have heart surgery and the surgeon has a success rate of 90% for a certain procedure do you know if that’s good or bad? Would you want a new surgeon? Maybe 90% is the best rate in the world, but maybe it’s the worst. Without knowing what other doctors’ success rates are you’ve got nothing to go on.
No one at the U of A is happy with the success rate, but without the proper context one might think the entirety of the issue lies with the U of A when in reality much of the issue is American higher education in general.
There are so many reasons people don’t succeed in college. Some kids simply don’t have the brain power. Some received subpar high school educations. Some can’t afford it. Some get jobs before graduation. Some..or many…simply realize that it isn’t where they want to be. College isn’t for everyone, or even for most. But our society tells kids it’s the only way to go, which is a huge disservice to everyone.
I don’t think society says college is the only way but is the best way to go. We all know without being told there will be workers needed for flipping burgers at Micky D’s and sweeping the floors everywhere but society encourages it’s members to strive for more fulfilling careers.
Daniel,
You seem to hold the exact opinion that I am talking about. Kids are receiving the message that if they don’t go to college, they will end up sweeping floors or flipping burgers. It is insulting and completely disregards the endless variety of aspirations, attributes, and capabilities of individuals.
I need to keep up with Flyer posts more often.
I’ll try to make my stance more clear. I think the goal of our public school systems should be to prepare our students for a college career. In today’s world any college experience indicates a willingness and hopefully ability to learn beyond a high school level. Sure- there are the exceptions for careers that don’t require a degree but they are increasingly the exception. When I read that there are hundreds of thousands of skilled job openings that can’t be filled for lack of qualified applicants it leads me to think it is a disservice to our young people to discount the importance of higher education. I cring when I hear of high students thinking they can be video game testers, professional musicians, professional athletes, etc. The chances of those careers are slim and so we should be enccouraging them to further their education- not discount it.
Part of the issue here is that post-secondary education is seen primarily as a means for career preparation, and is not understood to be the point at which one’s education can actually happen.
At one time, K-12 education (or less) was seen as, and was, effective for producing good citizens and successful individuals. Much has changed since then– breakdown of gender stereotypes and increasing complexity of one’s place in society chief among them– and it is no longer possible to accomplish this in twelve years.
Even if one does not intend to go into a career-oriented major, college is where enriched core content (literature, philosophy, history, science) can meet a mind that is developmentally ready to receive it. “General studies”, once laughed at, may well be just the thing for more and more people.
Whether at a junior college or a university, or even online, college-level education is now vital. Career preparation is a side issue.
I’d say it’s still possible, but not within the framework that the public K12 system has become. Public primary education has become little more than a tax payer funded babysitting service in many ways.
@Innarested – I think you misunderstood me. I do think the retention rate is a problem. I’m just not convinced it’s a problem caused by the academic quality of the student body, as was suggested by other commenters.
Perhaps I was too quick to attribute apathy to posters. Point remains, however, that a VAST majority of Arkansans are much more aware of and quick to weigh in on the quantifiable success of the Razorbacks athletic teams, but not nearly as concerned about the success of the general student body.
Agreed?
Good. Now my questions: Does that not indicate misplaced priorities; and, how are we going to improve the success rates of the UA students? Our state could surely use this brainpower. Arkansas is one of the worst states in America for percentage of population with college degrees (barely 19 percent http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/05000.html ). You know how many states rank lower than that?
ONE. West Virginia. We’re worse than Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, etc. 49th!
That’s embarrassing.
I’d say some of the biggest problems with Graduation are some of the requirements for graduation.
Trig for any four year degree including Arts? Seems a bit overkill to me. And it’s no wonder that some people haven’t graduated.
AS someone who hasn’t graduated due to failing Algebra four times in a row it seems to me unfair to require extremely advanced courses for degrees that don’t involve any Math.
“Fredom.” Cute.
“McDonalds and sweeping floors” See that is the culture we’re talking about… just because you don’t go to college does not mean you’re flipping burgers. Where is the Technical Institute that Fayetteville needs? There are good jobs out there that don’t involved college degrees and many of them pay well. It needs to stop being shoved down our throats that college is the best opinion, because look at how well that’s working out for most students. They give it a shot and come out with debt.
Entry level drafting positions at engineering firms are a good example of a well paying job that requires no college education that also has room for growth and continued pay increases.
The oft tossed about statement that you’ll end up flipping burgers or sweeping floors if you don’t graduate from college is just one form of the ‘brain washing’, ‘bullying’, whatever you want to call it that US school children are subjected to.
However, certification and licensure for most, if not all, technical professions now requires a college degree in the field.
Becoming a certified fibre optics installer does not require any college education (don’t even have to a HS degree or GED), but can pay handsomely.
No need to worry about having a bachelors before going down the path of obtaining your VMware VCP certification (and subsequently VCAP, VCDX, etc) and you’re looking at around $70K starting pay with plenty of jobs available.
Your post mentions entry-level drafting positions at an engineering firm. However, one must have a degree in the field in order to be a professional engineer or architect. I referred to “technical professions” in the statutory sense that Kansas uses, which includes architects, engineers and land surveyors, although Arkansas does not use that term.
Although land surveyors in Arkansas are not required to have a college degree, they must have four to six years of land surveying experience before they can sit for the licensing exam, and the exam emphasizes knowledge rather than experience. (Kansas requires some college courses, but not a degree.)
As far as law is concerned, a “profession” generally requires a license. Many or most licenses are acquired by examination, administered after one has gained some combination of post-secondary education and years of experience.
You do realize that the drafting positions at engineering firms typically are not staffed by engineers right? Before Fayetteville closed West Campus one could graduate high school with enough training to get a drafting job.
An engineering degree is absolutely not required for a drafting position. One can also do design work at an engineer firm without a degree. They are simply called “designers” instead of “engineers”. A professional engineering license is only needed to officially stamp plans made by a design firm… in other words, only one person on the staff really needs a PE license. Obviously an engineering degree is preferred for designers, but not absolutely required. I am a licensed PE (mechanical) and I know a mechanical designer well that does a great job despite the fact that she did not finish her mechanical engineering degree.
Quite so. But, while that drafting experience can be counted toward the licensing requirements, you’d still need a college degree in order to become an engineer.
I don’t disagree with you about the value of “pre-professional” jobs. Many of them are quite rewarding in and of themselves. (I’ve done a bit of engineering drafting and did not find it particularly rewarding.) And I’m sure that a lot of draftsmen will make a career of it. Many of them who advance, however, advance to non-professional supervisory and management positions.
I’m just pointing out that an entry-level job in engineering will not in and of itself allow one to become an engineer.
Hey, @Me: Who’s paid more, the one WITH the degree, or the one without?
@David
I never said a drafting position was a straight shot to being an engineer; just that it was a well paying job with room for advancement that does not require a degree.
My intention was not to imply that you said that, but to provide additional, useful detail.