An Analysis of the Institutional Factors that Influence Retention and 6 - Year Graduation Rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Abstract
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This paper investigates the relationship between institutional characteristics (institutional
selectivity, faculty and financial characteristics) and retention and 6-year graduation
rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Institutional financial characteristics
(instructional, academic support, student services and institutional support expenditures)
were examined from two perspectives: (1) The relationship between the amount of money
spent per student and retention and graduation rates and (2) The relationship between
the percentage of institutional expenditures and retention and graduation rates. I
estimate 6-year graduation rates and 1-year retention rates in 2009 for HBCUs in the
sample using multiple linear-regression.
This study has two research questions:
1. Do institutional selectivity, faculty characteristics and financial characteristics
spent per student significantly predict 6-year graduation rates at HBCUs and UNCF
institutions?
2. Do institutional selectivity, faculty characteristics and the percentage of expenditures
significantly predict first year retention rates at HBCUs and UNCF institutions?
Key Findings and Implications
This paper found that there is a relationship between institutional selectivity, faculty
and financial expenditures on graduation and retention rates. When 6-year graduation
rate was the variable of influence, percentage female, accreditation, open admission,
and institutional support expenditures were found to be significant across both, the
all HBCU and UNCF sets of data. In general there was a direct relationship between
percentage female and graduation rates. This finding was consistent with much of the
research on graduation rates that show that women graduate at higher rates than men.
Institutional selectivity exerted a significant influence on graduation rates.
Implications
If improving retention and graduation rates is an institutional goal, then strategies
to reduce institutional support expenditures and evaluate the percentage of staff
dedicated to instruction is warranted. Similarly, the findings suggest directions
for future research that may tease out some of the organizational, pedagogical and
policy features of HBCUS.
There are important contrasts between the retention model findings for all HBCUS and
for UNCF institutions. These contrasts suggest that UNCF institutions have different
dynamics than all HBCUs and retention level strategies that work for one might not
work for the other. When regressed alone, the retention model for UNCF institutions
revealed no significant results for the variables of interest. On the other hand,
for all HBCUs, accreditation, selectivity and instructional staff percentage had consistent
significant effects.
Overall, institutional selectivity and institutional support expenditures appears
to be an important determinant of graduation rates. Having an admissions policy (negative
relationship) and accreditation recognized by the US Department of Education (positive
relationship) significantly impacts 6-year graduation rates. The open admissions policy
is potentially a sensitive issue for HBCUs because of a tradition of providing educational
access to disadvantaged populations. However, an increasingly competitive higher education
arena, flanked with the possibility of state and federal aid tied to graduation outcomes,
may necessitate a review of this policy and/or the institutional programs that support
matriculating students entering under such a policy. Also, high expenditures in the
institutional support category negatively impact graduation rates, suggesting that
the current allocation of these overhead expenses deserves more scrutiny.
The percentage of instructional staff has a significant influence on first year retention
rates. In general, higher percentages of instructional staff negatively impacted retention
rates. This finding is somewhat surprising as we might expect more staff dedicated
to classroom instruction to have a positive effect on student outcomes. This finding
warrants more research into the specific ways institutions assign instructional responsibilities
to professors, especially those who teach first year students.
Type
Master's projectDepartment
The Sanford School of Public PolicyPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/5244Citation
Lee, Kesha (2012). An Analysis of the Institutional Factors that Influence Retention and 6 - Year Graduation
Rates at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/5244.More Info
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