Retention studied

Focus groups examine reasons for low figures

Students are dropping like flies, according to retention figures.

Retention has been a hot topic for the administration, especially after the 1999 US News and World Report ranked Oberlin 25 in the nation among liberal arts colleges, a decline from years past. The low ranking was, for a large part, due to the number of students who never graduate.

Last year College President Nancy Dye formed several focus groups to study the subject of retention. From these focus groups came information distinguishing the "pressure points" of a student's experience.

In an earlier study of African American students, retention was linked to activity in community service and campus organizations. This link was upheld by results from the focus groups which showed that the sense of involvement in the community was crucial to retaining students.

Other areas were also investigated. The advising system was given close attention and may be the target for some restructuring. Academics were a focus for several of the groups. Director of Institutional Research Ross Peacock was commissioned by Dye to investigate the credit/no entry grading system. Peacock's results shows a strong correlation between using the system and poor academic performance.

Elsewhere in academia, focus groups found that class availability was also linked to retention. "We have doubled the number of colloquia for first and second year students [from last year]," said Clayton Koppes, dean of the college of arts and sciences.

The more interesting and exciting place this is, the more they'll wish to stay here," he said.

The information collected by the forums, however, was viewed in many ways. "Different people had different reactions to the data," said Peacock.

In comparison with other similar colleges, Oberlin had a much lower retention rate. This, some people believe, is only because of the type of free-spirited students Oberlin attracts.

The increased number of students, while positive for the College, may also have an effect on retention. The number of students is too large for the residence halls and too large for the faculty. Rather than increasing the College, Koppes expressed the need to decrease the size of the student population. That decrease in size might then increase the retention rate.

Nonetheless, retention is an issue that is still fresh on the minds of many administrators and will be a long-term project. Said Peacock, "We have to keep it on the front burner."