Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs & Provost
Provost’s Academic Update
October 16, 2006E. Thomas Sullivan
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Julius E. Davis Chair in Law
Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,
I announced the Class of 2010 profile and new undergraduate graduation rate goals at the Board of Regents meeting in Crookston last Friday, and would like to take this opportunity to share them with you. As Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, I will continue to send occasional progress reports on major academic initiatives and highlight the recent achievements of a few of your colleagues as exemplars of academic excellence on the Twin Cities campus.
Class of 2010 Profile
The Twin Cities campus received a record number of applicants for spaces in the Fall 2006 freshman class. Out of 24,658 applicants, 5,439 freshmen matriculated.
This year’s freshman class on the Twin Cities campus is the best prepared in the history of the University. Over 78% of freshmen graduated in the top quarter of their high school class (compared to 73.8% for incoming freshmen last year), and almost 40% were in the top 10%. Average ACT scores increased from 24.3 a decade ago to 25.2. Additionally, this year’s freshman class includes 239 valedictorians and 74 National Merit Scholars, compared to 58 in Fall 2005 and 51 in Fall 2004. Diversity within the freshman class is increasing as well: 20.2% of the class are students of color, compared to 18.5% one year ago.
Undergraduate Graduation Rate Goals
For the Twin Cities campus, the new graduation rate goals are: a 4-year rate of 60%, a 5-year rate of 75%, and a 6-year rate of 80%. The University is making improvements in undergraduate graduation rates. Last year, the 4-year graduation rate was 36.7%, the 5-year rate was 56%, and the 6-year rate was 61.2%. In 2000, the 4-year graduation rate was 26.1%, the 5-year rate was 45%, and the 6-year rate was 50.1%. Programs such as the Four-Year Graduation Plan can help students complete their degrees in a timely manner.
(For additional information about the class of 2010 and the new graduation rate goals, visit http://www.academic.umn.edu/provost/reports/fall06enroll_tc.html.)
It is evident to me that the University of Minnesota is forging a strong future, and is well on its way to becoming one of the top three public research universities in the world.
Sincerely,
E. Thomas Sullivan
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Julius E. Davis
Chair in Law
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