Strong Educational Practices at Franciscan University

Strong Educational Practices

National Survey Confirms Strong Educational Practices at Franciscan University
STEUBENVILLE, OHIO - November 18, 2002

Results of the 2002 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) confirm that Franciscan University provides highly enriching educational experiences and a strongly supportive campus environment for its 2,250 students.

Franciscan University President Father Terence Henry, TOR, says the results affirm the school’s mission to integrate faith and reason.

“We’re especially pleased the University scored in the top 10 percent as far as creating a supportive campus environment,” he says. “When our students report we’re giving them what they need to thrive personally and to succeed academically, they affirm our efforts to foster a vibrant intellectual and faith community on campus.”

The NSSE gathers information from first-year and senior students about the extent to which they engage in sound educational practices. The survey focuses on five benchmark areas known to demonstrate student learning and achievement: level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus environment [Links to Complete Chart].

Each area asks students about activities and conditions related to that benchmark. In the enriching educational experiences section, questions include participation in volunteer work and service, study abroad programs, and a culminating senior experience, and how well a school encourages contact among students with different economic, social, and racial or ethnic backgrounds. Questions on the supportive campus environment include the degree to which a school provides the support students need to succeed academically, cope with non-academic responsibilities, and thrive socially. Franciscan University is at or above the norm for its peer institutions in four benchmark areas. Of particular note:

•	The University provides a more enriching educational environment than 70 to 80 percent of comparable colleges and universities surveyed. Seniors at Franciscan University are significantly more likely than their peers at other schools to have a capstone experience such as writing a thesis or giving a seminar. Also, Franciscan students are much more likely than their peers to participate in a study abroad program, a fact recognized by U.S. News and World Report, which placed the rate of student participation in the school’s Austrian Program in the top 3 percent of all colleges and universities nationwide.
•	Seniors say they worked harder than they expected to meet professors’ demands and had significantly more required reading than their peers. These factors and others make the level of academic challenge greater for Franciscan University seniors than for seniors at 80 percent of comparable institutions.
•	Over 73 percent of first-year students and seniors say they discussed ideas from class with friends “often” or “very often” outside the classroom, indicating the University’s success in creating an environment where students can succeed academically.

“The NSSE results, especially in the sections on enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment, help explain why Franciscan University scored so high in freshman retention and graduation rates in the most recent U.S. News & World Report Guide to America’s Best Colleges,” Father Henry says. “When students develop good relationships with their peers and faculty and feel challenged and helped to succeed academically and personally, you just can’t keep them away.”

The survey also provided Franciscan University with additional results not factored into the benchmark report. The University’s percentages were significantly higher than percentages at comparable schools in the following:

•	Nearly 85 percent of first-year and 91 percent of seniors say their experience so far at Franciscan University has helped them develop a personal code of values and ethics.
•	Though the University does not require volunteer service, 68 percent of first-year and 72 percent of seniors say their education at Franciscan helped them contribute to the welfare of their communities.
•	Over 80 percent of first-year and senior students attended co-curricular lectures and events, giving further evidence that the University encourages learning outside the classroom.
•	When asked to evaluate their entire experience at the University to date, 89 percent of first-year students and 94 percent of seniors rated it “good” or “excellent.”
•	When asked if they would attend Franciscan University again if they could start all over, 90 percent of first-year and 94 percent of seniors replied “probably” or “definitely” yes.

The National Survey of Student Engagement helps schools assess how much time and energy students put into educationally sound activities and how well their school encourages them to do so.

“The NSSE gives schools one more tool to use as we continually evaluate our educational practices and policies,” says Father Henry. “The results indicate areas we may want to look at more closely such as improving active learning strategies for our students. They also confirm that we’re right on track with the core curriculum revisions we hope to implement soon and the first-year experience program we plan to begin in fall 2003.”

Father Henry says Franciscan University intends to participate in the 2003 National Survey of Student Engagement. “Now that we’ve established a baseline with this first year’s participation, the results of succeeding surveys will be increasingly valuable as we continue to enhance and improve the quality of a Franciscan University education,” he says.

Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic liberal arts school in southeastern Ohio, offers 34 undergraduate majors and seven master’s programs and draws students from all 50 states and over 25 countries. For more information, call 1-800-783-6220 or visit us online at www.franciscan.edu.

Note: "Master's" institutions are institutions that offer a minimum number of master's programs with a minimum number enrolled in those programs. "National" refers to all institutions that participated in the survey; this includes liberal arts, comprehensive bachelor's, master's and doctoral institutions. The comparisons and benchmark scores in the press release refer to the master's institutions in the survey. These institutions are most similar to Francsican University based on a number of institutional characteristics.

Franciscan University
of Steubenville
1235 University Blvd.
Steubenville, OH 43952
(740) 283-3771