By the Numbers
My signal that a new semester is about to start is an odd one: the Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac. The annual issue arrived last weekend. As a Provost now, I gravitate toward two things. First, the lists. Are we on one, or blessedly not? Didn’t see us anywhere, but pleased we weren’t on the big one, the top 50 most expensive four-year public universities in the U.S. All but two of our NJASCU sister institutions were on the list, though. I sure wish the Almanac included the social mobility index for which we are in the top 5 percent in the U.S. for graduating low-income students into good paying jobs. The second place I gravitate is the state data. What jumped out to me this time were two stats. the number of new high school graduates, which was 113,720, and the educational attainment levels of adults age 25 and older. Nearly 50 percent of New Jersey residents have only a high school degree, some college but no degree, or an associate’s degree. A little U.S. Census Bureau sleuthing to translate 50 percent into a number of persons revealed a whopping 3,039,845 in this category.
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Now, I know enough math to tell that those are radically different numbers, in fact, by a difference of almost 27 times. I also know that in New Jersey, about 75 percent of high school graduates go straight on to college (one of the highest rates in the country), but nearly half go out of state (also one of the highest). That translates to roughly 43,000 new New Jersey freshmen starting in college this fall (a very suspect number given the pandemic) at one of 164 schools. Then there is the other sobering Almanac statistic. The number of new high school graduates is on track to be down nearly 4 percent by 2030.
So, who is college for again? Many of us may have gone to college at 18, but today, a whole lot more started and never finished, only have a two-year degree, or never went at all. And, they are quite likely to be working and have families.
Navigating through a continuing pandemic will remain a challenge, but so too will be confronting our need to innovate to meet New Jersey’s educational needs where they are. And they don’t come in one size and age demographic.
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Academic News
On July 29, WP Online Undergrad went live with nine programs to start on November 1. In that short time, we have seen nearly 400 inquiries and 67 applications. As of this past Monday, enrollment in our existing WP Online programs was 1,516, about 16% of all University enrollments. Thanks to the many staff and faculty who have worked tirelessly in support of this expanded portfolio of offerings.
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Department Chairs summit High Mountain. Fog and humidity be damned. Summer adventure, literally in WP’s backyard. Provost regaled with tales of yesteryear drawn from stories in the Beacon every half mile of the climb to the top. If you wish to know the roots of general education, about the launch of Black Studies, and the implication of a certain toga party from Animal House here at WP, feel free to ask him. Thank you to Lucia McMahon and Bhanu Chauhan for your leadership this summer with a series of professional development and support activities for chairs, and for a little fun in the mix.
We welcome four pre-doctoral fellows to our faculty. These four new members of our campus community will be teaching in their respective departments and participating in a program of intentional support of their career launch. For more information about this program, and to learn about their talents and experiences, visit the pre-doctoral fellows website.
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Also from the 2021-22 Chronicle Almanac
- Between March and September of 2020, 18 million borrowers paused loan repayments during the pandemic, a five-fold increase.
- Among 448 public doctoral and master's colleges and universities in the U.S. over the past 10 years, Rowan University in NJ was one of the fastest growing (#8), adding almost 9,000 students during that period.
- Approximately 20 percent of college freshmen at four-year colleges in the U.S. are first generation. At William Paterson, approximately 45 percent are.
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Moments are what we remember and what we cherish… Every culture has its prescribed set of big moments: birthdays and weddings and graduations, of course, but also holiday celebrations and funeral rites and political traditions. They seem “natural” to us. But notice that every last one of them was invented, dreamed up by anonymous authors who wanted to give shape to time. This is what we mean by “thinking in moments”: to recognize where the prose of life needs punctuation.
–The Power of Moments
As you start this academic year, may it be filled with moments that provide you meaning and joy, the elixir that fuels motivation, and is the right kind of infectious to others.
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The Provost’s Office is Meg, Lissette, Claudia T., Claudia C., Jonathan, Kara, Sandy, and Josh. You can reach us at 973.720.2122 • [email protected]
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