Rentention rates challenge CNU standings in VA

“A backup school” or “a last resort rather than a first choice;” these are concepts that characterized Christopher Newport University as early as a few years ago. No longer are these accurate descriptions.

Incoming freshman at CNU currently have the third highest SAT scores of all four-year public universities and colleges in Virginia, according to the College Board. Only the College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia ranked higher, placing first and second respectively.

Virginia Tech and James Madison University, two schools commonly considered to be higher on the totem pole than CNU, ranked close behind (behind being the key word.)

“That’s pretty surprising,” Daniel Albert, a junior at          Photo illustration by Audie Sumar

George Mason University, said. “But, I’m still glad that I transferred. CNU is not really well-known; Mason is a pretty big name.”

Albert is not alone in staying at CNU long enough to realize he would rather be somewhere else. This epiphany only took him one year. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 28 percent of CNU students transfer to another school before graduating.

The transfer rates for W&M, UVA, VT and JMU are four, three, seven and eight percent respectively. These are the statistics for the 2003 cohort, students who entered college in 2003 and transferred elsewhere anytime before 2009, giving students a six-year period for graduation.

Why is it that JMU, a school that dropped below CNU in rankings of SAT scores, has a much lower percentage of students who transfer out? Janet Smith, Public Affairs Commissioner for JMU accredits their impressive rates to the positive feelings students have towards the emphasis put on development of academic qualities.

“The students say they are satisfied with the attractiveness of JMU campus landscaping, the cleanliness of buildings, the general condition of the buildings and grounds, JMU in general, the attitude of faculty toward students, dining facilities and the quality of food, and the academic quality of classes,” Smith commented.

Of the five schools previously mentioned, CNU has the lowest retention and graduation rate, according to NCES. Both percentages are considerably lower, with the graduation rate at 58 percent for the 2003 cohort and the retention rate at 80 percent for the 2008 cohort.

At least 10 percent separates CNU’s retention rates from the others and there is at least a

20 percent difference in CNU’s graduation rates verses that of the other four schools. If CNU ranks among these schools, it’s expected that the previous ratings would be more comparable. However, this is simply not the case.

“I think the main reason is just the overall controlling atmosphere of the RA’s and the administration,” Albert said. He likens the atmosphere to a “high school summer camp” rather than what he considers a real college atmosphere. Amanda Horlacher, currently a junior at Pennsylvania State University and a former CNU student for two years, describes her new school as one that helps her find ways to succeed in school and life, despite being a much larger school. “I didn’t have the same experience at CNU,” Horlacher said. “I felt like they didn’t want to push me above my potential or open new possibilities. I definitely felt like advisors didn’t listen to what I wanted to do.”

A guided tour at CNU will undoubtedly show off a different version of the school, pointing out the highlights and downplaying shortcomings.

CNU’s Website offers prospective students a few reasons to become a Captain. It states, “We strive to encourage mentoring relationships between students and faculty, believing personal attention in small classes creates a student-centered environment where creativity and excellence flourish.”

The Website also claims that CNU students have voted its residence halls as the best in the state. Of course, the newly constructed campus is also mentioned on the Website, which states CNU has “a beautiful campus with world-class facilities.” Whether or not students feel these and other claims are accurate is debatable.

“They should be focusing on hiring more professors so students are not packed into a classroom and so we have more teachers to complete the job that we are here for, paying thousands of dollars a semester,” senior Ryan Kapsak said. “A school should stand out for its academic reputation, not the aesthetic value prospective students will see.”

It is only natural for a school to portray its campus, facilities and staff in a positive manner. However, the final constructed image can sometimes be deceiving.

“They’re focused on the image to lure students in but once students are there they aren’t as focused and don’t really care anymore,” Albert said. However, Albert does acknowledge some positive aspects of his experience at CNU. “At CNU, the professors, the ones I had, were all really good. They were good teachers and they were all very professional and all really well educated. No TA’s were teaching the classes,” Albert said. “Also, the campus is really pretty all the time; they always mow the lawns. That was another plus. But, that’s not where it ends I guess.”

Nobody can argue that CNU has not raised its standards tremendously in the past few years. This is evident in the brand new buildings springing up every year, as well as the ratings and recognition the school is receiving. However, there remains an unsolved problem. That problem remains at a high 28 percent when it should be in the single digits.

Posted by Corrie Mitchell on Sep 7 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.