In the face of a budget deficit, since tuition covers such a large portion of Baker’s budget, retention is as important as ever.
Provost Randy Pembrook said this year’s spring retention of first-time, first-year students is higher than average, and higher than it has been in the last few years.
Judy Smrha, assistant dean for institutional effectiveness, said of the 239 freshmen who started on campus this fall, 219, or 91.6 percent, returned.
Pembrook said this is right around average, which usually is around high 80 to low 90 percent.
Smrha said of the 998 total students who were enrolled through Baker’s College of Arts and Sciences, 950 returned.
She said a decline of total enrollment is typical in the spring because of December commencement, but this year the number looks slightly inflated because more students enrolled in the concurrent credit program this spring.
Smrha said retention is important because it impacts how many students are paying tuition and, as long as students stay, it helps cut down recruiting costs.
“You don’t have to recruit those students,” Smrha said. “You already have them.”
Sophomore Catherine Sailler believes good retention brings more profit to the university.
“They want to get the most money that they can out of each student,” she said.
Smrha said the biggest way to keep students from leaving is to find good fits and to keep meeting their expectations.
Pembrook said making sure students enter into a community where they feel connected and welcome is a good way to hold on to students.
Things like athletics, greek organizations and making good friends are good examples.
“We want to make sure to do everything we can to keep the students here,” Pembrook said.
Sailler said one thing that may make students want to leave is a lack of communication between them and administrators.
“Sometimes Baker doesn’t tell students what’s going on,” she said.
Pembrook said the university formed a group of faculty members whose goal is to improve retention.
So far the group has started looking to other staff and faculty, such as student development and student advisers, to wave red flags about particular students who look as if they might decide to leave, giving the group a chance to proactively contact students who might not come back.
