Strategy 5 - Actions

1. Shape the undergraduate student profile to enhance and support a rich residential campus environment for traditional age students while simultaneously increasing the quality of student admissions at all undergraduate levels.

• Expand FTIC population to 5000 new students by 2003-04 on the Tampa Campus while increasing the quality of students admitted.
• Enhance recruiting activities to attract increasing numbers of high achieving FTIC students including Bright Futures Scholars, Merit finalists, International Baccalaureate program graduates, students from the top 20% of their graduating class, and talented students such as those in All-State bands, choruses, and orchestras.
• Intensify recruiting efforts to recruit and retain high achieving community college students with high GPA’s, Academic All Americans, and other highly qualified students.

2. Expand graduate enrollment to strengthen the research enterprise and to address the needs of Florida and the region.

• Increase graduate enrollment by 5-6% annually.
• Increase the competitiveness of G.A. compensation in selected programs to attract the very best students.
• Include health insurance for graduate assistant and fellowship appointments.

3. Increase the retention and graduation rates of students.

• Enhance services that promote increased student retention and degree completion.
• Establish an on-line data base to track retention rates at department, college, campus, and university levels.
• Enhance academic advising and career planning services especially among students with undeclared majors and those wishing to enroll in limited-access programs.
• Establish a graduate student “Time To Degree” database.
• Implement college/program specific services to increase student retention and timely progress toward degree completion at the master’s and doctoral levels.

4. Increase the diversity among students admitted to the University.

• Recruit and retain higher numbers of groups who are underrepresented in the University’s profile: African Americans and Latinos.
• Increase the percentage of out-of-state FTIC students from 5% to 10% by 2005.
• Increase the diversity of graduate student enrollment through strategic partnerships with Historically Black Institutions and Hispanic Serving Institutions and increased financial support for students.
• Strengthen the capacity of the Office of International Affairs to support the recruitment and retention of international students.
• Enhance programs that serve as models for academic, social, and cultural integration of minority students (such as McNair Scholars, SSS/PEP, Project Thrust Corporate Mentoring Program, Minority Engineering Program, ENLACE, and others.)
• Strengthen community outreach activities to support college-bound opportunities and services among African American and Latino youth and families.
• Conduct faculty seminars for USF undergraduate African American and Latino students to encourage their participation in graduate education.