| Graduate School |
| Annual Report and Statistical Analysis 1996-1997 |
| INTRODUCTION The staff of the Graduate School prepared this annual report to familiarize the University community with the School’s activities during the last year, to consolidate trends and statistics in one publication, and to highlight significant events and accomplishments. Recipients of this report are invited to contact the Dean or staff of the Graduate School for any additional information they require. Any suggestions for improvement of content and format will be welcomed. The Graduate School has experienced a slow down in the rate of student applications and enrollment for the academic year under review. Traditionally, the Graduate School’s enrollment trends follow with a slight lag behind undergraduate enrollment. In light of the higher figures experienced this year in undergraduate admissions the Graduate School would anticipate increases in future years. The total number of completed applications which peaked in 1994-95 at 3,800 fell to 3,444 last year and has settled down to 3,211 for Fall 1997. The level of acceptance, however, was higher than last year at 57%. Graduate Nondegree applications increased, from 1,067 last year to 1,314 for 1996-97. This was achieved despite a decrease in recent years in the volume of off-campus graduate programs. The total number of applications received was down by about 4% compared with last year, dropping from 4,165 to 3,978. To reverse these trends the Graduate School will undertake additional recruitment activities in 1997-1998, including attendance at more universities’ graduate school open days. Programs aimed specifically at minority groups will also be included to continue the Graduate School’s record of excellence in recruiting in this area. Fall enrollment totals, which increased in 1994, continued the decline experienced over the last two years with a fall to 3,253 in 1997. All divisions experienced reductions although the change was more marked in Communication and Business. The Graduate School continued to maintain its gender enrollment ratio with around 60% of total students being female. As the recruitment and enrollment numbers have fallen, the total graduate credit hour production has also declined. In 1997 the total was 71,422 compared with 75,084 for last year. The successful enrollment of African-American students, which reached a peak in 1995, has remained at almost the same level despite the overall declining numbers. Total students were 199 for 1997 and 200 for 1996. Programs aimed specifically at minority groups will also be included to continue the Graduate School's record of excellence in recruiting in this area. Success was achieved in reversing the decline over the previous three years in the number of international students enrolling in Graduate School. The reduction in 1995 of 9% was turned into an increase of 3% in 1996 and this trend has continued into 1997. Total international enrollment for this year was 383. Recruitment from all continents increased or remained at approximately the same level as in 1996. The most significant increases were from Germany, Romania, and China, and it is hoped that the School’s developing international diversity and representation will continue to improve. The total number of degrees awarded was slightly lower than last year at 1,333 (1996:1,415), a change of 6%. In the area of financial support and assistance for graduate students, the Graduate School increased its already substantial contribution. Total support was $15,427,028, up 14% on last year. Graduate School fellowships totaled $938,183 for this year, with 106 students benefiting. Total tuition grants were $5,029,231 compared with $3,965,510 last year. Looking over the five year period from 1993 to 1997 the Graduate School has achieved successful results in many areas. African-American enrollment advanced 12%, the number of degrees awarded gained 30%, Graduate Council Fellowship stipends increased by 24%. As indicated in last year’s report, the level of Graduate School activities will be brought under pressure from increasing financial constraints. Significant efforts will be made in 1998 to improve enrollment levels from all sources, despite the increased competition and the decreasing pool of potential students. The 1996-97 academic year again saw reduced recruitment activity by the Graduate School. As with levels of spend in all areas of the University, travel budgets have been severely constrained over the last two years, and visits to colleges and universities were reduced from 40 in 1994-95 to 15 in 1995-96 and 18 in 1996-97. In order to ensure that minority programs were not adversely affected, efforts were concentrated on targeting 10 historically black institutions for recruitment visits. During and following each visit, the Graduate School representative developed a list of prospects and wrote each of them a follow-up letter, accompanied by a memorandum to each graduate chairperson, giving the details of those students interested in that department's programs. During October, 1996, the ninth annual Graduate and Professional School Day was held in the Ferguson Student Center. More than 500 prospective graduate students attended and received a great deal of information concerning graduate study. Also, the Graduate School and the Office of Career Planning and Placement jointly held a Graduate Opportunities Day in March, 1997 for UA students as well as students from other colleges and universities throughout the state of Alabama. Over 40 UA graduate departments had exhibits, and departmental faculty were available to talk with prospective students. These students continue to be monitored regularly to ensure that as many as possible decide to enroll in graduate school. Emphasis continues to be placed on maintaining links and dialogue with all undergraduate organizations concerning admissions procedures and how to improve them and also stressing the benefits of investing in graduate education. The Graduate School emphasizes that it is extremely important to develop a personal contact with all outstanding undergraduate students (those who have maintained a 3.00 or better GPA) and encourages them to consider attending the Graduate School at the UA. Developments and improvements within the application cycle also contribute to keeping application and enrollment levels high. In addition, the use of technology in communication will improve this area. The Graduate School has its electronic application on the UA Web Site. This facilitates rapid processing of applications while reducing the amount of paperwork usually associated with the admissions process. The Graduate School has recently developed a system for electronic management of prospects for Graduate School and is able to monitor contacts with potential graduate students. In an attempt to recruit our own outstanding undergraduate students the Graduate School has developed a Graduate School Seminar on applying to Graduate School. During Fall Semester, 1997, this seminar is held on Wednesday of each week at 2:00 p.m. in room 122 of Graves Hall. The seminar is listed on the Graduate School’s Web page and is promoted by the various departments and support groups across the UA campus. The Graduate School is also exploring the possibility of moving toward a self-managed application. The self-managed process allows applicants to have more control over and direct involvement with the application process. The student manages the application until all documentation (transcripts, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, application fee, etc.) has been received. The application is sent to the Graduate School as a complete packet ( except for the test score, which