Supplemental Updates for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College - 2024

15-TO-FINISH

ABAC continues to preregister first-year students before their scheduled orientation session. Academic Support preregisters all full-time first-year students for 15 hours; however, several of these students choose to take less than 15 hours. The importance of 15-to-finish begins with the information given to interested students before admission and is incorporated into orientation and new faculty advisor training each fall and spring semesters. Financial aid counselors also encourage students to take 15 hours a semester to graduate on time. Plus, the program maps incorporate the 15-to-Finish initiative. Below is a chart showing ABAC’s progress toward this goal for our first-year students (FYS) both associate and bachelor’s seeking:

Note. Data are from Argos Banner Reporting.

Measures of Success

• The number of first-year students taking 15 or more hours in their first semester increased slightly by one percentage point for Fall 2023 and Fall 2024 over the previous Fall cohort.
• The average number of credit hours taken per student increased slightly for Fall 2023 over Fall 2023; however, the average number of credit hours per student slightly decreased for Fall 2024 but is still within an acceptable range.

Lessons Learned

ABAC has consistently delivered the message 15 hours a semester to graduate on time. The 15-to-Finish initiative began in 2012 and has become part of the ABAC culture and a norm for full-time first-year students. Data disaggregation shows that 60% or more bachelor’s degree-seeking students take 15 or more hours in the first semester and average closer to 15 credit hours.

90-HOUR CHECKS

ABAC realizes that the path to graduation should be easy for students to navigate; however, changes in policies and programs can occasionally throw a student off track. ABAC has helped remove barriers to graduation by implementing 90-hour checks for all bachelor’s degree-seeking students who have earned 90 or more credit hours. The checks ensure that each student is on track to graduate within one academic year as students apply for graduation the semester before they graduate. An additional check of requirements is done by both the student’s advisor and an Academic Support Counselor, thus further easing the graduation process and reducing potential barriers to graduation. Below are the updated results for the 90-hour checks:

The table above shows the number of students identified as being off-track for the term given, the number that graduated within one year of being off-track, followed by the percentage. This high-impact strategy continues to be a success for the students and the institution by keeping students on track to graduate.

Measures of Success

• Increase in third-year retention rates.

Institutional Third-Year Retention Rates for ABAC and Peer Institutions

The graph above indicates that ABAC’s third-year retention rates have continued to exceed the average of its peers per cohort year since 2014. Data were pulled from USG Qlik.

• Another measure of success is the growth in the number of students graduating within one year after being identified as off-track. The table above indicates an overall increase in students who graduate within one year after being identified as off-track.
• An overall increase in the conferment of bachelor’s degrees is also a measure of success.

Number of ABAC Degrees Conferred in the Past Five Fiscal Years

For FY 2024, an increase in the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred can be seen in the table above, thereby indicating a successful result.

Lessons Learned 

During the 2014-15 academic year, the number of baccalaureate students who reached 90 hours without completing high school requirements or the core curriculum was alarming. Due to these deficiencies, Academic Support implemented 90-hour checks to keep students on track for graduation. The effects of the 90-hour checks can be seen in the number of students graduating within one academic year after being identified. Additionally, the results of this high-impact practice can be seen in the College’s third-year retention rates and the number of bachelor’s degrees conferred. Academic Support, School Department Heads, and faculty advisors continue to work with students who are determined to be off-track to help remove or solve the identified barriers to allow for on-time graduation. The decrease in students identified for Spring 2023 may be attributed to advisors being notified during the first graduation application review of needed substitutions or course adjustments.

OBSERVATIONS AND NEXT STEPS

In addition to the Momentum Year and Momentum Approach implemented initiatives, the high-impact strategies listed in section three have aided ABAC in increasing student outcomes, which are seen through our institutional retention and graduation rates. Also, these strategies and initiatives tie into our institutional mission “to engage, teach, coach, mentor, and provide relevant experiences that prepare the graduate for life.” Our success comes from faculty and staff collaboration and administrative support to increase student achievement and the College’s retention and graduation rates.

ABAC’s next phase for this upcoming academic year (2025-26) is integrating our top five ASPIRE strategies, as seen in Section II, into our Momentum work to drive our overall Complete College Georgia plan. As noted above, our updated plan focuses on increasing student engagement, further integrating career development into our approaches, and enhancing student programming and support services. These five initiatives align with USG’s 2029 Strategic Plan and will aid ABAC in preparing ABAC graduates for life after graduation, which will be seen through our retention and graduation rates, as well as workforce development data.  ABAC is committed to the Complete College Georgia Initiative and to being Georgia’s State College of Choice by advancing the prosperity of our students, the community, and the state of Georgia.