The university is currently addressing the continuous low retention rate, which presently stands at 59 percent, by forming a Retention Committee that consists of students, professors, and faculty.
“We have struggled with retention historically,” said President James Birge. “We’ve ranged anywhere from 55 percent to 71 percent over the last 10 years. Right now we’re at 59 percent, so we’re pretty low despite the best efforts of folks.”
According to Birge, the university should be in the mid-70’s, with its retention rate ranging between 74 to 77 within the coming years. “I think it's reasonable for us to be in that mid 70’s range,” Birge said.
The Retention Committee has only met four times so far but has already started brainstorming goals that they would like to accomplish within the upcoming semesters. A complete list of goals will be presented to the President prior to Christmas break, with low cost goals being implemented as soon as next semester.
One goal that is being implemented is trying to advance students' connections with faculty while at Franklin Pierce. “We’re looking at ways for faculty to get more involved with students outside the classroom," said Melissa Conway, retention committee member and assistant director of admissions. “If students have that personal connection they’re going to want to come back, they’re going to have that relationship that they can relate to and they’re going to feel comfortable coming back to have someone they can go to.”
Residential Life went into the first year housing area and talked to students to see what their experiences on campus have been so far as another method of gauging retention, according to Ken Ervin, retention committee member and director of Residential Life.
The committee has also collectively looked at previous data and research, as well as discussed reasons as to why students do not stay a full four years at Franklin Pierce. There are numerous reasons as to why the retention level is so low at Franklin Pierce including the cost, location, and the decision to switch majors.
“We want to be prudent to know the information out there [and] what information has been gathered,” said Ervin. “We are a group that understands that this [retention] is a crucial element of the university, and we are more than open to ideas to see what solutions are there that would be most beneficial to our students.”
Birge feels that the retention problem is something that students, staff, and faculty should be aware of and have a full understanding of. “I want my colleagues here at the institution to know we have a retention problem and all of us have to do something to hang on to our students. If there’s someone who doesn’t think we got a problem [with retention] we’ve got a bigger problem,” Birge said.
Part of the concern with retention is experience, and if students have a more enjoyable experience then they may retain better, according to Ervin.
Coinciding with retention, overall student enrollment has also been decreasing at Franklin Pierce. “The incoming class that we had this year was the lowest that we've had and I definitely think the economy is a huge factor in that,” said Conway. “Unfortunately enrollment is down, retention is down, we’ll have to tackle both of them in pretty similar ways because we have to get those students in, but once they’re here we have to maintain them.”
Tuition is one reason as to why students have said they leave the university, though, often times students that transfer out of Franklin Pierce go to schools that end up costing them more money, according to Birge. “Many of the students that have applied here are going to even more expensive institutions, so I’m not feeling like the expense is the worst because the data is telling us for students it’s really not horrible,” said Birge.
The schools low retention and enrollment can ultimately negatively affect the way the university functions. “We’re a tuition driven university; without the numbers we can’t function in a capacity that is going to benefit the students, faculty, and staff," said Conway. "I truly believe that because of the situation that Pierce is in, because of the low enrollment [and retention], this is definitely the main focus of the university. Something has to be done because if not it will affect, unfortunately in a negative way, the university."
There is an overall understanding that the committee does need to make a positive move forward with retention in order for the university to maintain a high level of acceptance. There is in agreement that the committee wants what is best for all students on campus.
“We have a really great education here, and I want students to benefit from that," Birge said. "If they leave they can’t do that, so I want us to make sure we are offering everything we can to keep students here so [they] benefit from a Franklin Pierce education.”
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