Improving graduation rates on agenda for Faculty Senate

The Sacramento State Faculty Senate opens the new academic year tackling a top priority for the CSU system—improving graduation rates.

The CSU Board of Trustees in May approved a resolution calling for campus presidents and faculty to implement 22 specific recommendations into campus plans to facilitate graduation. The recommendations range from reducing the required units in programs leading to a bachelor’s degree to instituting mandatory advisement for students declaring or changing a major.

Cristy Jensen, chair of the Faculty Senate, says faculty want to be proactive in the CSU’s work to improve graduation rates. “As we gain what is called ‘efficiency’ in graduating students, we must also protect the quality of their education,” Jensen says.

Following up on discussion of the recommendations at its recent retreat, the Faculty Senate during the coming year will focus on three key areas to increase student success in earning a bachelor’s degree: general education requirements, academic advising and the writing program.

In examining the University’s general education program, the senate will begin discussions on what courses constitute a solid general education for students today. “What do we value in a general education for our students? Do we have what we value? We need to have these discussions before we decide what we may need to change,” Jensen says.

The issue of academic advising for students becomes a workload issue for faculty, she says. As a result, the Faculty Senate plans to explore innovative ways faculty can help advise students in selecting suitable majors. The Faculty Senate began work on improving student advising by supporting nine advising projects in the colleges beginning this fall. In the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, for example, pre-health majors will receive advising on a wide range of careers in the health professions in addition to becoming a medical doctor.

Jensen says faculty frustration at the level of student writing signals a need to build a more comprehensive writing program. The University has a number of student writing requirements ranging from the English Placement Test to the general education writing intensive requirement that students must sift through before they graduate. “We need to look at having a rational, yet workable sequence for students, which will help their writing in all subjects,” Jensen says.

The Faculty Senate also plans to create an electronic newsletter to keep faculty informed on issues.

— Ted DeAdwyler