Looking at the Past, Shaping the Future: Getting to Know Our Students

for the Past 40 Years

NASPA/ACPA 2007 ConferenceOrlando, FL April 2, 2007

Sylvia Hurtado John H. PryorDirector DirectorHigher Education Research Institute Cooperative Institutional Research Program

Higher Education Research Institute University of California at Los Angeles

Introduction

• Unprecedented increase in enrollment

• Baccalaureate degree as a minimum and essential credential for many employers

• Enrollment predicted to increase through 2015

• Women’s movement and civil rights movement sought to decrease inequities and enhance diversity Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Projected Enrollment Higher in Four-Year Institutions

5000

6000

7000

8000

9000

10000

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

In t

ho

usa

nd

s

4-year 2-year

Introduction

• Are our institutions:– Achieving educational equity?– Meeting student’s needs and aspirations?– Developing the values, skills, and knowledge

for an increasingly complex and global society?

Cooperative Institutional Research Program

• Longitudinal Research Program Launched in 1966

• Hundred’s of articles in professional journals and books written using CIRP data

• Astin’s “Theory of Involvement”

Higher Education Research Institute

CIRPCooperative Institutional

Research Program

FreshmanSurvey YFCY CSS

Faculty Survey

Funded Research

• Atlantic Philanthropies• Templeton Foundation• National Institutes

of Health

Forty Years of Trend Data

1966 2006

206,865 respondents

251 Colleges and Universities

271,441 respondents

393 Colleges

and Universities

Total over 40 years:8,319,318 students

1,201 colleges and universities

CIRP Freshman Survey Trends

• Major Findings in the Report– Demographics and Implications for a Diverse Society– Access and Affordability– Preparation for College– Technology– Politics and Discourse– Values– Conclusion and Implications

Demographic Changes

Demographic Changes

• Increased racial ethnic diversity• Women have become a stable majority• Older students• More students reporting learning disabilities• Parents more affluent• Parents less likely to live together

Preparation for a Diverse Society

01020304050607080

Perc

en

tag

e

Socialized with another raceImportant to promote racial understandingRacial discrimination no longer major problem

CIRP Research Reports

•

College Choice

College Choice: Applications Increase

19.9

56.5

43.1

17.7

4.0

2.0

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1967 1976 1986 1996 2006

Perc

ent

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

Num

ber

of A

ppli

cati

ons

Four or more applications One application Median # of applications

CIRP Freshman Survey Trends

• 2006 – 67.3% attending first choice

• 1976 (77.3%)• 1986 (70.7%)• 1996 (71.5%)

Students Accepted by First Choice Institution Choosing to Attend Other Institutions

49.8%

39.3%34.6%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2nd Choice 3rd Choice 4th Choice or Lower

Choice of Institution Attended

Perc

ent

Acc

epte

d b

y Fi

rst

Choic

e

Inst

ituti

ons

Affordability

Affordability

• Parental Income – Rising faster in the group of parents of college students

than the national average• In 1975, parental income of students was 46% above national

• In 2005, parental income of students was 60% above national

– Rising faster for parents of students in public universities• Family income of students at privates rose 15.7%• Family income of students at publics rose 17.1%

– Fewer students have major concerns about financing their education (11.6%, down from 19.1% in 1995)

Preparation for College

Preparation for College

• Since 1982, completion of recommended levels increased (National Commission on Excellence)

• Most increases in meeting recommended levels of course work were in the first decade

• Still improvement needed in:– Biology (46.8%)– Physical Science (59.9%)– Computer Science (61.6%)

Preparation for College

• Academic Preparation– Student Perception of Necessary Remedial Work in

College Dropped from 1971 to 1979, but remains fairly stable since then

– Will need remedial work in College?• 24.1% Math• 10.9% Science• 9.4% English

– Gaps by Racial/Ethnic Group have closed but remain

Preparation for College

• Academic Habits and Experiences

– More were late to class in High School

• 48.2% in 1966

• 65.1% in 2001

• 60.6% in 2006

Fewer Students Studying 6+ Hours a Week as High School Seniors

0

10

20

30

40

50

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

Per

cen

tag

e

6+ Hours Studying

Preparation for College

• Academic Habits and Experiences

– Declining interaction with High-School Teachers

40%

28%

23%26%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

AskedAdvice

Guest inHome

1967 2006

Technology

Technology

• Use a personal computer– 23.5% in 1985– 85.8% in 2005

• Used Internet for homework

Frequently: Used Internet for Research or Homework

45.4

75.2

43.8

83.3

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1998 2000 2002 2005

Per

cent

Men Women

TechnologyFrequent Use of the Internet for Homework as

High-School Senior

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

White Black Asian Hispanic

Per

cen

t

1998

2005

Social and Political Views

Political Ideology

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Middle-of-the-roadLiberal

Conservative

Political Views

Abortion should be legal

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005

Perc

en

t

Conservative/ far right Middle of the road Liberal/Far left

Political Views

• Shifting views on abortion, gay rights, legalization of marijuana, and using affirmative action in college admissions

• Driving this change has been differential changes among conservatives and liberals

Political Views

• Politics– Greater differences between students

– Also disagree if Colleges have the right to ban extreme speakers:

– Overall agreement has increased:• 24.1% agree in 1986 to 40.5% in 2006

• Conservatives: 55.1% agree

• Liberals: 28.5% agree

Values

Values

• Are students more: – apathetic?– materialistic?

• Why Go To College– Greatest Changes

• To make more money– 49.9% in 1976

– 64.9% in 1985

– 69.0% in 2006

• To prepare for graduate/professional school

– 34.9% in 1971

– 57.7% in 2006

Values

• Student Interest in Quality of Life issues– Upward social mobility lessened

– Culture emphasizes quick paths to wealth• High corporate salaries• Dot.com• State lotteries

– Financial considerations such as College– Altruism in helping others

CIRP Freshman Survey Trends

Objects Considered Essential or Very Important

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1966

1968

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Being very well off financially Raising a family

Developing a meaningful philosophy of life Helping others who are in difficulty

Becoming a community leader

Implications for Student Affairsand College Educators

• Educating students about diversity, promoting civil discourse, and skills for handling conflict are more important today– Co-curricular programming examples – Staff training

Implications for Student Affairsand College Educators

• Reports for special tutoring or remediation have not declined among entering freshmen. How will we meet their needs?– Placement tests, advising, early warning systems,

more advising– Supplemental education in living learning

programs– High school and college partnerships examples

Implications for Student Affairsand College Educators

• Technology progress means keeping up with modes of communication and student learning (e.g.evaluating sources of information).

Implications for Student Affairsand College Educators

• Students want a better quality of life and are altruistic – Millennial generation has received much

criticism but many of the trends preceded them, starting in the 1980s.

– Service opportunities with time for students to reflect on values

– Encourage the development of responsible citizenship

Implications for Student Affairsand College Educators

• Access and Affordability: Balancing the market perspective with broader goals of higher education– Enable more low and middle income students

to make good choices– Work collaboratively with colleges that have

capacity, joint agreements– Using broad definition of talent and multiple

ways of assessing it in admissions

For More Information•

http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/heri

To order “The American Freshman:Forty Year Trends,” or for more information

Go to the HERI booth or use our website:

•40 year trends institutional report for each school that has participated in the 2006 data

collection and has at least 5 years of data