Indiana State University graduates about 20 percent in four years

brian.boyce@tribstar.com

TERRE HAUTE - State goals for improved higher education results rest largely on the backgrounds of students going to college, officials heard Thursday.

Indiana State University President Dan Bradley and senior staff reported to the school's trustees on the Indiana Commission for Higher Education's "Reaching Higher" strategic initiative, a plan aimed at increasing the number of college graduates in Indiana.

"... And they want to do these things fairly fast, by the way," Bradley told the trustees, explaining that the commission wants Indiana to be among the nation's top states for students going to college, with similar rankings across the board of affordability, retention and graduation.

According to information provided by Bradley, Indiana public universities currently graduate about 36 percent of their students within four years and 57 percent within six.

ISU graduates about 20 percent in four years and 41 percent within six, he said.

These numbers have Indiana at 17th in the country for graduating students within six years, he said.

Among Indiana's public universities, ISU (41 percent) ranks fourth in six-year graduation rates behind Indiana University at Bloomington (72 percent), Purdue University at West Lafayette (69 percent), Ball State University (58 percent).

And the numbers aren't surprising, he said, explaining that high school graduates' grade-point averages and standardized test scores will accurately predict their success in college.

The difference between graduating in four years and six, he said, is almost directly correlated to their income.

"The poorer the kids are, the longer it's going to take them to get through," he said, explaining that part-time jobs and financial difficulties take their toll on graduation speed.

According to information provided by Bradley, the typical undergraduate costs per year at ISU before financial aid tally up to $16,832, with about 54 percent of students taking out loans to cover the cost.

And getting financial aid has become more difficult over the years, as officials attempt to block fraud and make the process more complex.

Bradley said the average CPA would have difficulty with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and that it's much more difficult than doing one's income taxes.

But the biggest impediment to increasing the ranks of college graduates is the number of high school dropouts, he said.

According to StatsIndiana, about 82 percent of Hoosiers over 25 years old possess a high school degree or equivalent, meaning almost one in five is a high school dropout.

Only 19.4 percent of the same demographic have a college degree, according to the same data.

"Until we can get the high school graduation numbers up, getting our numbers up won't be easy," he said.

Another goal listed by the commission is reducing the need for remediation classes at the university level, but again, Bradley said that is driven by the level of preparation students bring to the classroom.

"I told the commission I don't think that's a reasonable or attainable goal," he said, pointing out that as the state strives to bring more students into the universities, the number of those needing remediation will certainly increase.

According to a study done by the commission, 22 percent of Indiana's four-year university students need remediation when they enter college, and 65 percent of community college students require it.

Bradley said these numbers are "underreported" and figured it was more like 40 percent and 100 percent, respectively.

John Beacon, vice provost for enrollment management, told the board the school is actively working on a number of initiatives to boost recruitment and retention.

"Summer Honors is a way to introduce good students to the college," Beacon said.

The university plans to expand mentoring programs and awareness of financial aid programs, he added.

Bradley told the trustees that the commission's drive is based on two main ideas - that the quality of life in Indiana is tied directly to the quality of higher education and also that future development hinges upon the education of its citizenry.

ISU is structuring its own strategic plans to coordinate with those of the commission, "so that 'Reaching Higher' is our friend, rather than something we have to fight," he said.