http://diverseeducation.com/article/17272c2/southern-university-system-finds-creative-way-to-attract-students.html
August 6, 2012
When
the fall semester begins at Southern University Baton Rouge, freshman
orientation will be a bit different this year. In addition to the 892 incoming
freshmen being welcomed to the Louisiana campus, about 150 community college
students also will be greeted. They are enrolled at Southern University at
Shreveport, a two-year community college.
As
part of a new enrollment plan developed by the Southern University System,
Southern University at Shreveport, La. (SUSLA) will, in effect, operate
satellite locations on the Baton Rouge and New Orleans campuses. In addition to
those attending classes on the Baton Rouge campus, about 100 SUSLA students
will attend Southern University - New Orleans (SUNO). Students who attempted to
enroll in one of the four-year universities, but did not meet the criteria,
have the opportunity to be admitted as community college students and attend
classes on the SUBR or SUNO campus.
System
President Ronald Mason told Diverse the initiative is designed to help
more students complete a four-year degree, as well as to raise the graduation
rates and help recruitment at the four-year institutions. Mason said the
program generally works this way: “Students who want an HBCU experience and are
not admissible to one of our four-year HBCUs … have the option of being
admitted to Southern-Shreveport and then going on to a four-year campus. Once
they meet the requirements that are necessary to transfer—usually finishing
developmental work, having a 2.0 GPA and 18 credit hours—the data show that
their chances of getting a four-year degree increase—by a lot.”
SUBR
chancellor James Llorens told Diverse the new initiative has allowed his
institution to attract students who otherwise would not be there.
Llorens
said state guidelines restrict students at the four-year institution from
taking more than one developmental course. But under the new plan students
enrolled through the community college may take additional developmental
courses if necessary. “We wanted to capitalize on our unique status as a
system—the only HBCU system in the country—and to help students who want a
total college experience.”
The
campus has experienced declining enrollment in recent years as the state has
tightened admission requirements, sending many prospective students to
community colleges before transferring to the university. Llorens said some of
those students become “disappointed and frustrated” and never reach a four-year
institution.
“Now
we can actually bring them onto the campus so that they can begin to
participate in student life,” Llorens said.
From
the students’ standpoint, “It’s all positive,” said Willie McCorkle III,
president of the Student Government Association at Southern-Baton Rouge. “We
think it’s a great idea. The students I have spoken with are in full support
and are looking forward to having the Shreveport students here. It shows the
cohesiveness of the schools within the Southern University system, and it
promotes a family atmosphere.”
McCorkle
said the plan allows students maximize their time by taking developmental
courses while also enrolling in other courses offered by the university and
participating in student activities.
Llorens
said the existing dorms, cafeteria and parking facilities will accommodate the
additional students. He said faculty for the community college students will be
hired and assigned by the Shreveport administration. He said some SUBR faculty
might serve as part-time instructors for the Shreveport students.
Mason
announced the proposal on his President’s Portal, as part of several
cost-cutting and revenue-building measures.
“We
should take advantage of our system status to coordinate activities and
programs, eliminate service duplication, increase economies of scale, and strengthen
our component units,” Mason said in his state of the university message on the
site.
The
Shreveport-Baton Rouge plan was included among several proposals centralizing
and consolidating services and programs throughout the system.
Nationally,
the Shreveport-Baton Rouge enrollment plan could be a model for other HBCUs,
according to Lezli Baskerville, president of the National Association for Equal
Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), which is made up of leaders of
historically Black institutions.
“We’re
increasingly trying to improve the pipeline from two-year to four-year
institutions,” she said. “It seems that this would lower costs and help
students make a seamless transition.”
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