2013 SELF-STUDY REPORT
CORE COMPONENT 4.C THE INSTITUTION DEMONSTRATES A COMMITMENT TO EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT THROUGH ONGOING ATTENTION TO RETENTION, PERSISTENCE, AND COMPLETION RATES IN ITS DEGREE AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS.
Tracking Student Performance through Retention and Completion Rates Rochester College tracks retention and completion data using Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) definitions and methodologies, as well as institutional measures. Standard IPEDS methodologies disadvantage Rochester College because they do not factor in transfer students, who comprise a majority of new students enrolling every semester. In addition, Rochester College’s enrollment profile has changed considerably during the past several years with the addition of early college, continuing education, and online programs. The need to track persistence and completion rates in ways appropriate to our increasingly complex enrollment profile was one of many reasons the college contracted with an outside company to improve and extend our student information system, CAMS. The first phases of the CAMS project were completed in Fall 2012. Rochester College has completed the first steps in the process of partnering with the National Student clearinghouse that will greatly enhance our ability to report and verify student data. Currently, we have a contractual agreement in place and have uploaded our first round of clean data to be processed. Once our student database is integrated into the Clearinghouse system, employers, student service providers, and background screening firms will be able to verify enrollment at Rochester College; students receiving financial aid can be verified by lending organizations and the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS); and Rochester College students and staff will be able to use electronic transcript exchange and ordering services.
Improving Student Persistence and Completion through Student Support Trends in our retention and completion rates are analyzed by administration and used by Student Development, the admissions department, and the retention committee 96