Retention rates dominated the topic of discussion during the Board of Regents Fourth Quarterly Meeting on Friday. 

Chief Enrollment and Graduation Officer Brian Meredith presented information on WKU’s retention rates. 

Meredith said retention begins from the very beginning. He said M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan is worth it because freshmen who attend M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan are more likely to do better their first semester. 

Meredith said after their first semester about 90 percent of first-year students continue to a second semester. In subsequent years, the retention rate is hovering around 73 percent, he said. 

“My goal is to get that number as close to 80 [percent] as we can which is not unusual for comprehensive institutions of our size,” Meredith said. 

The retention rate is trending upwards, Meredith said, due to the reorganization of the Academic Advising and Retention Center, the restructuring of the Best Expectations Program and the further push for mentorship programs such as Peer Assisted Study Sessions. 

“We’ve been very aggressive about being proactive, making sure that everything we do is data-driven,” Meredith said. 

The board approved Action Item AA-1, Approval of Department of Physical Therapy. The approval will take effect on July 1, 2016 and creates a Department of Physical Therapy within the College of Health and Human Services. 

The board also approved Action Item AA-2, Approval of Emeriti Appointments. Three individuals were approved for emeritus status including Professor of English Catherine Green, Professor of English Loretta Murrey and Professor of Architectural and Manufacturing Sciences Greg Mills. According to Action Item AA-2, these faculty members “have served the university for at least ten years and have had distinguished records of achievement and service at the university.”

The board approved Action Item EX-1, Approval of Designated Rooms/Areas. The final action item approved was Action Item FB-1, Approval of Personnel Actions. 

The Herald will have more information on WKU retention in upcoming weeks.