Over the past two decades, IUPUI has invested considerable energy and resources in creating academic environments that support the learning needs of our predominantly first-generation, non-residential students. This investment has yielded striking results: retention of students from the first to the second year of college has increased from 58 percent for Fall 1999 freshmen to 68 percent for Fall 2007 freshmen. These improvements have also begun to translate into higher graduation rates.
But more progress must be made to meet the needs of Indiana. IUPUI developed and is implementing a new Academic Plan that includes additional strategies for boosting undergraduate student retention and success. For example, the enrollment shaping initiative seeks to strengthen recruitment, provide earlier help to at-risk students, and increase financial aid. Other key initiatives will enrich campus diversity, create an Honors College, and expand opportunities for experiential learning, which is highly valued by employers. Enrollment shaping, coupled with a widened array of powerful learning opportunities, will enable IUPUI to educate graduates who can contribute, innovate, and compete in the 21st century.
