A national study conducted by the New America Foundation has named the University of California (UC), Riverside, as the 'Next Generation University' along with six other institutions. The university is being credited for improving graduation rates, boosting enrolments and maintaining healthy research profiles amid financial struggles and declining financial aid from the state.
Other factors that contributed to the title were extensive network of learning communities and student engagement in undergraduate-faculty research.
"Academic excellence and access are hallmarks of our strategic plan," said Dallas Rabenstein, UCR's provost. "Today's report is very heartening because it demonstrates, along other recent rankings of scientific impact, that UC Riverside is a national leader with respect to both academic excellence and access."
Most of the UC campuses experienced state budget cuts of $1 billion or a 25 percent decrease since 2008. As a result, the campuses recorded a 7 percent reduction in admissions, along with 5 percent plunge in high school acceptance rates.
UC-Riverside has scripted a different story altogether. Since 2006, UCR's admissions have increased by 25 percent to more than 23,000 students. As the number of minority students at other University of California campuses is decreasing due to enrollment caps, the Riverside campus has constantly attempted to accept more underrepresented students from the surrounding communities, which has led to higher graduation rate of 64 percent for minority students.
The analysis reveals UCR's student body comprises of low income students, which are estimated to be double the number of students in other American research universities. More than half of UCR's undergraduates are the first in their families to pursue a bachelor's degree.
In the past few years, student enhancement programs have been introduced such as first-year learning communities and special monitoring and support for academically weak students.
Other universities chosen by the Foundation are: Arizona State University, Georgia State University, the University at Buffalo [SUNY], University of Texas at Arlington and University of Central Florida.
"The current environment creates extreme pressures in higher education, and we want to hold up as examples universities that are embracing business efficiencies and creating clear and accelerated pathways for students," said Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO, Lumina Foundation, one of the financiers of the project.
