Catholic Colleges produce better Completion Rates

Providence College

According to a report released last week by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, students enrolled at Roman Catholic colleges are more likely to receive degrees within four years than their peers at public, private, or for-profit institutions. 

The report, “Bachelor’s Degree Attainment:  Catholic Colleges and Universities Lead the Way,” found higher four-, five- and six-year graduation rates for all entering students at Catholic colleges than the national average across all sectors of higher education.

In addition, students who begin at Catholic institutions tend to stay enrolled in their initial institution and consequently reap the benefits of more rapid degree completion.

And this means reduced costs associated with college expenses, as well as earlier entry into the job market—a win-win for the folks paying the bills.

For the record, the following is a list of Catholic colleges with the highest four-year graduation rates (Source:  US News):

• Georgetown University (90%)
• University of Notre Dame (90%)
• College of the Holy Cross (89%)
• Villanova University (88%)
• Boston College (87%)
• Providence College (81%)
• Fairfield University (79%)
• Loyola University Maryland (79%)
• Stonehill College (78%)
• Santa Clara University (77%)

Transfer Students head South

University of Central Florida

According to data collected by US News and World Report, schools in Texas, Florida, and California were the most popular destinations for transfer students in 2010. 

In fact, all ten colleges enrolling the most transfers were located in warmer climates. And from a practical standpoint, these are schools that had capacity to accept and enroll astonishingly large numbers of transfers.

There are many reasons students choose to move schools. Often money issues are involved. Or sometimes it’s a question of academics or a desire to be closer to home. 

And community college students make up a huge percentage of students moving from one institution to another.

Even President Obama transferred during his college career.

Among the 1,208 “ranked” colleges and universities providing transfer student data, roughly 564,500 students were reported as transferring.

Once again, Arizona State University topped the list with 6,158 transfers. And four of the top transfer destinations were located in the Lone Star State:  University of Texas—Arlington, University of Houston, Texas A and M University—Commerce, and the University of North Texas.

A quick review of local colleges and universities suggests significant transfer movement at some larger institutions.  UMUC (4216), George Mason University (2442), Virginia Commonwealth University (2144), the University of Maryland (1926) and Towson University (1841) enrolled the most transfer students.

According to Common Data Set information, far fewer transfers were to be found at Johns Hopkins (49) and the University of Richmond (60). George Washington accepted 36 percent of its transfer applicants and enrolled 381 students, while Georgetown accepted 11 percent and enrolled 138.

The University of Virginia accepted 36 percent of those applying to transfer and enrolled 638, at the same time the College of William and Mary accepted 44 percent and enrolled 229.

Among the local colleges admitting the highest percent of transfer applicants were the University of Mary Washington and American University—both at 63 percent.

The following is the US News list of 10 schools enrolling the most transfer students:

1. Arizona State University: 6,158 enrolled/84.3% accepted
2. University of Central Florida: 5,896 enrolled/63% accepted

3.  California State University—Northridge:  4,477 enrolled/51.9% accepted
4. Florida International University: 4,327 enrolled/72.9% accepted

5.  University of Texas—Arlington: 4,315 enrolled/91.4% accepted

6.  University of Houston:  4,171 enrolled/90.6% accepted
7.  California State University—Fullerton:  4,165 enrolled/37.5% accepted

8.  Texas A and M University—Commerce:  4,165 enrolled/94.6% accepted

9.  University of North Texas:  3,891 enrolled/75.8% accepted

10. San Francisco State University:  3,760 enrolled/54.1% accepted

Facebook supports College Knowledge

Independent educational consultants (IEC’s) are all over social media.  They have informative websites and Facebook pages.  And they blog, tweet, link, and pin.

In fact, a quick scan of social media shows IEC’s in every corner of the country using free and readily available resources to convey all kinds of messages about colleges and the college admissions process.

On Facebook in particular, IEC’s communicate with clients and colleagues as well as reach out to audiences both locally and around the world.  They post links to news and use social media to share pictures from college tours or offer professional advice free to anyone connecting to their pages.

While the marketing advantage of such social media engagement is largely unproven and no one really knows who is looking at what, researchers at Michigan State (MSU) and the University of Michigan discovered interesting side benefits to time spent on the pages of Facebook—for one important group of students.

A survey of more than 500 high school students in a low-income area of Michigan found that Facebook connections can help first-generation college applicants feel more confident about their ability to get into college and succeed once they enroll.

