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Residence hall roommates  Ball State women's tennis team Ball State student athletes are in top form, not just physically but also academically. With a 77 percent graduation rate among student athletes, Ball State ranked first in the Mid-American Conference and ninth in the nation in the NCAA’s 2000 Graduation Rate Study. The growth of Ball State’s Academic Support Services program, which is available to all students, has been key to the academic performance of nearly every student athlete at the university. In addition to maintaining detailed files on each athlete’s academic progress, Academic Support Services Coordinator Linda Hall and Assistant Coordinator Pam Riegle coordinate with coaching staffs, faculty members, and the administration to assess student athlete concerns and direct students to appropriate campus support services including tutoring, counseling, and career programs. The Academic Support Services staff also addresses additional needs of student athletes that may affect academic performance, including making the transition to college; developing independent, self-disciplined learning; and taking ownership of personal, academic, and social responsibility. “Accountability and responsibility are expected from every student we counsel,” Hall says. “We expect every student athlete to want to be above average-to be outstanding, to be the best.”

“We felt so appreciated,” she says. “When I came to Ball State they were really friendly. Everyone was smiling. They accepted me.”

Olowomeye says she wasn’t used to making that kind of connection with people in the city where she grew up. But at Ball State, it’s a way of life.

Making connections and developing a sense of commitment are key components for student success. Ball State knows that. In fact, the university’s Freshman Connections, a learning community program involving all freshmen, was the cornerstone of a freshman-to-sophomore project that began in 1997 and pushed retention rates from 68 percent to 76 percent in three years.

That project, funded by a $3 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., was so successful that in 2001 the Endowment awarded another $3.5 million to Ball State to expand its retention efforts through a series of new programs designed to increase student retention and persistence through to graduation.

“The first grant was about getting freshmen connected to the university,” explains Ball State Associate Provost Beverley Pitts. “Our challenge with this new grant is to make better what we already do.”

The goal of “Building the Four-Year Commitment” is to increase the retention rate from freshman to sophomore years from its current 77 percent to 80 percent, and to raise the graduation rate for students in the project by 6 percent.

Specific activities funded by the new grant include a series of summer enrichment programs, faculty development workshops, programs to help undecided students identify major and career goals, faculty advising initiatives, intervention programs for at-risk students, and assessment.

This year, continued improvement in retaining students contributed to the increase in Ball State’s enrollment for the second year in a row. More than 17,660 students enrolled on campus in fall 2001, an increase of 172 students from the previous year.

Other factors that have contributed to the increased enrollment include greater numbers of new freshmen, graduate students, and transfers from other colleges. Higher admission standards also have had an effect on the academic preparation of the students admitted.

Douglas McConkey, Ball State vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, notes that academic achievement scores for incoming freshmen at Ball State have increased each of the last four years. “The average SAT score for freshmen is 1040, up six points over last year,” he says. “It has improved each year since 1998, when we raised our admission standards.”

The close connections that Tolulope Olowomeye, now a junior biology/pre-med major in the Honors College, made during her first year at Ball State have steadily expanded. She’s made a commitment to her education and is benefiting from the commitment the university has made to her.

May 2001 Commencement

In addition to course work that is challenging and comprehensive, Olowomeye says she also has had many opportunities to learn “beyond books.” She explains, “I’ve learned to network with people, to work with people other than my race, to communicate with different ethnicities. I’ve learned how to talk to my professors.”

Olowomeye is impressed with both her academic preparation for medical school and the supportiveness of Ball State faculty members. 

“They’re always there for you,” she says. “Ball State is really willing to accommodate students. They’re going to do whatever they can to help you. Ball State is definitely meeting and exceeding what I expected.”

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