Adams State graduation rates are up

...

ALAMOSA — Adams State University’s graduation rate for their six-year cohort for 2010 is up 1.5 percent from the 2009 data. In comparison, the state average is down .3 percent.

Karla Hardesty, the executive director of enrollment management, presented the numbers to the Adams State University Board of Trustees during their Friday meeting.

“I think we have made some really good strides in our graduation rates.” Hardesty said. “We do have some gaps, but that shows us where we need to better support students. We’re moving the needle in the right direction.”

Most of the rates are up across the board. The female graduation rate is up 5.1 percent and the graduation rate of white students is up 4.6 percent, while 4 percent more Hispanic students are graduating.

However, the graduation rate for male students is down 3.4 percent. There is also a 13.1 percent difference between the female and male rates.

“You can see a big disparity between our female graduates and our male graduation rates,” said Hardesty. “That tells us that we need to do something about that. Why are we graduating females at a higher rate when our enrollment for the two is about the same?”

Of the 58 percent of ASU students that were eligible for Pell grants, there was a .3 percent increase in graduation. Yet the rate for non-Pell eligible graduates went up 3.2 percent.

“It is interesting to note that in almost every category the state-wide 6-year average is flat to down, while we’re up,” said Trustee Reeves Brown. “That’s really encouraging.”

This is the most current information because the percentages are presented in six-year cohorts. It should be noted, however, that 2010 was the university’s largest class size to date and enrollment has declined since then.