[Okgrantsmanship] Non-Traditional Students

[Mason, Linda]

Non-traditional students succeed in regional universities

By Michael W. Mitchel, Tulsa World Editorials 2/22/2012

 

Gov. Mary Fallin's laudable initiative to increase the number of college
graduates in Oklahoma by 20,000 in the next 12 years is good for
business and it's good for Oklahoma. The Regional University System of
Oklahoma (RUSO) is committed to doing our part to meet that challenging
target by transforming lives through higher education as our
universities have been doing for more than 120 years.

 

During the last several years, the regional universities in Oklahoma
have produced almost half of the bachelor's degrees awarded in the
state. This record is compounded with the master's and professional
doctoral degrees that we also conferred. RUSO, which includes six out of
Oklahoma's 11 regional universities, has produced almost 40 percent of
all of the bachelor's degrees. Regional graduation rates have recently
been characterized by some to be low - less than 40 percent. In reality
as many as 80 percent of our graduates have not been counted in these
calculations of graduation rates.

 

According to the federal formula for calculating graduation rates of
colleges and universities, a significant majority of RUSO students don't
count in this measurement even after they earn their degrees. The
federal system doesn't track transfer students, part-time students,
returning students, or students who enrolled in the spring semester
rather than in the fall. Last year, as many as 77 percent of RUSO
students earning bachelor's degrees did not count toward their
university's graduation rate when using this formula. The federal
formula counts only first-time, full-time freshmen who enrolled in the
fall semester - usually right after high school - and earned a degree
within six years at the university where they first enrolled. A
college-educated workforce is the cornerstone of a strong economy. Our
RUSO institutions pride themselves in providing access to a college
degree for Oklahomans who are raising families, are working, or who
dropped out and have since returned to finish their degrees. Many RUSO
students are over the age of 25, are transfers, or part-time students
who are working hard to improve their lives through higher education
while balancing work and families. They deserve our support because they
become Oklahoma's workforce and Oklahoma's future - and they should be
counted when measuring the value and contributions of our campuses at
Northeastern, Southeastern, East Central, Central Oklahoma, Southwestern
and Northwestern to building Oklahoma.

 

Michael W. Mitchel is chairman of the Board of Regents for RUSO. 

 

 

 

 

 

Linda Mason, Ed.D.

Coordinator of Grant Writing 

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

655 Research Parkway, Suite 200

Oklahoma City, OK 73104

405-225-9486 desk

405-706-8757 cell

405-225-9230 FAX

lmason at osrhe.edu

www.okhighered.org/grant-opps/

 

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