must be sent to the Graduate School by the testing center). The self-managed application process should prove to be a more efficient method of handling applications in the future. The MBA program is currently serving as a trial program for using a self-managed application. Every two years the Graduate School surveys both enrolled and non-enrolled students in an effort to determine the effectiveness of the admissions and recruitment procedures of the School and the various departments. In August, 1997, the Graduate School surveyed more than 300 students during its Graduate Student Orientation and Workshop for New Graduate Teaching Assistants. This satisfaction survey showed that over 76% of those questioned were happy with the procedures. In addition, those students who were admitted to Graduate School but chose not to enroll are currently being surveyed. The results from this category usually mirrors the first findings with a high level of approval of the procedures. The Graduate School continues to provide up-to-date information to faculty members and current and prospective students through a variety of published informational materials. All of these are reviewed periodically to ensure that the data are current and accurate, especially in the areas of financial support. The current publications are:
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB To provide quality information to faculty members and prospective students from around the world, the Graduate School has much of the information contained in this report available on The University of Alabama's home page on the World Wide Web (http://graduate.ua.edu/). The web site includes an on-line application to the Graduate School, links to graduate department home pages, a Graduate Program Directors Policies and Procedures Manual, and numerous other Graduate School documents and publications. Overall enrollment in the Graduate School in Fall Semester 1997 was 3,253 which represented a decrease of only 2% from the 3,322 graduate students enrolled in 1996. Nearly all divisions showed declines this year except for Arts and Sciences (913:892) and Human Environmental Sciences (39:37). It is quite clear that the pool of eligible students continues to decline as this university, as well as universities across the country, is faced with intense recruiting competition from other graduate schools, businesses, and industry. This situation is exacerbated where funding levels are reduced; therefore, efforts must be made to ensure that sufficient financial support is made available to combat these declines. For a more detailed analysis of enrollment for 1996-1997 please refer to Tables 4, 5, and 6. In line with the University's continuing desire to ensure that female representation at all levels continues to improve, the Graduate School was successful in maintaining the ratio of female students. In Fall 1997 1,458 out of 2,764 on-campus graduate students were women representing over 52% of the total ( compared to 53% in Fall, 1996). A full analysis of the recruitment of female graduate students appears in Table 5. After record levels of applications and admissions last year, a total
of 3,211 completed applications were processed in 1996-97 ( compared to
3,444 last year). The quality of application was similar to last year,
and an acceptance rate of 57.4% was maintained. This resulted in 1,843 admissions,
903 rejections, and 465 still awaiting departmental decisions. In addition,
a total of 1,314 non-degree applications were received, of which 784 were
from off-campus. For a more detailed analysis of admissions and applications,
please refer to Tables 1,
2, and
3.
The Graduate School continues to be committed to the identification, recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of minority graduate students. While efforts supporting this commitment include individuals from a variety of usually underrepresented groups, African Americans receive particular attention due to regional demographics. During 1996-97, the Graduate School recruitment staff continued to visit historically black institutions and engage in other activities to recruit minority students. Recognizing the benefits of growing our own graduate students, the Graduate School also personally contacts outstanding UA minority students and hosts a reception for them. The Graduate School continues to actively recruit students through services and publications directed towards minority. Each year the Graduate School awards funds on a competitive basis to academic programs for student recruitment. The Graduate School has developed and nationally circulated a minority recruitment brochure. African Americans comprised 7% of on-campus graduate enrollment in the fall of 1997 with 199 students out of a total of 2,764 students enrolled. The Graduate School makes substantial efforts to ensure that minority students receive needed financial assistance. The federal Patricia Roberts Harris Fellowship program previously provided support for minority graduate students; however, since that source terminated, the Graduate School has continued to support Harris fellows from its own funds. The SREB minority Doctoral Scholars program is in its fifth year and provides stipends for minority students at the University, while the Graduate School funds tuition scholarships of $32,000 per year. Similar forms of support include the Joint Faculty Development Program and the Future Faculty Fellows Program, which provide substantial assistance to African-American students who plan to become college or university professors. Financial support is also provided for participants in the Joint Faculty/Staff Development Program with Stillman College. These are discussed in detail later in this report. In addition, prospective students are directed to fellowships, assistantships, scholarships, and other sources of financial aid for which they may apply. For example, African- American students in Fall, 1997 received 3 of the 24 National Alumni Association License Tag Fellowships, amounting to over $40,000 in stipends and tuition grants. In Fall, 1997, a UA graduate student entered the Ph. D. program in Applied Mathematics with a $100,000 Packard Fellowship to cover five years’ study. The Minority Graduate Student Assistance Office offers a variety of support services for students, and Graduate School support of the African-American Graduate Student Organization assists the University in successfully retaining and graduating its minority students. An analysis of the last 5 years' African-American enrollment is shown in Figure 5 and Table8. The number of international students enrolling in Graduate School increased in 1997, with 383 international students enrolled in Fall 1997 compared to 372 in Fall 1996 and 362 in Fall 1995. International students now account for more than 14% of total enrollment, compared with 16% in 1996. The College of Engineering has the largest foreign contingent, accounting for more than 38% of the total foreign enrollment, closely followed by the College of Arts & Sciences at 33%. As in previous years, Asia continued to contribute the most overseas students, with a total of 279, coming mostly from China. Both India and Korea further contribute to the increasing enrollment numbers. A full analysis of international enrollment is included in Figure 7 and Tables 9 and 10. The Graduate School continues to enjoy a geographically diverse student body. Fall enrollment comprised students from 46 states, the District of Columbia, and 53 foreign countries. Out of a total of 2,764 students enrolled in Fall 1997, Alabama residents accounted for 1,496, or 54%, compared with 1,954 or 59% in 1996. A graphic analysis of the US resident students is included in Figures 2 and 3. |
