An academic adviser with 10 years of experience at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville will lead its newly formed Office of Graduation and Retention, the university announced Thursday.
Trevor Francis begins Sept. 15 as an associate vice provost. He’s now director of the advising center for UA’s largest academic unit, the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
About six out of every 10 freshmen who arrived as first-time, full-time students in the fall of 2007 earned a degree within six years at UA, according to the most recent data available. This can also be referred to as UA’s 2013 graduation rate.
The Office of Graduation and Retention is the “cornerstone” of an initiative to improve UA’s graduation rate, as highlighted in a report submitted in December to a Chicago-based accreditation agency for colleges and universities, the Higher Learning Commission.
The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to meet a goal set by UA in 2009 to raise its graduation rate to 70 percent by 2021.
Francis “has the skills and the background to truly excel in this position,” Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in a statement.
“Improving graduation and retention is a part of everyone’s job on campus — we need faculty and staff to think it is their responsibility. Trevor will harness and support all of the efforts on campus. He is the point guard, moving us forward,” Gaber said.
But while the graduation rate has increased by about 15 percent compared with 2000 — when only 45 percent of students earned a degree within six years — it has increased by only 2 percent compared with the 58 percent graduation rate in 2008.
The office “will serve as an institution-wide catalyst for initiating, implementing and reviewing goals and actions to increase graduation and retention rates,” according to the university announcement.
Besides a director, the office won’t necessarily have other new hires, Gaber told the Democrat-Gazette in May, with the director working with existing staff members. The position is based in UA’s enrollment management division.
Francis earned three degrees from UA, including a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a doctorate in higher education leadership. He began working as an academic adviser in 2004 in the Fulbright College advising center, also serving as assistant director of pre-professional studies. He has been the center’s director since 2010.
“I believe that as a campus community, if we are intentional about aligning our students’ success efforts and there are many in place, we will continue to see an increase in our graduation rates,” Francis said in a statement. “I am honored and pleased to be given the opportunity to embrace this challenge, working with talented people in Enrollment Services and across the campus.”
Francis in 2010 received advising awards from UA and the National Academic Advising Association. He will receive a salary of $88,000. As director of the Fulbright College advising center, he is earning $66,790.
Data released by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education for the 2007 students who graduated by 2013 show UA with a graduation rate of 59.8 percent, but the university has said it’s 2013 graduation rate is 60 percent based on criteria set by the national Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
The data system, commonly known as IPEDS, includes information on all colleges and universities.
Universities submitting data to the system may exclude students from a cohort if the students “left the institution for one of the following reasons: death or total and permanent disability; service in the armed forces (including those called to active duty); service with a foreign aid service of the federal government, such as the Peace Corps; or service on official church missions,” according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System website.
The Arkansas Department of Higher Education, however, uses cohort enrollment data submitted years earlier to calculate graduation rates. Information also is submitted on a different deadline from what is submitted to the system.