UNIVERSITY NEWS Freshmen set records in GPA and ACT, McPhee says

[SpaceRaider]

dnj:

MT freshmen set records in GPA and ACT, McPhee says


excerpts:

...MT's estimated 21,900 fall enrollment includes a freshman class with a record grade point average and ACT score.....

...The entering freshman class has a 3.6 grade point average to top the prior record of 3.42, McPhee said.

The ACT score of this class is 22.62, and that's higher than the national average of 21.0 and the state average of 19.8, McPhee said.

The university's preliminary count of students is 0.69 percent down from the fall 2016 enrollment of 22,050 at a time when recent state laws have allowed many students to pursue opportunities for free education at community colleges, McPhee said.

"Overall head count has stabilized," McPhee said.....

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I think the Comm College has done two things, reduced our enrollment and increase our incoming GPA.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I think the Comm College has done two things, reduced our enrollment and increase our incoming GPA.

I hate how McPhee is taking credit...correlation is not causation.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Maybe one byproduct is that community colleges are filtering out people that are not ready for college or *gasp* shouldn't go to college. Not everyone is college material....and that is ok.

On a side note, I think that those that go into college on a grant or state funded scholarship but fail out should have to pay some, if not all, of the money back. Accountability is a great thing.

 

[TheBigBluePeach]

On a side note, I think that those that go into college on a grant or state funded scholarship but fail out should have to pay some, if not all, of the money back. Accountability is a great thing.

Isn't that what we pay taxes for?

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

I don't understand your question. Are you saying we pay taxes so that that people can fail out without accountability or we pay taxes so that the opportunity to go to college is there.

Either way, I still believe in accountability. So did my bank when it took me several years to pay back my student loans.

 

[TheBigBluePeach]

I think its ridiculous to think they should pay that back.

 

[Raiderclyde]

I do like our recent emphasis of quality over quantity even though that was predicated on the community college system. Back when I was a student, it was strictly about numbers of enrollment: 13k, 14k, and finally 15k. All the while MT being severely underfunded without major building construction during the late '80's/early 90's when we needed to be investing in the campus and faculty. Saw three different university presidents during my student days: Sam Ingram, Wallace Prescott, and James E. Walker. What is seen today is largely the result from Dr. James E. Walker's vision. Dr. McPhee has continued that vision, without really "expanding the box" much. We've spent most of our energy catching up to the 21st Century demands. Dr. McPhee's vision is analogous to Tim Cook of Apple; most of what is/has been developed is based on Steve Jobs prior innovation (e.g. Iphone 8 or X). What needs to happen now as we progress to 2036 (125th anniversary) is attainment of a professional school (medical, dental, law, etc.). Until we get that distinction, am afraid our scenery won't change appreciably much whenever our graduates take into the corporate world. We're not a University of Virginia, North Carolina, or UCLA...but we need to be at that stature if Murfreesboro and Rutherford County is to reach a level like Franklin/Williamson County, suburban DC, or the Research Triangle and get the elite jobs which lift average incomes. Those incomes will find its way back to the university for more higher academic programs and athletics that will finally get us the prominence we need and want.

 

[DABLUERAIDERS]

Peach they should pay that back. No more free rides, the bums will always lose and one bad apple can spoil the bunch. Not only are these grant using losers flunking out they are probably taking other students down with them. Having that payback hanging over their head might make them think twice and study harder!