BENTONVILLE -- The annual retention rate of students remains a focus among the leadership of Northwest Arkansas Community College, college President Evelyn Jorgenson said.
A report presented at the Monday night Board of Trustees meeting showed 45.6 percent of students returned for classes this fall, compared with 45.7 percent of students in 2015 who returned from the previous fall.
By the numbers
The following are a sampling of key indicators officials are tracking for Northwest Arkansas Community College.
Indicator2016Proposed 2020 target
Fall student headcount7,7618,000
Enrollment of students ages 25 to 542,0783,200
Fall-to-fall retention rate45.6%48%
Total degrees and certificates awarded9441,200
Licensure/certification exam passage rate96%95%
Source: Northwest Arkansas Community College
The college has a goal of 48 percent of students returning each fall, according to information provided by Lisa Anderson, the college's executive director of institutional effectiveness and grants. Anderson showed the board a new electronic reporting system accessible to the board and all college staff and faculty that provides quick access to data on more than a dozen indicators of performance, including on enrollment and retention.
Anderson gave trustees a summary of the data on students and employees the administration tracks for evaluating performance.
Enrollment numbers at one time were declining, but the college appears to be maintaining enrollment, with fall head count going from 7,744 students in 2015 to 7,761 this fall, Trustee Joe Spivey said.
"We're here for the students," he said. "Retention is always something to keep focused on."
While the fall-to-fall retention rate includes students who leave to attend other universities, including the nearby University of Arkansas, Jorgenson is concerned about students who don't return because their first year of college didn't go well, she said.
Jorgenson promotes continuous quality improvement and said officials are evaluating potential cracks in the system, including in degree programs, classes, the enrollment process, placement and testing services, and library access.
She's promoting to all faculty and staff the idea of everyone focusing on their role in recruiting, connecting with and retaining students, she said.
"Student success has become very critical," Jorgenson said. "We want to connect with them. We don't want students to feel like they're wandering or uncertain about how they fit in."
Faculty and staff are paying greater attention to attendance as part of that focus, she said.
All faculty and staff, from academic advisers to financial advisers, contribute to student success, said Dan Shewmaker, chairman of the board.
"We care about them at every step," Shewmaker said. "We care if you show up to class."
NW News on 11/15/2016