WV Higher Ed 5-year Plan: Focus on Enrollment and Retention - National Council of Teachers of English

Reports

WV Higher Ed 5-year Plan: Focus on Enrollment and Retention


State: West Virginia
Level: Higher Education
Analyst: Brady, Laura

The overall college-going rate has declinedin West Virginiaby about 2 percent.

The WV Higher Education Policy Commission’s new five-year master plan, Leading the Way aims to increase overall enrollment by focusing on specific audiences such as first-time freshman, low-income students, and undergraduate adults (age 25 and older).Enrollment goals are being paired with plans for improving retention and completion rates since WV currently ranks 13th among 16 southern states in retaining students in their first year of college (www.wvhepc.com).

Since WV students’ average ACT scores are slightlyhigher than the national average in English and reading, first-year English courses might provide an opportunity for fostering student success in the first year by building on a relative strength. This seems an excellent opportunity for strengthening high-school/college partnerships and writing-across-the-curriculum initiatives.