Loss of freshmen retention remains mysterious issue
Jason Hall
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: News
Although UTC has lost an estimated 33 percent of its 2008-2009 freshman class, university officials have not determined the exact reasons.
Dr. Fran Bender, assistant provost for student retention and success at UTC, said she believes there is no single, definitive answer.
"We have no way of knowing why students leave," Bender said. "What we know anecdotally is students leave because they lose the HOPE scholarship."
Bender said some students are not able to maintain the appropriate grade point average and therefore they cannot afford to stay.
An estimated 67 percent of sophomores returned to UTC for the fall 2009 semester.
This was a seven percent increase from the previous year, Bender said.
The university sent out questionnaires to students to gain information on why students leave, she said.
"For whatever reason, the students do not respond back," Bender said.
Chaz Griffith, a former UTC student who transferred to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in the fall said he had his own personal reasons for making his decision.
"[I left] because I liked their sports program," Griffith said. "I like their football team."
"I always wanted to go to UT, and I didn't make the grades in high school," Griffith said. "I wanted to be at a big school. I wanted to be at a big D-1 school."
The numbers of student retention show many students have taken a similar approach.
The middle 50 percent of the fall 2008 admitted class at UTK had score ranges of 25-29 ACT and a core high school GPA of 3.38-3.99.
Transfer requirements include either 30 or more hours with a 2.0 GPA, or a 2.5 GPA if a student has completed less than 30 hours.
According to Bender, this may give students who originally intended to go to UTK a second chance.
However, it leaves UTC with a contining trend of students transferring out early and aiding to dropping numbers of retention, she said.
The university is attempting to keep students by the first year studies program introduced this semester with a variety of topics, such as "China: Friend or Foe?", "Inside the Criminal Mind" and "Mathematics and Children's Literature," all designated to engage students so they return for future semesters.
According to university officials, these classes can only be taken by freshmen.
For more information on first year studies and retention boosting plans visit http://www.utc.edu/Academic/FirstYearStudies/Fall2009Seminars.php or e-mail Fran Bender at Fran-Bender@utc.edu.
Dr. Fran Bender, assistant provost for student retention and success at UTC, said she believes there is no single, definitive answer.
"We have no way of knowing why students leave," Bender said. "What we know anecdotally is students leave because they lose the HOPE scholarship."
Bender said some students are not able to maintain the appropriate grade point average and therefore they cannot afford to stay.
An estimated 67 percent of sophomores returned to UTC for the fall 2009 semester.
This was a seven percent increase from the previous year, Bender said.
The university sent out questionnaires to students to gain information on why students leave, she said.
"For whatever reason, the students do not respond back," Bender said.
Chaz Griffith, a former UTC student who transferred to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in the fall said he had his own personal reasons for making his decision.
"[I left] because I liked their sports program," Griffith said. "I like their football team."
"I always wanted to go to UT, and I didn't make the grades in high school," Griffith said. "I wanted to be at a big school. I wanted to be at a big D-1 school."
The numbers of student retention show many students have taken a similar approach.
The middle 50 percent of the fall 2008 admitted class at UTK had score ranges of 25-29 ACT and a core high school GPA of 3.38-3.99.
Transfer requirements include either 30 or more hours with a 2.0 GPA, or a 2.5 GPA if a student has completed less than 30 hours.
According to Bender, this may give students who originally intended to go to UTK a second chance.
However, it leaves UTC with a contining trend of students transferring out early and aiding to dropping numbers of retention, she said.
The university is attempting to keep students by the first year studies program introduced this semester with a variety of topics, such as "China: Friend or Foe?", "Inside the Criminal Mind" and "Mathematics and Children's Literature," all designated to engage students so they return for future semesters.
According to university officials, these classes can only be taken by freshmen.
For more information on first year studies and retention boosting plans visit http://www.utc.edu/Academic/FirstYearStudies/Fall2009Seminars.php or e-mail Fran Bender at Fran-Bender@utc.edu.
