President Issues UC|21 Report Card

Higher retention and graduation rates, improvements in student satisfaction and this fall’s best-prepared entering class ever are highlights of the second annual UC|21 report card UC President Nancy L. Zimpher presented to the Board of Trustees on Sept. 26.

The report card shows solid progress toward UC|21’s six goals. An abridged version of the report card is available in pdf format, while a more detailed version is on the UC|21 Web site. Highlights include:

• The most recent student surveys, both the National Survey of Student Engagement and the Student Satisfaction Inventory, show big gains in students’ satisfaction with services, learning, student-faculty interactions, the campus environment, and even parking on campus.
  
• UC jumped six spots to 139 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings -- 21 spots in two years.
  
• This fall’s entering class is the best-prepared ever, with twice the number of National Merit Scholars than last year and higher average ACT scores than ever. More incoming freshmen are using Advanced Placement credits.
  
• Graduation and retention rates have improved over last year.
  
• Private giving reached more than $84 million in fiscal year 2006, while new gift commitments rose 4 percent.