1. Undergraduate Student Retention and Graduation Prepared for CAS Faculty Meeting 2/13/2013

2. Summary We need 200 more students to stay at BU through graduation to reach our goals. This presentation is designed to start a discussion on what faculty can do to help us reach that goal.  Retain high-achieving students  Engage in early intervention for students who need it whether because they are strong and “buying up” or facing academic challenges

3. BU Freshman- Sophomore Retention Rates (1) Over time (2) Compared with peers

4. Freshman and Sophomore Retention by School/College

5. Too Many High Performing BU Students Leave 3.50 or better HS GPA 3.00 or better 1 st Year BU GPA

6. Too Many High Performing BU Students Leave

7. Action: Personal contact and intervention with those who are vulnerable to transfer; improve advising; recognize academic achievement; promote rigorous intellectual climate

8. Withdrawn BU Students 2002-2012 Institution of Enrollment as Reported to the National Clearinghouse CUMMULATIVE GPA AT TIME OF WITHDRAWAL 3.6-4.03.1-3.6 CORNELL UNIVERSITY (19)NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (53) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (19)UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (28) BROWN UNIVERSITY (14)CORNELL UNIVERSITY (25) GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY (11)BOSTON COLLEGE (20) UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (10)UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT (19) UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (10)UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON (19) BOSTON COLLEGE (8)UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER (18) NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY (8)RUTGERS UNIVERSITY (17) UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (8)UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (17) WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (7)UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (16)

9. Student retention rates correlate with credits completed Not RetainedRetained Completed 32 or more in 1 st year5.5%94.5% Completed less than 32 in 1 st year15.5%84.5% Completed 16 or more in 1 st Semester6.7%93.3% Completed less than 16 in 1 st Semester15.4%84.6% Action: Intervene with students who are in danger of dropping a course when they might have succeeded

10. Lower retention rates observed for students entering without major, STEM, psychology MajorRetention RateMajorRetention Rate Biological & Biomedical Sciences93.1%History92.6% Business/Management/Marketing93.2%Mathematics/Statistics 91.7% Communication/Journalism93.7%Multi/Interdisciplinary Study 89.6% Computer & Information Sciences 89.7% No Major 91.7% Education92.2%Philosophy & Religious Study94.1% Engineering93.4%Physical Sciences 89.0% English Language/Literature93.5%Psychology 89.3% Foreign Languages/Literature94.6%Social Sciences93.3% Health Professions92.9%Visual/Performing Arts92.7% How do we account for differential retention across majors? What are the implications for intervention?

11. Performance in quantitative courses may indicate freshman retention Difference in Mean GPA between Retained and Not Retained Freshmen Taking Entry-level Courses Reference line is difference between Retained and Not Retained Mean First Semester GPA

13. What Can Faculty Do: Some Ideas (Especially Freshman, Gateway Courses) In freshman classes, come to class early and engage students in conversation – find out how they are doing. Systematically detect and reach out to those vulnerable to transfer – Indicators: non-attendance, request for transcript for transfer, early performance in entry-level courses, disappointment with grades, add/drop patterns and withdrawing from courses