Lefton, Faculty Senate stress fighting enrollment decline

Wavering student retention was President Lester Lefton’s main issue at yesterday’s Faculty Senate meeting.

And right now is a “critical time” for the university because it’s three weeks into the fall semester.

“Number one is the impression freshmen get from their first six weeks on campus,” he said of a way to influence the level of students staying at Kent State.

Student success and enrollment retention are on the forefront of Lefton’s plans for the university.

Lefton expects a 3 percent decline in enrollment this year. He hopes to combat any decline and boost retention by keeping the students Kent State already has here.

Some faculty felt the university needs to give better first impressions to students.

“We really don’t have a culture of customer service,” said Sen. Lowell Zurbuch, associate professor in the College of Technology.

Students must feel comfortable and engaged on campus, Lefton said, creating what he called “a small college feel.”

Sophomore computer science major Michael Myers said that “small college feel” is hard to attain when there are thousands of students on campus.

“I don’t think Kent will ever be able to achieve that type of atmosphere,” he said. Myers said professors are able to be in contact with students, but it is more difficult at a large university.

“At a smaller college, professors have less students in general,” he said. “You get to know them more past the student/teacher basis.”

Associate Provost Laura Davis said Kent State is making efforts in its “brainstorming sessions” to create a smaller atmosphere.

Davis said Listservs, localized e-mail lists for certain students, colleges, departments and organizations, are created to give a more focused feeling for each student.

Lefton said the class size and structure differs depending on major, so each individual area of campus should be focused on.

“This is a grassroots effect,” he said. “It’s our future. It’s our peril.”

Sen. Christina McVay, English and Pan-African studies professor, also broached the issue of retention, asking why no part-time faculty were on the committee for Student Retention.

Lefton said the committee should be diverse, and that it is “not a rank issue.”

The Senate also heard a report about the new Banner database, which will replace Kent State’s current Student Information System (SIS) program.

Everything from retrieving students’ e-mail to registering for classes to getting access to Web for Students will be included in the Banner system, said Gayle Ormiston, associate provost for faculty affairs and curriculum.

“The Banner system will be taking the place of the university’s entire computer database,” Ormiston said, “from financial aid to human resources.”

Senators also discussed the replacement of Provost Paul Gaston and voted for a position on the faculty ethics committee.

Contact academic affairs reporter Heather Scarlett at [email protected].

Contact faculty affairs reporter Zach Wilson at [email protected].