Sunday, June 1, 2014

UWGB's Academic Forgiveness

For many freshmen, college is just too much: non-curricular temptations at college trump home-grown common sense, and others who do put in time on classwork realize that shaky study skills that eeked them through high school are no match for the rigor of the college classroom. Sure, most schools have early-warning signals in place and many are helped by that, but for too many unprepared incoming students, the first semesters of college spiral down from poor grades, to academic probation, and to the embarrassment of dismissal.

So, what happens next? These students move on without college. Life does continue. But after some years, they realize they really do need a degree credential to move forward. Unfortunately, their previous record drags them down even though they may have now learned the life lessons that would allow them to be successful in college if they had a second chance. A low GPA on the transcript can cause all kinds of problems: re-qualifying for program entry, applying for scholarships and loans, and interviewing for program internships. It takes a lot of positive credits to overcome a bad start.

Since 2010, the University of Wisconsin--Green Bay has quietly established an alternative proposal: Academic Forgiveness. I read about the program in the June 2014 issue of the UWGB alumni/community magazine, Inside 360. The basics of the program are if a student has been out of school for at least three years and if the student struggled "because of health issues, motivation, too much on their plates, or something else," the student is given a fresh academic start when he or she re-enrolls. The student keeps whatever credits were earned on the first go-around, but the GPA altimeter is reset at 0.00.

Darrel Renier, director of academic advising at the college, reports the program has been effective. As of the beginning of the last school year (2013-14), Renier said, "We've had 62 requests for forgiveness, and the new average GPA for these students has been a 3.43." That's a huge jump for students who had not been able to maintain a 2.00 GPA in earlier semesters.

The Academic Forgiveness program recognizes that not every student is ready for college at the same time right out of high school. Age is a notoriously poor indicator of post-secondary maturity because some students need a little more seasoning and motivation before they allow themselves to be successful. Kudos to UWGB for eliminating the GPA barrier for returning students and for focusing on what is most important to all of us: student success not the grades.

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