Table of Contents »

Key Indicators
By 2006, we will:

1. Increase the middle 50 percent range of ACT scores for incoming freshmen to 23-28, as reported to U.S.News & World Report.
2. Achieve enrollment and community-college transfer goals established in collaboration with the Council on Postsecondary Education.
3. Open a new undergraduate residence hall, designed as a 21 st century living/learning community.
4. Increase the first-to-second year retention rate of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students to 83 percent.
5. Exceed the predicted levels of attainment on indicators of quality undergraduate education, as reported by seniors on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).
6. Increase the six-year graduation rate to 60 percent.

E 
ducating students is a core mission of the University. In order to attain excellence and achieve national recognition, we must recruit, retain and graduate a diverse group of outstanding undergraduate, graduate and professional students, representing Kentucky, the nation and the world. We expect our graduates to become productive citizens who make significant contributions to their professions and communities. To achieve this valued outcome, we will expand initiatives to attract and graduate outstanding students.

Objectives:

1. The University will admit and enroll an increasingly higher caliber of student. To attract and enroll such students, we must recruit the best students in Kentucky and beyond; expand scholarship, fellowship, and other forms of financial support; and offer comprehensive, modern and challenging curricula. The University's excellence will be reflected through the state, regional and national recognition of our students.
    
2. The University will collaborate with Kentucky's other postsecondary education institutions to facilitate success for transfer students. A successful statewide transfer program is critical to Kentucky's success in raising its overall level of educational attainment. We must further the academic success of transfer students through program articulation and transfer agreements, support for the Course Applicability System (CAS), and other collaborative activities.
    
3. The University will engage students in rigorous educational programs and provide an environment conducive to success. Students succeed when they form meaningful connections with the University community, integrating their academic and social lives. We must offer an enriching first-year experience to all new freshmen, continuously assess and improve the quality of teaching and student learning, and involve our students in the intellectual life of the University. By implementing new living-learning communities, we create opportunities for students to interact with the University community and its neighbors. We must provide the finest teaching and academic support possible; assist with personal, social and career development; and develop additional student life programs and facilities. We must facilitate the success of all our students, including student-athletes and minority and special populations.