About 50 of UNM’s spring graduates made it to the finish line thanks to the university’s Graduation Project, based in Academic Affairs. Some 1,458 students have graduated since the program was founded a decade ago.
“Students who left the university after earning at least 98 credit hours receive incentives to return,” said project coordinator Vanessa Shields. Regents provide a tuition award of up to $500 per semester. Students also receive priority enrollment in classes they need to graduate. The goal is for students to earn a degree in two years attending part-time.
About 70 percent of those who participate go on to graduate. Of those, 41 percent are from underrepresented groups.
“We provide timely support and act as a home base for students,” Shields said.
Two of UNM’s most popular faculty launched the project. In 1996, David Stuart and F. Chris Garcia conducted a survey to determine why students were dropping out. Recruitment efforts began in earnest in early 1997.
Now a national model, the project was recently featured in the Arizona Republic and other news venues. For more information call 277-0896.