College shuffles graduation requirements
By Katherine Poythress and Joy Pavelski
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: News
For students just a few credits shy of fulfilling graduation requirements by the May 10 commencement date, Hillsdale College offers some recourse.
The registrar's policy for graduation reads: "Any student who has eight or fewer hours left to complete during the summer following the May ceremony will be allowed to participate in that ceremony, although a degree will not be given until all work is completed."
In such cases, Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff said, the student must submit a letter of appeal to the registrar for completing the remaining hours in the summer following graduation. The registrar may refer appeals to the Educational Policies Committee.
Fifth-year seniors and students who must take an extra semester to graduate are increasing at Hillsdale and schools across the country. Less than 35 percent of students who attended four-year colleges graduated in four years, stated a 2006 study from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Myriad reasons have caused the trend, from more in students double majoring, increased requirements for pre-professional programs like dentistry and teaching, financial difficulties and students switching majors too often or too late.
Commencement rewards students for completing both requirements for the core curriculum and their major, and completing usually a minimum of 124 credit hours with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
Senior Brad Anderson will have completed 137 credit hours at the end of this spring semester and will need only three more toward his major to graduate, he said. Anderson said he did not receive permission to walk with his class this May because he informed the college he would return this fall to complete a second major.
"Theoretically, I could have lied to them and laid out my plan to take that last class, and then come back later this summer to tell them I changed my mind to come back and get a second degree," he said.
Anderson said he understands the school's need for graduation policies, but said strict adherence to the policy without making exceptions for special circumstances like his undermines the college's mission statement, which states the college makes evaluations based on individual merit.
The registrar's policy for graduation reads: "Any student who has eight or fewer hours left to complete during the summer following the May ceremony will be allowed to participate in that ceremony, although a degree will not be given until all work is completed."
In such cases, Dean of Faculty Mark Kalthoff said, the student must submit a letter of appeal to the registrar for completing the remaining hours in the summer following graduation. The registrar may refer appeals to the Educational Policies Committee.
Fifth-year seniors and students who must take an extra semester to graduate are increasing at Hillsdale and schools across the country. Less than 35 percent of students who attended four-year colleges graduated in four years, stated a 2006 study from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Myriad reasons have caused the trend, from more in students double majoring, increased requirements for pre-professional programs like dentistry and teaching, financial difficulties and students switching majors too often or too late.
Commencement rewards students for completing both requirements for the core curriculum and their major, and completing usually a minimum of 124 credit hours with a grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
Senior Brad Anderson will have completed 137 credit hours at the end of this spring semester and will need only three more toward his major to graduate, he said. Anderson said he did not receive permission to walk with his class this May because he informed the college he would return this fall to complete a second major.
"Theoretically, I could have lied to them and laid out my plan to take that last class, and then come back later this summer to tell them I changed my mind to come back and get a second degree," he said.
Anderson said he understands the school's need for graduation policies, but said strict adherence to the policy without making exceptions for special circumstances like his undermines the college's mission statement, which states the college makes evaluations based on individual merit.
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