Post Classifieds
Retention rates on the rise
By Michael Canfield
On March 26, 2012
With first-year retention rates steadily rising through the mid-70 percent range over the last several years,
Buffalo State looks to make the rate 80 percent by 2014.
According to the fall 2011 Enrollment Summary, the retention rate for the last year reported in the
summary, 2010, was 76 percent. This means that in 2010, only 24 percent of students dropped out of
Buffalo State before the beginning of their sophomore year. In 2009, the number was 74.7 percent, and in
2008, it was 72.2 percent.
In 2009, a campus retention committee was formed, with an 80 percent retention rate by 2014 set as its
goal, said Mark Petrie, associate vice president for the Enrollment Management Office.
"The retention committee created a subcommittee made up of faculty from each of the decanal units
in an effort to understand school and/or academic department-specific issues regarding retention," he
said. "This strategy seemed most appropriate for Buffalo State rather than just broad-stroke initiatives
applied across the entire student body like prerequisite checking."
There are several factors leading to the upward trend in retention, said Scott Johnson, dean of University
College. Efforts include programs during orientation, college reading programs and an overall emphasis
on being proactive.
"We've made some positive developments in retention," he said.
Maybe the most important development was the implementation of MAP-Works, a program designed to
help intervene with struggling students in real-time. Petrie said MAP-works looks to proactively assist first-
year students who are having academic, social or financial problems.
As retention numbers climb, there are issues with certain groups of students, Petrie said. Retaining male
students is an issue, as well as students who aren't living on campus.
"We're struggling with males in general, as is the entire nation," he said. "Because we have such a large
commuter population, we would like to get a better understanding of what we can do to improve retention
of this group. They typically lag behind residential students in retention rates and are more difficult to
survey or keep on campus long enough to participate in a focus group."
While retention numbers have been on the rise, there are possible enrollment issues looming. High
school graduation rates are projected to decline by approximately 18 percent between 2009-2014 in
Erie and Niagara counties, Petrie said. This presents problems to a college that relies heavily on local
enrollment.
"With over 68 percent of our undergraduate enrollments coming from these two counties in 2011," he
said, "this is a significant concern."
To combat this issue, the school has developed a two-pronged plan. First, the school will look to recruit
students from outside the area, Petrie said, largely in the metro New York City area. Out-of-state and
international students will also be courted.
Second, the school is working with local school districts to increase the number of graduates who choose
Buffalo State. To that end, two programs specifically dealing with schools in the city of Buffalo have
been implemented. The Buffalo State Challenge, implemented two-years-ago, which allows students at
McKinley High School and Oracle Charter School to meet specific academic goals for entry into Buffalo
State, and a new collaboration with the Say Yes to Education program.
"This year we will work with the local leaders and Say Yes to Education, Inc. to enroll more Buffalo Public
School students at Buffalo State," Petrie said.
The school is also working on setting up a student-friendly administrative process, Johnson said, in hopes
that prospective students will see Buffalo State as a better option.
"We have to be nimble enough ahead of time to react," he said.
Michael Canfield can be reached by email at Canfield.record@live.com.
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