The University System of Georgia wants to lift graduation rates and enroll more in-state residents, all part of a new, data-centric strategic plan.
The plan, developed with input from school presidents and adopted Tuesday by the Georgia Board of Regents, goes into effect Sept. 1. It charts a course for the University System and its 26 public schools through 2029.
The approach relies heavily on specific, numerical targets, and Chancellor Sonny Perdue said data dashboards will track progress toward the goals.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure. We’re measuring, and we’re keeping score over the things that we say that matter to us,” Perdue told the board.
Perdue, who became chancellor last year, added: “We’re determined to be recognized as the best system of higher education in the United States.”
The plan comes amid an enrollment decline the last two years and long-standing goals to increase degree attainment rates.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
To achieve the goals, the University System plans to work with Georgia State University’s National Institute for Student Success, which helps colleges identify barriers that prevent students from graduating.
Angela Bell, vice chancellor for research and policy analysis, told the board the University System also will launch a direct admissions program later this fall. Perdue previously said that program would alert Georgia high school students to the colleges where they likely would be admitted based on their grades. He’s also said the program would target students who hadn’t thought about going to college.
The University System is looking to help with college counseling services for high school students and provide financial incentives to colleges that meet performance goals, among other initiatives briefly discussed at Tuesday’s meeting.
The strategic plan will guide University System officials as they make budget decisions about where they should spend money and what initiatives need financial backing.
The plan lays out several areas of focus for the coming years. By fall 2028, the University System wants to increase the number of Georgia residents enrolled in its colleges by more than 11,000 students.
“In-state enrollment declined during the pandemic, so our target is to get back to that pre-pandemic high of about 279,000 Georgians,” Bell told the board.
The challenge will be made more difficult because of anticipated demographic changes. Officials expect fewer Georgia high school graduates in coming years because of lower birthrates.
The number of students who remained in school after their first year also fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell said. The goal is to boost that retention rate for bachelor’s degree seekers from 81.8% for the group of students who began their studies in fall 2021 to 85% for those who will start college in 2027.
The plan also pushes for higher graduation rates. Sixty-five percent of students who enrolled last fall should receive their bachelor’s degree within six years, up from 63.2% for the group of students who started in college in fall 2016.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
The University System wants to graduate more students in key career fields such as health and education; to keep more graduates in Georgia; and to hold steady the turnover rate for full-time employees.
More students should take classes that allow them to learn through experiences, and more undergraduates should be involved in research, according to the plan.
Officials also want to grow research spending at six top schools — including University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Augusta, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Kennesaw State universities — from about $1.89 billion a year in 2022 to nearly $2.6 billion in 2028.
They also want to boost private fundraising that would reduce students’ college costs, “especially through increased need-based financial aid,” Bell said.
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