ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 19, 1996 TAG: 9602190140
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH
SOURCE: Associated Press
Freshmen entering Virginia Wesleyan College next fall will be among the first in the nation to be guaranteed a chance to take all the courses they need to earn their degree within four years.
Under a plan approved by the college's faculty and board earlier this month, students concerned about course availability and other factors will be able to sign a contract that guarantees them the courses they need.
At a time when only one in three students earns a diploma in four years, forcing parents and students to face paying for a fifth and sometimes sixth year of college, the school hopes its promise will allay those concerns.
``This is a way to assure students and parents that there's not going to be the cost of a fifth year,'' said Martha E. Rogers, vice president for enrollment management at the private liberal arts school.
Under the contract, students must take a full course load, consult with advisers and meet the grade requirements of their academic department.
``We're going to see that word [guarantee] thrown in more often, because it's a word people associate with accountability,'' Rogers said, ``and we in higher education must prove to our constituents that we are accountable.''
Virginia Wesleyan, affiliated with the United Methodist Church, has an enrollment of 1,580 students. School officials said it is the first college in the state to offer the guarantee, and one of a handful in the country.
``What the college is essentially saying is, `We're going to provide the courses that are needed, and we're going to make it a top priority for us. And we're going to provide good advising so students know what they should be taking,''' said Margaret A. Miller, associate director of the State Council of Higher Education. ``Those are two worries students have, and it's a good move on Virginia Wesleyan's part to allay those worries.''
The guarantee, like Old Dominion University's promise of a one-semester internship for its students, typifies a trend in higher education.
``There are more and more schools doing this kind of thing,'' said David Merkowitz, of the American Council on Education. ``Everybody is looking for a small competitive edge and responding to concerns by students and their families about the cost of higher education.''
Greg Freedland, a Virginia Wesleyan junior who helped craft the plan, thinks it will help students decide on a major early, then stick with it.
``A lot of the trouble students get into is because they wait till the middle of their sophomore year to get into a program,'' he said.
The college will not have to fulfill the guarantee when students fail a course or change majors after their junior year. And that, said high school senior Melanie Panza of Ocean Lakes High, could present problems for many.
``There are a limited amount of students who know exactly what they want to do'' when they start college, the 17-year-old said. ``When you go to college, your perspective changes, so your major changes.''
Currently, 42 percent of Wesleyan freshmen graduate within four years, Rogers said.
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