One number that keeps coming up at Temple University these days is $200 million, and it’s hard to ignore. That’s about how much the Philadelphia school has been losing each year as enrollment has dropped and students who start at Temple stop showing up. That number is more than just a balance sheet for a university that takes pride in helping working-class families and first-generation college students.
Ten years ago, almost all of Temple’s freshmen came back for their second year. There was no doubt that the students would show up, settle in, and stay. That number had dropped to 82% by last fall. The Philadelphia Inquirer got a copy of an internal Temple report that says there is real concern that it could fall below 80% this fall. That’s not a small drop. If this trend isn’t stopped, it will change what a university is and who it serves.
A new budget was approved by the board of trustees’ executive committee, which included raising tuition and laying off about 40 people. Following the meeting, Temple president John Fry and former interim provost David Boardman talked openly about the problem. From the outside, it can look like they’re not paying attention when they promise to improve the student experience while raising costs and laying off staff. It remains to be seen if that tension can be resolved in a thoughtful way.
Boardman didn’t try to hide the fact that students are leaving. “There’s a very strong correlation between the financial pressures on students and their ability to persist and graduate,” he said. This is a simple observation that means a lot at a school where many students have jobs in addition to schoolwork and are trying to decide if another semester of tuition is worth the stress. It looks like the math isn’t adding up for some.
The other piece is how well you do in school during that important first year. Boardman said that a student’s first-semester GPA is directly linked to whether or not they make it through. The result doesn’t come as a surprise, but it is helpful because it shows where help can be provided. It is possible to solve problems like making sure students get the right help before they even start school, making sure they don’t get thrown into classes they aren’t ready for, and giving them support without them having to know where to look for it. The will and the resources are there.
The National Institute for Student Success and Temple have been working together to redesign the first year experience. Staff from academic affairs, enrollment management, and student affairs have been working on this project. The fact that the program is still being made shows that either the university is taking its time to get it right or people don’t feel like they need to act right away. Most likely a mix of the two. In theory, what Boardman called a “more coordinated approach” to orientation, counseling, and support sounds good. Universities often know what their students need but have trouble giving it to them consistently.
Another interesting thing is that Temple is dedicated to finding its “Most at Promise” students—those who are having problems in school, with money, or with their personal lives that make it impossible for them to stay in school. Using data analytics to find students early and put them in touch with resources like tutoring, counseling, or financial aid isn’t a new idea, but many universities still don’t do it well. If a student is having trouble and an advisor calls them at the right time, it could mean the difference between them getting their degree and dropping out.
Seeing how everything is going makes me think that Temple is really at a turning point. Over eight years, enrollment has dropped by 27%. This didn’t happen overnight, and it won’t happen again overnight either. But they are really admitting it, the data is being looked at carefully, and everyone seems to know what’s at stake. That’s not nothing. It’s still not clear if it’s enough.
