2008 Woodie Awards
McNeese academic prestige on the rise, Hebert says
Issue date: 1/26/05 Section: News
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"Our student achievements are at a very high level. Our average ACT score for freshmen has increased and is above the state average, our 2003 nursing graduates had a 100 percent pass rate on the national licensing exam, well above the national average of 81 percent.
Engineering graduates scored a 92 percent pass rate on their professional exam, again well above the national pass rate of 82 percent and the state rate of 78 percent. 100 percent of our education graduates pass the national teacher preparation exams, and since 1980, our graduates in radiologic technology have scored 100 percent on their national licensing exam.
However, we must focus on helping more students to graduate within a reasonable number of semesters," Hebert said.
According to a report prepared for the University of Louisiana System, the six-year graduation rate for the eight ULS institutions based on the 1996 full-time, first-time freshman class was 31 percent and the graduation rate for McNeese was 26 percent.
The report also noted that less than 19 percent of Louisiana residents age 25 and over hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and that the state ranks 45th in the nation for college attainment. National research shows that higher education equals higher wages and better job opportunities.
"Until fall 2000 we were an open admission university, one of the few true open admission universities in the nation," Hebert said. "Many of the students we admitted prior to 2000 were not prepared for college-level academic work and they did not complete degrees. We will see a direct correlation to higher graduation rates for the first-time freshmen classes admitted under restricted admission standards."
The enrollment standards for McNeese, and all public universities in Louisiana, will increase with the fall 2005 freshman class.
Louisiana Tech University was the first ULS institution to implement admission standards. Its graduation rate for 2002 was 55 percent. The other seven open admission schools in the ULS ranged from 24 to 30 percent.
Engineering graduates scored a 92 percent pass rate on their professional exam, again well above the national pass rate of 82 percent and the state rate of 78 percent. 100 percent of our education graduates pass the national teacher preparation exams, and since 1980, our graduates in radiologic technology have scored 100 percent on their national licensing exam.
However, we must focus on helping more students to graduate within a reasonable number of semesters," Hebert said.
According to a report prepared for the University of Louisiana System, the six-year graduation rate for the eight ULS institutions based on the 1996 full-time, first-time freshman class was 31 percent and the graduation rate for McNeese was 26 percent.
The report also noted that less than 19 percent of Louisiana residents age 25 and over hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree and that the state ranks 45th in the nation for college attainment. National research shows that higher education equals higher wages and better job opportunities.
"Until fall 2000 we were an open admission university, one of the few true open admission universities in the nation," Hebert said. "Many of the students we admitted prior to 2000 were not prepared for college-level academic work and they did not complete degrees. We will see a direct correlation to higher graduation rates for the first-time freshmen classes admitted under restricted admission standards."
The enrollment standards for McNeese, and all public universities in Louisiana, will increase with the fall 2005 freshman class.
Louisiana Tech University was the first ULS institution to implement admission standards. Its graduation rate for 2002 was 55 percent. The other seven open admission schools in the ULS ranged from 24 to 30 percent.