Rao said six-year graduation is ‘not ideal’: University focuses on advising, faculty

Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor

Tracking freshmen who entered college in 2000, the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that only 36 percent graduated with a bachelor’s degree in four years.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) followed the incoming freshmen in 2003 at the state’s colleges and reports that at VCU, about 24.1 percent of the class graduated in four years. That percentage is equal to about 779 of 3,230 students.

SCHEV reports the last measured six-year graduation rate for VCU was approximately 50.4 percent (about 1,619 students) and this number is one that VCU President Michael Rao hopes his recently-approved Quest for Distinction can address and increase.

The six-year graduation rate keeps track of all students that take six years and less to graduate. That means students who graduate in four years are also part of this rate.

Currently, UVa has the highest six-year graduation in the state, graduating about 92.7 percent of a class within six years.

“Our focus is on four-year graduation, but the data we have to use to compare is a six-year rate,” Rao said. “We’re too big for the resources that we have. We would really (like) it if students could graduate in four years.”

Rao said the Quest for Distinction explicitly references the six-year rate because it is a national metric, but VCU’s focus is still getting students graduated in a time that is appropriate and convenient for the student, whether they choose to take the traditional four years or follow the newer national trend of taking more than four years.

Rao said his focus since he came to VCU almost three years ago has been to increase the number of faculty and more recently, he has been focusing on improving the advising programs at the university to aid in more timely graduations.

Freshman Reuben Chapman said that he plans to take four years to graduate and so far at VCU, his adviser has been helping him stay on track.

“I was kind of skeptical about (how helpful advisers were) at first,” he said.

Older students, like communication arts senior Al Lukehart, say that VCU’s focus doesn’t necessarily have to be on advising, but rather class availability.

“There aren’t enough classes for the students that we have (in the communication arts department),” Lukehart said. “Even though we have few students, there are even fewer classes.”

Rao said the university was aware of this problem and steps have already been taken to help alleviate it. There were more sections of focused inquiry opened this year, and according to Rao, he still plans to hire 30 new faculty members.

“Some of the faculty members that we’ve hired in departments will definitely address the junior and senior level coursework that … access was needed to,” Rao said.

Rao said he was not aware of any other class shortages, but will be looking into the availability of focused inquiry classes.