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Task Force on Enrollment Strategy recommends changes at The University of Texas at AustinJanuary 26, 2004 “The task force has explored a number of size scenarios and has concluded that no substantial growth should occur unless key strategic constraints and goals are observed,” the report said. “Growth of the size of the student population should not proceed at the expense of the quality of the educational experience.” To preserve and enhance the quality of students’ educational experiences, the task force said, the student/faculty ratio at The University of Texas at Austin now is about 21 to one, high among the institutions with which the university wishes to compare itself, where the corresponding figure is no more than 19 to one. It recommended increasing the size of the faculty by about 170 to improve the ratio. The task force recommended decreasing the time of graduation to 10 long semesters and implementing incentives for students to carry at least 14 hours per semester. Decreasing students’ time to graduation is an important step in helping to control costs, the task force said, and it is a key factor in enhancing quality by improving the student/faculty ratio. The task force said the university’s enrollment situation should be reassessed starting in fall 2008, noting that it is unwise to advance a strategy to be pursued beyond a five-year window. The group’s short-term recommendations include placing a limit of 10 long semesters in residence for students to complete a baccalaureate degree and increasing to 15 the minimum number of required hours to be eligible for certain honors programs and merit-based scholarships. The task force also recommended reevaluating policies related to students returning from scholastic dismissal and placing limits on the number of students admitted from other University of Texas System component institutions under the pilot Coordinated Admissions Program. The report also said the graduation rate at The University of Texas at Austin is lower than peer institutions because of the average number of semester-credit hours taken by undergraduates. “To enhance this rate, we will have to induce our students to increase their course loads,” the report said. It recommended increasing the average number of semester credit hours taken by undergraduates from its current level of 13.11 to 14. “The report states clearly that a typical student who graduates from The University of Texas at Austin with one major takes an average of 142 hours or more, while only 120 hours is required for most majors,” Cunningham said. “Students who graduate with two majors take an average of more than 170 hours.” Other recommendations include that the Office of Admissions, in consultation with the Admissions and Registration Committee of the Faculty Council, develop more rigorous administrative policies that require reapplication for graduating students who wish to continue as students, as well as students who have been absent from the university for a long-session semester or longer. The task force recommends that the Office of Admissions review its policies for readmission and strictly enforce deadlines for application for readmission. Changing colleges and majors also was addressed by the group, which recommended that the ability for students to make these changes remain at the discretion of the dean of that college or school. Approval by the dean of the college or school also would be required for exceptions to a proposal that students not be allowed to apply more than once for admission to a restricted program. Other short-term recommendations:
Download the complete Report of the Task Force on Enrollment Strategy (PDF file, 954KB, download Adobe Reader). For more information contact: Isabella Cunningham, chair of the Task Force on Enrollment Strategy, 512-471-8126, or Robert D. Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, 512-475-7847. |
