Wayne State's Graduation Rate; it's in the math

Wayne State University is studying its admission process. The University accepts 8 out of 10 applicants. However, the school has the state's 2nd lowest graduation rate for public universities. WSU just squeaked by Lake Superior State, 23% to 22%.

March 9, The Detroit News

A task force recently began studying admissions practices at the university, which accepts about eight out of 10 incoming freshmen applicants. The move is one of the first major policy issues that incoming president Allan Gilmour is tackling.

It comes as the university faces one of the largest state budget cuts, and some states begin tying financial support to student success.

"We are going to find that there are students who do not have the wherewithal to succeed at Wayne State," said Gilmour, who began his permanent post in January.

As Michigan trims its budget, public universities will take a hit. Wayne State is staring down the gun of one of the biggest cuts.They could become even larger in the future if the State reforms the way it funds public schools. There are strong advocates in the legislature of tying funding to results, specifically graduation rates.

On paper this makes sense, but reality is not black ink on white paper (or the Internet equivalent 1s and 0s). Reality is far more complex. If one wants to examine the graduation rates at Wayne State there many issues that typical public universities in the state.

Wayne State's student body is extremely diverse. It is a microcosm of Metro Detroit itself. A typical classroom might have 38-year-old unemployed factory worker from Lincoln Park sitting next to 19 Chaldean girl from Utica sitting next to a 25-year-old Latino from Southwest sitting next to 18-year-old suburban boy from Berkely sitting next to a 48 African-American grandmother from the Eastside sitting next to ...... well you get the point. The ages and backgrounds are interchangeable, but the students at Wayne are the typical 18-year-old looking to get to grad school, of course, Wayne State has those too.

Students may not graduate because of economic problems rather than merely academic. If you are a returning or older student with family, housing, or other financial obligations ( you know, people who already dealing with reality as opposed to a kid a year out of High School), how far are you willing to go into debt? $20,000? $50,000? And that's with no guarantee of work after getting the diploma.

School is expensive and getting more so. Some argue there is an academic bubble that's about to pop just like the real estate bubble. But at this moment the price is and getting higher. If school gets too expensive, folks with, let's say 40 credits, stop going. Hence the graduation rate drops. It's simple math. Maker it cost more by tying funding to graduation rates won't help. There's good chance it could make things worse.