Staying in school

Some colleges are pushing students to graduate in four years rather than hang around for five or six, offering tuition deals and more academic counseling to speed up the process.

The University of Georgia at Athens -- where students already graduate in 4.3 years on average -- has gone another route, punishing students who don't graduate in four years. Under a new policy, they'll be moved to the back of the line for football tickets and prime parking spaces.

But Southeast Missouri State University doesn't plan to go down that path. Southeast officials and students say they don't believe in rushing a college education.

"It is my belief that students should have the option on how long they want to take to pursue a degree," said Dr. Pauline Fox, vice president of administration and enrollment management at Southeast.

Fox said colleges in some states have been pressured by legislatures to hurry students through school so they have room to admit more students. That hasn't happened in Missouri, she said.

Less than half of the students who entered Southeast Missouri State University as freshmen in 1995 graduated from the school within six years.

But the 44.4 percent rate exceeds that of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when barely more than a third of students graduated within six years, school records show.

The state of Missouri, which calculates the graduation rate more broadly, lists Southeast's graduation rate at 54 percent. This percentage counts students who start at SEMO, but transfer to another public college in Missouri and graduate. That's only a single percentage point below the state higher education department's goal for schools like Southeast.

Southeast officials are comfortable with the state's goal and refuse to be caught up in statistics.

"We have not set a goal higher than the state goal," said Art Wallhausen, associate to the president.

Getting a diploma

Graduation rates get little notice from Southeast students, who are busy trying to get through their classes. They say academic demands make it hard to graduate in four years.

Ryan House, a music major from Benton, Ill., is in his second year of college. He plans to graduate from Southeast in two more years. But to do so, he must endure a heavy load of classes.

House routinely takes 18 to 19 credit hours of classes a semester, well above the 12 credit hours by which the university defines full-time students.

"It really puts a lot of stress on students," he said as he gulped down lunch in the University Center cafeteria earlier this week.

In the 1970s, students routinely secured undergraduate degrees within four years. But times have changed. Less than 22 percent of Southeast students now graduate within four years, said Dr. Patricia Ryan, the university's director of institutional research.

Students today often hold down jobs, which requires them to take fewer classes than those going to school full time.

"Some students are working 20 to 30 hours," said university economist Dr. Bruce Domazlicky.

One reason for that is the increased cost of attending college. With higher tuition, students are working more to pay the bill, Domazlicky said.

Most students have cars, which means added living expenses, he said.

Study abroad opportunities also can delay graduation because students typically take fewer credit hours of classes during semesters they are overseas.

"Nobody wants to go over to Europe and take 18 hours of credits," Domazlicky said.

Sophomore student Meleisa Greene of Memphis, Tenn., said taking five classes a semester is a full load for her. At 15 credit hours, Greene said it takes students more than four years to get a degree unless they either test out of several classes or add a few summer courses to their schedule. Students must complete at least 124 credit hours of classes to graduate.

Tougher standards

Improvements in graduation percentages since 1995 are partly due to tougher admission standards implemented a decade ago, Fox says. Southeast previously had open enrollment that allowed any high school graduate to attend.

But now, as what the state defines as a "moderately selective" institution, Southeast requires students to score a 21 on the ACT admissions test or have a high school class ranking that, when combined with the ACT score, meets Southeast's standards.

Fox said the university -- the only four-year institution in Southeast Missouri -- works to keep students from dropping out. "I think we have done a lot better job with advising and support services for students," she said. Students who are struggling in the classroom can get tutoring help, she said.

In the state's calculations, Southeast ranks first among Missouri's five public colleges which have the same "moderately selective" admission standards.

But its graduation rate lags well behind the University of Missouri-Columbia and Truman State University, which have higher admission standards.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

COLLEGE GRADUATION RATES

Percent of students in the spring graduating class of 2001 who obtained their degrees within six years at public colleges in Missouri. Graduation Admissions

University rate selectivity

Truman State 72 percent Highly selective

University of Missouri-Columbia 70 percent Selective

University of Missouri-Rolla 63 percent SelectiveSoutheast Missouri State 54 percent Moderately selective

Northwest Missouri State 53 percent Moderately selective

Southwest Missouri State 51 percent Selective

Central Missouri State 49 percent Moderately selective

University of Missouri-Kansas City 44 percent Selective

University of Missouri-St. Louis 43 percent Selective

Missouri Southern 38 percent Moderately selective

Missouri Western 35 percent Open enrollment

Lincoln 32 percent Open enrollment

Harris-Stowe 29 percent Moderately selectiveAdmissions selectivity

Open enrollment: High-school graduates admitted.

Moderately selective: Students must have an ACT admissions test score of at least 21 or a combined ACT score and high-school percentile rank totaling at least 100 points.

Selective: Students must have an ACT score of at least 24 or a combined ACT and high-school percentile rank of at least 120.

Highly selective: Students must have an ACT score of at least 27 or a combined ACT and high-school percentile rank of at least 140.

SOURCE: Missouri Department of Higher Education Southeast Missourian