By Baylee Pulliam
In Freshmen Retention 101, the University of Louisville is a C student. According to “US News & World Report,” U of L has a freshmen retention rate – the percent of freshmen who return to U of L for their sophomore year – of 78 percent. Other public schools, such as the University of Texas at Austin or Michigan State University, scored above 90 percent.
In the university’s September 2007 business plan for 2020, increasing U of L’s retention rate to 80.3 percent is cited as a key goal. In order to accomplish this goal, some freshman programs may have to become more active, while some already have.
The Student Orientation Staff focuses on answering students’ questions during freshman orientation each summer. Each staffer takes on a group of students and ensures they are supplied with the proper information needed to be successful when classes start.
“It was nice to have someone to go to with questions,” said Derek Wahle, a freshman undecided major. “And then, after fall classes started, it was pretty cool to have a familiar face in the crowd. It was like ‘Hey, at least I know someone.'”
Other organizations, such as Freshmen LEAD, a program operated under the Office of Civic Engagement, Leadership, and Service, encourage freshmen to discover and come to terms with their strengths and weaknesses upon arrival to campus. According to the Office of Institutional Research at U of L, the retention rate of students participating in Freshmen LEAD is around 90 percent.
“I think knowing what areas they are strong in and in which they need work really helps,” said Pam Curtis, director of the Office of Civic Engagement, Leadership, and Service. “When they know what to work on, they’re more aware. And it helps students in the Freshmen LEAD program succeed, both as students and in life.”
Other individuals that work to help freshmen succeed are the First Year Guides. Each guide lives in a freshman dorm and serves as an adviser and friend to first-year students throughout the first eight weeks of class.
“What probably helped me the most was my First Year Guide,” said Mike McIntyre, a freshman English major. “I was never good with time management. My guide really helped me to balance my social life with my class work.”
Others think the key to freshman success is involvement on campus.
“When I was a freshman, I was planning on transferring out of U of L,” said Clifton Crouch, a junior computer information systems major. “What worked for me was finding a few clubs on campus that I was really interested in where people cared about me and how I was doing in school.”
What influences a student’s decision to re-enroll or leave isn’t clear, but what is clear is that there are many people working to ensure that freshmen stay enrolled at U of L.
“What’s happening at U of L is being nationally recognized as outstanding work,” said Christy Metzger, the director of the Office of First Year Initiatives. “Two of our key First Year Initiatives programs are national models, which is quite an accomplishment.”
