The Indiana General Assembly has seen growing support to pass a bill that holds universities accountable for their graduation rates, the state's education commissioner said.
The Indiana Education Roundtable, a committee made up of educators, business leaders and Indiana General Assembly representatives, listened to a plan Tuesday proposing incentives for universities that raise their graduation rates. However, the plan also stated universities would lose money if their graduation rates fell, Indiana's Commissioner of Higher Education Stan Jones said.
"It would be something that Ball State would fare pretty well with," said Tom Morrison, associate vice president of human resources and state relations. "I think we would be an example of what the state is trying to achieve in terms of growth and graduation rates."
Jones said even though a similar plan failed in the last budget session, a new plan would be proposed to the General Assembly in January 2007 as part of the budget bill and could be implemented as soon as spring 2007.
Ball State University President Jo Ann Gora, who is on the Indiana Education Roundtable, said she would support such a plan depending on how it was structured and the data that would be used to determine the incentives.
Morrison also said Ball State's support would depend greatly on the structure of the plan.
"One of the problems with looking at graduation rates is how you define them," Morrison said. He said he thought the original plan that failed did not take into account enrollment fluctuations and transfer students.
"Putting financial incentives on something like that is not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to make sure it's done correctly," Morrison said.
Looking at the six-year graduation rates instead of four-year rates is more accurate for Ball State because the university has many degrees that require longer programs such as architecture and teaching, Morrison said.
Ball State's six-year graduation rate has increased from 49 percent in 2003 into the mid-50s now.
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