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(From a press conference today)

Alan Collins ‏@fox6alancollins

...UAB enrollment partnership with Bham Schools. In past those who tested below 20 ACT not admitted
...Under new program students below 20 could be admitted
...The Blazing Start Program helps thse with need for study skills can enter I'm 12 hour program with mentoring program
...In partnership with community colleges if students graduate there can move to UAB
...UAB will be opening an Academic Research center. Dr Ray Watts we are not just interested in admitting more students but graduating
...Dr Craig Witherspoon: this is a great day for Bham schools
...Witherspoon: this opens more potions for our students
...Witherspoon: we are working to improve our ACT scores we are going o be sure they are ready
...Witherspoon: as we grow and expand our schools this will be good for the city
...Mayor William Bell: working to give next generation of students an opportunity
...Bell: it's important we give our kids a proper education. 50 years ago people believed in that opportunity

I suspect a more-detailed article is forthcoming....

Not sure how I feel about this. Going down he UCF path. Great for numbers but no way in hell sale ever achieve AAU status now

(02-27-2013 05:11 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  Not sure how I feel about this. Going down he UCF path. Great for numbers but no way in hell sale ever achieve AAU status now

I think the key is the community colleges. Start them out there, if they don't cut it then they never get on UAB's books, but, by being involved, UAB gets to help shape the CC curriculum, have advisors on site, etc.

Dr. Watts is right, though, the goal has to be graduation rate. UAB's current graduation rate in the 40s is the thing holding up AAU membership

New partnership gives Birmingham city school students greater access to UAB
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/02/new_...um=twitter

(02-27-2013 05:14 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  I think the key is the community colleges. Start them out there, if they don't cut it then they never get on UAB's books, but, by being involved, UAB gets to help shape the CC curriculum, have advisors on site, etc.

Bingo. Chancellor Witt wants to increase undergraduate numbers and grow UAB. That's fine as long as the quality of the student body is not diluted too much. By intentionally partnering with the CC's, UAB can gain a source of new students who have proven that they can succeed in college level courses.

I hope that Dr. Watts safeguards the qualityof the student inflow though, that's the key, not raw numbers.

cannot hurt recruiting either

There is that... although Coach McGee said at the Signing Social that this year's class averaged an ACT of 22. I don't recall the GPA # offhand but it was respectable as well.

(02-27-2013 05:11 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  Not sure how I feel about this. Going down he UCF path. Great for numbers but no way in hell sale ever achieve AAU status now

The way I read these points is with students at Birmingham City Schools for dual enrollment. I have no problem with this 20 on the ACT thing for students if it does not affect UAB stats overall for degree seeking students. If this does affect our stats then this should not be adopted.

Funneling high risk kids through a JUCO is the best of both worlds. We get, and cultivate local students, without the liability of hurting academic standards.

Somebody who'll get their associates are a lot more likely to close out an undergraduate degree than a kid right out of high school.

For perspective, keep in mind that the national average for college graduation rates is about 50% with the ACC "Lions" (Duke, UNC and others) averaging about 65% while many schools in other parts of the nation dropping off to the 40% range. It's not like ANY major sports schools are graduating 80% or 90% anywhere. Just like the rest of the country, we are trying to find a program which will improve the academic product and since it hasn't been tried on a general student basis in the past, we are "trying to invent the wheel" here.

(02-27-2013 05:25 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  New partnership gives Birmingham city school students greater access to UAB
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/02/new_...um=twitter

The 8th and 9th paragraphs are concerning, because both indicate that the students admitted under these two programs will not be required to meet present admission requirements. Choosing to accept future students who do not meet your present minimum admission requirements necessarily means that you are lowering your future admission requirements. Paired with Witt's stated plan to increase enrollment at UAB, I view this development suspiciously. This may be a godsend to individual Birmingham City School students, but it may not be a good thing for the academic reputation of UAB. Probably depends on how many students are admitted with an ACT in the teens.

Keep in mind that the absolute cutoff for an ACT of 20 is fairly new )in the whole scheme of things). While I haven't read the articles and don't really have an opinion on it, I'm just pointing out that having students with ACT scores in the teens was really common not too long ago

As with ANY standardized test scores, those from the better schools will have the advantage over those from the lesser advantaged schools. By bringing in more of the disadvantaged students and seeing what they can do once in a collegiate setting, there is the likelihood that more of them will be successful on that higher level. A good SAT or ACT score is only a predictor of potential success, not a guarantee of it.

