Elsewhere

(Elsewhere summarizes developments on other UW System campuses and in the system administration. For more system news, visit: http://www.uwsa.edu/univ_rel/wn.htm.)

Grad rates above average
The overall UW System graduation rate is above the national average, says David J. Ward, UW System senior vice president for academic affairs.

Ward says full-time students who start at a UW institution graduate at a rate of 51.8 percent over a six-year period. The national average is estimated to be 47.6 percent. Ward noted that the UW System has been working to help students shorten their time in school, including making an optional “four-year degree graduation contract” available to students at every UW campus.

But, he adds, “time to degree is an extraordinarily complex issue and many of the educational experiences that our students want – study abroad, internships, double majors, the need to work part time, even low tuitions – lengthen the time they will spend getting a degree.”

A decade ago, students took, on average, 145 credits to graduate; now the average is 140 credits. Campuses offer more options to shorten time and credits to degree, including distance education, summer sessions, and evening and weekend classes.

Retention improves
Retention rates and number of degrees conferred for UW System undergraduates of color steadily grew during 1988-98.

“In 1988-89, there were 910 degrees earned by students of color; 10 years later that number has grown to 1,731, a 90 percent increase,” says Tess Arenas, assistant vice president for academic affairs and senior adviser to the president for multicultural affairs.

During the period studied, second-year retention rates increased for targeted African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos and American Indians, but remained relatively flat for Asians, including Southeast Asians.

Overall, in fall 1999 there were 10,375 undergraduate students of color in the UW System, accounting for 7.7 percent of the total undergraduate enrollment. The Minority and Disadvantaged Student Annual Report is the first report compiled as part of Plan 2008. The information presented in this year’s report reflects some, but not all, Plan 2008 initiatives and activities.

UW noted for efficiency
The UW System remains one of the most efficient university systems in the nation, says President Katharine Lyall.

The UW System spends 5.8 percent of its budget on administration, compared to the average of 10.4 percent. It is the lowest administrative expenditure among 18 peer university systems in the country.

Lyall says investments in technology, distance education – and facilities enhancement have been a key to efficiency. She acknowledged much greater collaboration on academic programs among campuses, keeping tuition low and services high.

Over the last several years, the UW System also has taken advantage of its collective purchasing power to obtain better pricing from vendors, especially in the computer software area.

Extension chancellor named
Kevin P. Reilly, provost and vice chancellor of UW-Extension since 1996, has been named chancellor of the institution, effective July 7. He succeeds Interim Chancellor Albert Beaver, who is retiring after three years of service in that capacity. Reilly’s annual salary will be $142,000. “In the four years since he arrived in Wisconsin, Kevin Reilly has played an integral role in moving UW-Extension forward as a more engaged, responsive, innovative and visionary institution,” says UW System President Katharine Lyall.