(THE PICKET)—Boosting enrollment at Shepherd University and keeping students enrolled once they arrive has risen to the top of the priority list among university administrators.
The percentage of students who stay at Shepherd after their first year is 68 percent, just above the national average of 67 percent.
Other universities in West Virginia are dealing with the same problem. Wheeling Jesuit University’s retention rate is 67 percent, which is right at the national average. The University of Charleston is also struggling with retention, falling below the national average at 66 percent. Universities on a national level are also dealing with retention rates. Northern Kentucky University has a retention rate on the national level at 67 percent.
“Students will always leave college” said Shepherd’s interim President Sylvia Manning. She acknowledges that the university will never know all the reasons that cause students to quit school, but she said enough is known for some concrete steps to be taken.
One reason students quit is because they are commuters and never feel as if they are part of a campus community, according to Manning.
“This isn’t just happening at Shepherd. Anywhere there is a high commuter population, retention is much higher with the residential students, and the reasons for that are because the residential students are more engaged,” Manning said. “I believe it’s easier for students to quit if they don’t have the social interaction.”
To address this, Shepherd has developed a three-pronged approach. The first is to engage commuting students; the second is the creation of a team of administrators and faculty who will reach out to commuting students to help them with any problems they may be confronting while wading through the paperwork needed to stay in school. The third approach will be to eliminate the “Shepherd Shuffle,” which is when students are sent to several places to answer one question or to fill out one form.
To engage commuting students, Shepherd will be offering free breakfasts two or three times a semester. The campus will provide a breakfast in the commuter parking lot in an attempt to create a welcoming social environment.
This breakfast for commuters will be funded by Shepherd University’s Alumni Association. The University asked the Alumni Association for $4,000 toward this effort, but the association donated $500 after complaints that the effort was too small to make a difference. Also, the association questioned why the University was asking for money on a project deemed a “top priority” instead of funding it out of the University budget.
“I believe efforts to integrate commuters better into the University are a good thing. I was a commuter for most of my time at Shepherd,” said Eric Lewis, a Shepherd Alumni Association member.
“A lot of commuter students will sit in their cars in between classes. We’re hoping this will draw them out of their cars, and start engaging them in a community. A lot of what engages students is still in the discovery stages, as to what would work best,” Manning said.
The second approach to improve student retention is the enactment of the Retention Interventions Team (RIT).
The team will be staff members who will reach out and make connections with students to ensure that they are doing well.
Manning said that often some students will drift and isolate themselves from help, and this is a way for them to have a strong connection with someone on campus. These people will advocate for students who will be able to help them and answer any questions they could have concerning financial aid and academics.
“This will probably be the most powerful for the commuters who don’t always know where to go for help,” Manning said.
The last approach will be to eliminate the “Shepherd Shuffle.” According to Manning, students deal with a lot of “shuffling.” Students are sent to several offices before a question about their academics or financial aid is answered.
“Students will be shuffled from one department to another to get papers signed, or to find the right person to answer this question. There’s too much bureaucracy in academics, meaning if a student needs help adding and dropping a class, an advisor should be able to help them without having to send them to another place to get answers and help.”
Manning mentioned that the “Shepherd Shuffle” has grown over time with additions of new petitions and forms that have accumulated to create red tape.
Shepherd will be receiving research information soon about the previous year’s retention and graduation rates. There are no further efforts to improve retention.