UW-River Falls Commitment to Student Retention and Success

The University of Wisconsin System has established clear goals for campuses to achieve in terms of
improving student retention, success, and completion. The UW System annually tracks retention and graduation data and compares system-wide rates with national peers to ensure accountability in this sense.  University of Wisconsin System Reports by Topic

UW-River Falls also annually publishes data on first-to-second year retention broken down by academic program. Campus Data Reports This data is reviewed at least annually by campus leadership (specifically, by the Chancellor’s Cabinet) to help inform decisions related to institutional strategy on ensuring student success.

The Office of Institutional Research produces annual reports on specific metrics including first-to-second year retention rates and 4- and 6-year graduation rates for all first-time new freshmen, broken out into the following cohorts:

• Underrepresented Minorities (URM) as defined by UW System
• Pell Recipients
• Male/Female
• High School ACT score/class rank

The Chancellor’s Cabinet also tracks the same data with regards to campus-specific groups, including the student beneficiaries of the UWRF Scholarship Guarantee program, the Falcon Scholars program and the Pathways program.  

With specific regards to our URM students, UW-River Falls has set Inclusive Excellence Goals targeting the year 2020. These goals were submitted to UW System on August 8, 2014, as part of their ongoing strategy to ensure system-wide commitment to Inclusive Excellence, and can be found here, along with information on progress.

Furthermore, in accordance with 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, the UW System has identified accountability measures in the areas of Administrative Management, Educational Performance, Financial Management, and Research and Economic Development. Educational Performance measures include graduation rates, equity gaps, and degrees conferred. Data can be found here. Each UW institution was asked to elaborate projections specifically focused on equity gaps for URM students and Pell recipients. In 2016, UW-River Falls established the following estimates, based on input from Academic Affairs, Admissions, Institutional Research, Financial Aid and Multicultural Student Services (participants were AVC for Academic Affairs and Graduate Studies Wes Chapin, Admissions Senior Institutional Planner Mark Meydam, Institutional Research Stacy Karl, Financial Aid Director Robert Bode, Student Support Services & Multicultural Student Services Director Chuayi Yang and Provost Fernando Delgado):

Equity Gap Projections for UWRF Underrepresented Minority Students and Pell Recipients (2016 estimates)

Data in shaded columns indicates projections.

In May 2018, those estimates were updated and extended through 2022, based on input, clarifications and new assumptions provided by Academic Affairs, Institutional Research, Admissions, Student Affairs, Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Faculty Senate Recruitment and Retention Committee, and others (participants were Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Faye Perkins, AVC for Academic Affairs Wes Chapin, Associate Policy and Planning Analyst Stacy Karl, Director of Enrollment Operations and Technology Mark Meydam, Director of Financial Aid Robert Bode, Assistant Chancellor of Student Affairs Gregg Heinselman, Director of Center of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Martin Olague, Chair of Faculty Senate Committee on Recruitment, Advising and Retention David Bonko, Assistant Dean for Teaching and Learning in the College of Arts and Sciences Cyndi Kernahan, Executive Director of Admissions and New Student and Family Programs Sarah Egerstrom and Executive Assistant to the Chancellor Beth Schommer).

UWRF Projected 4- and 6-year Graduation Rates (2018 estimates)

Percent of new freshmen entering full-time in fall semester who graduate with a bachelor's degree within 4 years and within 6 years. Numbers in red indicate actual numbers compared to the data forecasts in the 2016 estimates above. Data in shaded columns indicates projections.

*Actual count shown here differs from counts published by UW System in their reports for that year. Contact IR for details.

The significant jump in 4-year graduation rates from 28.1% for the 2011 cohort to 34.8% for the 2012 cohort and 39.2% for the 2013 cohort can be explained by considering that in 2015, general education requirements were reduced by 4 credits and the requirement for a minor was dropped, along with some other changes concerning how credits were counted for graduation requirements.

UWRF Projected Graduation Rate for Underrepresented Minority Students and Estimated Equity Gaps (2018 estimates)

Numbers in red indicate actual numbers compared to the data forecasts in the 2016 estimates above. Data in shaded columns indicates projections.

*Actual count shown here differs from counts published by UW System in their reports for that year. Contact IR for details.

Several factors were considered when calculating the estimated graduation rates, including newly instituted programs like the Aspire program which started in Fall 2017 with a cohort of 46 students (including URM [44], First Gen, Low income); The College of Arts and Sciences First Year Adventure started in Fall 2016; the Center for Diversity, Inclusivity, and Belonging started in Fall 2016; the Pathways Program started in Fall 2014; and the Connections Living Learning Program targeting at risk students started in Fall 2017. Increased graduation rate of URM students assumes continued funding of such programs.
 

As of the 2017-18 academic year, UW-River Falls has invested in a variety of decentralized initiatives that are aimed at primarily or secondarily supporting our retention efforts. These include:

Promoting high-impact practices in strategic areas

• Internships
• Undergraduate research
• Education abroad

Strengthening student involvement early on

• Academic day
• Student organizations
• Falcon 5/Pick one
• Weeks of Welcome
• Involvement Fair
• Community Fair (“Just Local”)

Academic support

• Academic Success Center
• Departmental Help Centers (i.e., Math)
• Tutoring
• Peer mentoring
• TRIO, SSS and McNair
• Honors

Intentional programs to support specific communities

• Thematic and academic living/learning communities (on-campus residents)
• Falcon 101 (student-athletes)
• Aspire (low income and/or URM students)
• Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (students of non-majority identity groups)
• Pathways (transition program for students who are children of non-native speakers of English from first generation immigrant families)
• CAFES and CEPS required introductory courses (for all majors in the College of Agriculture Food and Environmental Sciences and in the College of Education and Professional Studies)