Annual UNL quality report highlights improvements toward goals

In its seventh "quality indicators" report card, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shows enrollment growth and increasing diversity among its students, increases in total research funding and research expenditures, and continued improvement in its six-year graduation rate.

The report compares data from 2007-08 against longer-term information, offering a 10- to 11-year trend line for most measures. Compiled from internal and external data, the information allows UNL administrators and faculty to measure how the university is doing and how it compares to its peers.

Barbara Couture, UNL's senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, noted the university's improvement across some categories but said the indicators do point out areas of concern. She notes in the document's introduction that the short-term picture for UNL is rough because of choppy waters created by the economic recession. The university's long-term goals remain unchanged, she said. They include excellence in teaching and research and continued commitment to economic development and service to the state of Nebraska.

Among data cited in the report: * The freshman-to-sophomore retention rate dropped slightly to 82.9 percent, down from the previous year's high of 84.4 percent. UNL still lags its peer average by 2.5 percentage points, but has gained ground with its peers since this statistic was first tracked in 1998. * 45.5 percent of graduating students indicated participating in an internship, co-op or student teaching activity while at UNL. * The university has achieved gains in diversity across campus. The proportion of undergraduate students of color was 9.85 percent for the reporting period. The percent of faculty who are women or people of color continues to rise and in 2007-08 reached a high of 38.3 percent; the peer average is 41.2 percent. * More high-ability students from Nebraska have been attracted to UNL in recent years. In 2007-08, 37.3 percent of Nebraska high school graduates who finished in the top 10 percent of their graduating class enrolled at UNL. That percentage has increased by nearly 10 points over the last 10 years. * Recruitment efforts have been successful in increasing both the size of the student body and the caliber of students enrolled. The ACT composite score for incoming freshman was 24.9, equaling the composite average from the previous year. * UNL set a record for research funding, which totaled $105.7 million, during the reporting period. Research funding includes all external funds awarded for university research projects. Funding increased 3.2 percent over the previous year. Total external funding for sponsored programs, which include funds for research and other activities, such as teaching, public service, student services and administration, also hit a record of $174.2 million, up from $171.8 million in the previous fiscal year. UNL's research enterprise has grown significantly in recent years and external research funding has increased 115 percent since 2000, when research awards topped $49 million.

The quality indicators project launched in 2001. The data included in the publication do not represent a comprehensive list of accomplishments by UNL's faculty and students but are reflective of UNL's progress toward institutional goals, Couture said.

The data help pinpoint areas of success and identify potential areas for improvement, she said, making the quality indicators process one of many tools for decision-making. Quality indicators data, for instance, helped to stimulate several campus initiatives to improve student retention, including changes in advising, student learning communities, and the "mid-semester check" program for freshmen. They also have inspired UNL's continued quest for increased support for research.

The report is available online at www.unl.edu/svcaa/reports.