“We think social media may demystify the college experience, because kids are able to see how others like them experience the process,” said Nicole Ellison, associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Information.

To see how well students understood the college application process, the survey asked participants about social media use and to rate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with statements such as, “I know how to apply for financial aid” and “I know what I need to include in a college application.”  

Of the sample, 12 percent indicated they used social media to get information about how to apply to college.  And Facebook connections appeared key to discovering this information.

Based on their results, researchers urged guidance counselors and administrators to “explore new ways to help juniors and seniors navigate their steps through social media” and suggested the possibility of offering application help through Facebook.

"Our message to high school students is that even if they are disadvantaged in terms of financial resources or parental support, social media can help them access resources they may already have in their extended social networks," said D. Yvette Wohn, a doctoral student at MSU.

But what the folks in Michigan may not know is that is that a small army of IEC’s is already pioneering resource-sharing projects.  And based on who “Likes” and/or possibly connects with their pages, much of this information may actually be reaching low-income first generation college students and their families.

The study, titled "The role of social media in shaping first-generation high school students' college aspirations: A social capital lens," will be presented June 18 at the International Communication Association conference in London, and was recently published in the journal Computers and Education. The research was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The 2013 Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

St. Mary's College of Maryland

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recently announced the President's 2013 Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll—the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for commitment to community service. And many local colleges and universities were among the 690 recognized for their support of volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. 

“We congratulate the awardees and the students for their dedication to service,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. “These institutions have inspired students and faculty alike to roll up their sleeves and work alongside members of the community to solve problems and improve their neighbors’ lives.”

On campuses across the country, millions of college students are engaged in innovative projects to meet local needs, often using the skills learned in classrooms.

Out of hundreds of institutions applying for Honor Roll status, only five schools were named Presidential Awardees—Georgia Perimeter College, Gettysburg College, the University of Connecticut, La Sierra University, and Nazareth College.  Fourteen additional colleges and universities were named “Honor Roll Finalists.”

Locally, Emory & Henry College, James Madison University, Towson University, Virginia Commonwealth University and Washington & Lee University were among a select group of institutions earning places on the Honor Roll with Distinction. 

And 28 additional area 4-year colleges were named to the general Honor Roll including American, Georgetown, George Washington, Frostburg, Goucher, Loyola, MICA, McDaniel College, Mount St.Mary’s University, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, University of Maryland—College Park, UMBC, Bluefield, Bridgewater, the College of William & Mary, Hollins, Lynchburg, Mary Baldwin College, Marymount, Old Dominion University, Radford University, Randolph Macon College, Shenandoah University, the University of Mary Washington, Richmond, Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University.

College students make significant contributions to the volunteer sector, and the availability of service learning opportunities is becoming increasingly important to high school students seeking civic engagement as part of their undergraduate experience. 

According the annual CNCS Volunteering in America report, 3.1 million college students dedicated more than 118 million hours of service to communities across the country—a contribution valued at $2.5 billion.  

CNCS oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact, and the American Council on Education. Honorees were chosen based on a number of factors including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, school commitment to campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes.

For more information or to learn how colleges are integrating volunteerism and service learning into their educational programs, visit the CNCS website.

18 Years of Rap for the 2013 High School Grads

If a rousing rendition of Pomp and Circumstance is still in your future or even if you’ve already taken off for beach week in the outermost reaches of South Carolina, the hip-hop poets at Flocabulary want to remind you where you came from with a very special graduation gift:  18 years in Rap.


From the Oklahoma City bombing (1995) and the debut of Dolly the sheep (1996) to the Mars landing (1997) and the tears at Columbine (1999), the pictures inspire as the lyrics recall what it’s been like to grow up from one century to the next.

"But America changed the hour, when the two planes hit the two towers,” and “We invade Afghanistan, hunting Al Qaeda, But Bin Laden won’t get found ‘til later.”

18 Years in Rap comes to you from the same guys who do the weekly current events project, The Week in Rap. 

It’s meant for classrooms, and more than 15,000 schools use the digital subscription service to motivate students and teach language arts, math, social studies, and science.

The Flocabulary team promises to be around all summer looking for more headlines and rhymes.  But in the meantime, they offer a little advice:

“3.2 million high school graduates,

I hope you’re looking at the present, and you’re grabbing it,

‘Cause time passes in the blink of an eye,

When you look ahead, don't forget to look behind..."