ASU sets out plan to assist students

Admission policy to limit rejections

The Welcome Center at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro is shown in this 2019 file photo.
The Welcome Center at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro is shown in this 2019 file photo.

Beginning with students applying for the Fall 2024 semester, Arkansas State University will no longer automatically reject applicants who don't meet academic standards for admission, Chancellor Todd Shields said Friday.

Instead, an ad hoc committee will review "the entire academic record" of students and collaborate with the university's existing acceptance appeals committee to determine if that student should be reconsidered, Shields said at the Arkansas State University System board of trustees meeting in Malvern.

Any number of events and circumstances -- from a move, to taking on major job responsibilities, to illness of self or a loved one -- can impact a student's grade-point average for a semester or a year of high school, Shields said. However, that shouldn't prevent that student from attending ASU if the preponderance of the other evidence indicates that he or she can succeed at the university.

This new initiative is personal for Shields, because "I'm an example of this," he said. His family moved twice while he was in high school, and the second move -- in the middle of his senior year -- proved an especially challenging adjustment, so his grades suffered.

His lower GPA from that final semester wasn't indicative of his true ability, but -- at first glance -- an admissions counselor may have dismissed him, he said. "We don't want to reject students we believe can succeed at A-State."

ASU reported a 2.4% increase, or 14,109 students -- the second-highest figure in university history -- this fall, compared with fall 2021's estimate of 13,772, according to the ASU System. Last fall's official enrollment was 13,752. ASU's highest enrollment was in the fall of 2017, with 14,144 students.

The ad hoc committee will likely include representatives from every college, the faculty and staff senate, student government and perhaps others, Shields said. "I'd like to include as many people as possible."

Shields wants to give all students the best opportunity to thrive, so the university is recommitting to student success initiatives, he said. For example, beginning this summer, when students attend new-student orientation, they'll be tested not only on skills such as leadership, communication ability, teamwork and emotional intelligence, but also for anxiety and depression.

By screening for those mental and emotional health issues, the university can address them sooner, he said. "Let's be proactive, [because] we want to be a caring institution that takes care of all needs."

In terms of the skills, students will be tested throughout their college careers so they can demonstrate growth in those areas, then discuss their progress with concrete examples when they're on job interviews, he said. "They'll have something to say."

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