Project Graduate: Finish WKU Attracting Students
Bowling Green, Ky. - Even though the big push has yet to start, Project Graduate: Finish WKU has attracted more than 300 people who are wanting to finish their college degrees.
“It’s been an overwhelming response just from the little publicity that’s been done,” said Mona Menking, Finish WKU coordinator. The mission of the Finish WKU is to assist students who previously attended Western Kentucky University and left before obtaining their degree. It is affiliated with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education’s Project Graduate and primarily targets former students who have earned 90 or more credit hours, but did not complete a degree. Menking’s office acts as a single contact to guide students through the steps of finding out what it will take to graduate and being re-admitted. “We’re the middle man, so to speak, so that the student has just that one point of contact,” she said. Once the contact is made, Menking will work with the various offices, from Admissions to Academic Advising, she said. “Every aspect of Enrollment Management is involved in this process.” Of the 300-plus students she’s currently working with, about 10 percent have already enrolled and another 15 percent will enroll this summer or fall. About half have fewer than the target 90 hours of instruction and a few have moved to the area with hours from another university. “We’ve had all kinds of people contacting our office who want to come back and finish a degree,” she said. “We don’t turn anybody away.” Menking said WKU is about to mail more than 2,300 post cards to former students in the WKU database and from a CPE listing. In anticipation of an increasing number of applicants, she said the first steps will soon become automated. While this will lessen the personalization of the initial contact, it should quicken the current 10-day turnaround. “The automated system will help a great deal because at least some of the initial steps will be automatic,” Menking said, “but the remainder of the steps will continue to be handled personally.” Menking said the personalized contact is important to the non-traditional students who are wanting to complete their degrees. “This is not your typical 18-year-old freshman who is coming in to sit in classes 12 hours a week. You’re talking about someone who needs that little extra help,” she said. “I think that one point of contact, the one specific place they can go to, is really beneficial. It’s one phone number so they are not calling all over campus to try and get something done. We do that for them and then we call them back and say ‘this is what you need to do.’ We don’t tell anybody they’ve called the wrong office. If they’ve called, they need help.” Menking said she’s received inquiries from former students from several states and even overseas who hope to complete the bulk of their coursework online. “If you’re motivated to get your degree, you’ll find a way to make it happen,” she said. For more information on Project Graduate: Finish WKU, call 1-877-WKU-GRAD or log onto www.wku.edu/wkufinish. Most Popular
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