(02-28-2013 10:00 AM)LairDweller Wrote:  Keep in mind that the absolute cutoff for an ACT of 20 is fairly (in the whole scheme of things). While I haven't read the articles and don't really have an opinion on it, I'm just pointing out that having students with ACT scores in the teens was really common not too long ago

I work a lot with kids in the city schools. I like the idea of this as an outreach and an incentive to the kids. This helps strenghten the ties between the city and the school. I was the first person to go college in my family, I went to a city school (west End '76). Without the scholarship I got (grades and ACT score-not any special talent) I am not sure how that would have worked out...but I did and it worked out well. Two of my three kids graduated/attend UAB. We can never forget that one of the great strenghts and virtues of UAB is that it provides a chance for people...we are not tied up in Ivy and overblown traditions nor have we been a school striving to live up to the history and reputation of its' extracurricular activities. We educate people who make a difference in the world and all other good things flow from that. Kudos to fellow West End alum Watts on this effort.

(02-28-2013 10:55 AM)uabrsc3 Wrote:  

(02-28-2013 10:00 AM)LairDweller Wrote:  Keep in mind that the absolute cutoff for an ACT of 20 is fairly (in the whole scheme of things). While I haven't read the articles and don't really have an opinion on it, I'm just pointing out that having students with ACT scores in the teens was really common not too long ago

I work a lot with kids in the city schools. I like the idea of this as an outreach and an incentive to the kids. This helps strenghten the ties between the city and the school. I was the first person to go college in my family, I went to a city school (west End '76). Without the scholarship I got (grades and ACT score-not any special talent) I am not sure how that would have worked out...but I did and it worked out well. Two of my three kids graduated/attend UAB. We can never forget that one of the great strenghts and virtues of UAB is that it provides a chance for people...we are not tied up in Ivy and overblown traditions nor have we been a school striving to live up to the history and reputation of its' extracurricular activities. We educate people who make a difference in the world and all other good things flow from that. Kudos to fellow West End alum Watts on this effort.

During that 1970s era, West End graduated some of its most illustrious students. They became doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, engineers and journalists and so many other fine outcomes. I am very proud of that school, its superior faculty and its fine students -- especially since I taught there 25 years (1972-1997).

(02-28-2013 11:05 AM)BAMANBLAZERFAN Wrote:  

(02-28-2013 10:55 AM)uabrsc3 Wrote:  

(02-28-2013 10:00 AM)LairDweller Wrote:  Keep in mind that the absolute cutoff for an ACT of 20 is fairly (in the whole scheme of things). While I haven't read the articles and don't really have an opinion on it, I'm just pointing out that having students with ACT scores in the teens was really common not too long ago

I work a lot with kids in the city schools. I like the idea of this as an outreach and an incentive to the kids. This helps strenghten the ties between the city and the school. I was the first person to go college in my family, I went to a city school (west End '76). Without the scholarship I got (grades and ACT score-not any special talent) I am not sure how that would have worked out...but I did and it worked out well. Two of my three kids graduated/attend UAB. We can never forget that one of the great strenghts and virtues of UAB is that it provides a chance for people...we are not tied up in Ivy and overblown traditions nor have we been a school striving to live up to the history and reputation of its' extracurricular activities. We educate people who make a difference in the world and all other good things flow from that. Kudos to fellow West End alum Watts on this effort.

During that 1970s era, West End graduated some of its most illustrious students. They became doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, engineers and journalists and so many other fine outcomes. I am very proud of that school, its superior faculty and its fine students -- especially since I taught there 25 years (1972-1997).

Heck you even got some education into me Of course that was between class chess tournaments!

It should also be noted that the program that allows direct enrollment into UAB with a lower ACT score is only open to students from Birmingham City Schools. It's not like the entire freshman class of 2014 will be lower performing students. Students from other systems will have to go through the community college route.

As a teacher in the system, I have mixed feelings. First, most of my students go to UA. We send our best and worst students there since they have a more open enrollment. UAB gets some of our best students. These students are more concerned about an education than football national championships and partying. Just being honest. We send some great students to Auburn and schools out of state as well. I challenged my students to score better on their ACT to get in UAB regardless of this decision. Our students who struggle with the ACT can get into many other state schools.