Rating freshman retention

Retaining freshman is a No. 1 priority for the University of New Mexico and the Central New Mexico Community College

by CHRISTOPHER SANCHEZ

When Donald Duran graduated from high school, he had no idea what he wanted to do.

He hadn't taken college entrance exams, and he hadn't looked into any universities. So, he enrolled at the Central New Mexico Community College.

Duran, now a senior at the University of New Mexico, said he attributes his successful years in college to CNM, where the class sizes are smaller and teachers are more supportive.

“I feel like CNM wanted you to learn,” Duran said. “They made sure you were there to learn. Over at UNM, it’s more of a numbers game. If you pass, you pass.”

But Duran is one of few students who make it past their freshman year at the community college.

In 2007, only 46 percent of CNM's degree-seeking freshmen returned the next year, said Katherine Bercaw, vice president of the college's Planning and Budget department.

Bercaw said that though the numbers might seem striking, they are on par with community colleges across the country.

“We’d love to be much better,” she said. “It’s a top priority for us, but it’s pretty average.”

Those statistics might not be fair, she said.

She said CNM attracts nontraditional students, ones who might already have a career, children and a mortgage. And since the school is a two-year college, the statistics don't account for the students who transferred to the UNM after their first year, she said.

UNM, just a few blocks from CNM, saw its highest retention rate in 2007. It reported that 76.6 percent of its freshmen returned for another year.

Terry Babbitt, associate vice president at UNM, said the university has made retention a top priority in the last few years.

Seven years ago, the retention rate was 73.3 percent, according to the university's Fact Book. And in 2005, that number was 74.4 percent.

Babbitt said there are a few reasons why retention rates have continued to rise, the most important being the New Mexico Lottery Scholarship, which helps pay tuition for students who have a 2.5 GPA or higher.

Babbitt said 75 percent of incoming freshmen in 2006 received the scholarship, compared to 50 percent 10 years ago.

UNM President David Schmidly said the university wants to see retention rates at 100 percent, though he acknowledges such a number is not realistic.

Instead, it wants the rates to reach 80 percent within the next few years, he said.

He has formed a committee to look into retention rates, and it will report to him in June.

Schmidly said that for now, there is an issue more dire: graduation rates.

Students who attend the university have a 43 percent chance of graduating, he said.

“It’s surprising and almost contrary that you would have such a high freshman rate,” he said, “and then you’d see on the other side of it such a low graduation rate.”

He said UNM's number doesn't match up with its peer institutions.

At Oklahoma State, where Schmidly was president before coming to UNM, 66 percent of its students graduated within six years.

Babbitt said the university must focus on both graduation rates and retention rates, since they are directly related.

“What happens in between third semester and 12th semester is critical,” he said. “There is a major drop off in student success from retention point to the graduation point.”

He said increasing faculty can help increase graduation rates, because the university could then offer more classes to work around students' schedules.

Schmidly said he also formed a committee to look into graduation rates, and it will report to him in June.

Because CNM is a community college, there is no way to measure graduation rates, so the school focuses on retention, Bercaw said.

“In the short run, we are targeting 48 percent (retention rate). In the next year or two, we’d like to bump it up that far," she said. "Long-term, we’d like to be above our peers. That varies. If we can break the 50 percent mark, that would be great. Of course we’re going to do everything we can to really push the limits and make that successful.”

She said the retention rate has remained steady for the last five years, but the college is looking into ways to increase it.

So far, the most successful program has been achievement coaches — faculty members who serve as mentors to students.

Students use the mentors for more than just academics. The coaches could help students find jobs and even help them get food stamps.

“A lot of students who choose a community college are nontraditional students. Most have jobs, family and kids and rent payments and rounded-out lives,” she said. “And if one of those students loses a job or their car breaks down, and they don’t have resources to get repaired, those are real barriers for students. The achievement coaches work one-on-one with students to help align them with resources to help them stay in school.”

Students who used the program were more likely to return to school for another year, she said. Of those who used it, 60 percent to 70 percent returned for another year, she said.

Bercaw said the college has just a few coaches, but it plans to lobby the Legislature to secure more funds.

One way to increase both retention rates and graduation rates will come through UNM and CNM's Rio Rancho agreement, Schmidly said.

The schools plan to share a campus in Rio Rancho in the next few years. Students who attend the campus will take their core courses through CNM and finish up through UNM.

Babbitt said students are more prepared when they attend a community college.

“They’re better prepared than when they start here,” he said. “It’s definitely an advantage. The classes are smaller. The learning environment is more supportive.”

Duran said CNM helped prepare him for UNM.

“Yeah, it’s not a huge university,” he said. “But I definitely thought they gave me the time of day to learn the material.”

Written March 13, 2008

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