Posted on Sep 15, 2006

Murray State University found itself on the pages of today's The New York Times because of the outstanding strides the university has made in the last few years to improve its graduation rate. Murray was cited in the article for increasing its graduation rate from 43 percent to an impressive 57 percent. Graduation rates are based on six-year figures. The article notes the importance that former MSU president Dr. F. King Alexander placed on graduation. Alexander, who is now president of California State University-Long Beach, has said in the past “improving an institution's graduation rate is a campus-wide effort that involves all of MSU's faculty and staff. It requires a great deal of attention to many macro and micro details that most universities do not consider.” Murray has extensive programs in place to help students achieve success on campus. A supportive and encouraging climate is provided for students by faculty and staff, both in and out of the classroom. Residential colleges aid in retention by giving students a “home” and a feeling of belonging. A challenging academic curriculum is offered. Additionally, students can know at a glance where they are in their degree requirements by way of MAP reports. A report in 2005 from the Council on Postsecondary Education in Kentucky (CPE) on graduation rates reflected that Murray State University and the University of Kentucky led the state public universities in graduation percentages. Western Kentucky was a distant third at 44.5 percent. Murray State's push toward increased graduation rates placed it not only 13 percentage points above the Kentucky average, but bodes well for the school on a national level, Alexander said. “Since 1997, only seven of 628 other public universities have increased their graduation rates more than Murray State,” he noted when the CPE report was released. “Dr. Alexander had the vision to initiate successful programs that have been, and continue to be, highly effective in increasing the graduation rates at Murray State University while achieving graduation goals established by the Council on Postsecondary Education in Kentucky,” said Dr. Tim Miller, interim president at Murray State. A bar chart from today's Times lists a sampling of public campuses that includes MSU, the University of Louisville, Temple University, Memphis University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, among others. Murray and Temple top them all with nearly 60 percent graduation rates. The majority of schools on the chart fell below 40 percent. The full story in The New York Times can be found online at www.nytimes.com.