Office of Academic Affairs
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER
Plan 2008: GOAL III: CLOSE THE GAP IN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT, BY BRINGING RETENTION AND GRADUATION RATES FOR STUDENTS OF COLOR IN LINE WITH THOSE OF THE STUDENT BODY AS A WHOLE.
RELATED INSTITUTIONAL Plan 2008 GOAL (UW-W Continuing Activity #3):
1. Continue and expand efforts to improve retention and graduation rates for students of color. 
Name of Department(s) Academic Support Services

UW-W Retention and Graduation Task Force

Divisions of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs
Target Group All students of color
Total Number Served Approximately 700 enrolled students of color each year
Time Line Academic Year and Summer
Duration of Program Continuing
Program Cost and Funding Sources UW-W Funding
INITIATIVE/PROGRAM
1. Continue to use the Minority/Disadvantaged Student Retention Model to track student retention and graduation.

2. Set a target of improving retention rate for the 1998-99 cohort to a six-year graduation rate of 42%, with an improvement of 1% per year for each subsequent year.

3. Set a target of improving freshman to sophomore retention rate for 1999-2000 cohort from 70% to 71%. Increase retention rate 1% each year for next five years.

4. Track the graduation and retention rates for the King/Chavez Scholars compared with all M/D students and with majority students with comparable incoming GPAs and ACT scores.

5. Continue to work with student organizations (i.e., Southeast Asian Organization, Latinos Unidos, Black Student Union) in retention and graduation efforts.

6. Implement a college emergence program for Latino students to develop a familiarity with academic and university life.

7. Expand ESL offerings at UW-W to attract and retain Latino and Southeast Asian students.

8. Expand opportunities for creating a multifaceted bilingual/ESL Border Studies program with a focus on global issues.

9. Identify federal and state sources of support for bilingual and ESL programs.

10. Encourage an expanded study abroad student exchange and internship program to prepare students to be global citizens. 
EXPECTED OUTCOMES OR NEED FOR INITIATIVE/PROGRAM
· Retention rates, graduation rates
ACTUAL OUTCOMES OR EFFECTIVES OF IMPLEMENTATION ACTIVITIES Graduation rates for students of color are as follows:
· Fall 1992 cohort 34.2%

· Fall 1993 cohort 23.6%

· Fall 1994 cohort 29.3%

First to second year retention rates for students of color are as follows:
· Fall 1997 cohort 67.7%

· Fall 1998 cohort 74.2%

· Fall 1999 cohort 62.6%
 
 

The tracking of King/Chavez students has begun. To date, 78% of the King-Chavez scholars are still enrolled at UW-W. Beginning with the fall of 2000, records are being kept for a group of Summer Transition students. 17 of 19 are still enrolled at the university.

UW-W has received a federal grant, Project SWEETT, to support an ESL teacher preparation program.

Overall, study abroad opportunities have increased 20% during the last year. Multicultural participants in targeted short-term travel study have increased from 19 in 1997-98, to 48 in 1998-99, 37 in 1999-2000, and 49 in 2000-2001.
FACTORS INFLUENCING PROGRAM OUTCOMES

 

 Internal factors influencing program outcomes include a decline in both graduation and retention for all students. A campus-wide task force has identified a number of factors influencing this decline and has proposed several strategies for changing this decline.

External factors may include the range of other opportunities available to students (e.g., job opportunities). In addition, student preparedness may be a factor.
FUTURE PLANS; WILL YOU DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY, IF SO, WHY The entire campus is engaged in an effort to increase both retention and graduation rates. We expect to continue this effort along with the efforts noted above.