WSU Tries To Speed Up Degrees Board Of Regents Endorses Guarantee For Bachelor’s Degree In Four Years

Washington State University’s Board of Regents on Friday endorsed a return to a college degree earned the old-fashioned way: in four years.

Concerned that more students are taking longer to finish college - and under pressure from parents and legislators to speed things up - university officials are working on a contract that would guarantee a bachelor’s degree in four years.

Should the university not be able to make good on its promise, it might substitute a course for one that is unavailable, waive a requirement entirely or offer a student’s remaining courses for free.

“I continue to see no reason why a normal college student pursuing a normal four-year degree should not be able to complete it in four years,” said Regent John Ellis.

Eastern Washington University may be one step ahead of WSU. Eastern on Friday announced it is ready to offer the guarantee of a degree in four years for freshmen entering this fall. The guarantee is available for dozens of majors.

“We have to be able to get students in and out in a timely manner,” said EWU Vice Provost Brian Levin-Stankevich.

WSU board members, for fear of being snowed in at Pullman, discussed the guarantee by telephone Friday rather than traveling to campus.

The board’s endorsement was unanimous but unofficial. Remaining hurdles include a meeting of the Faculty Senate’s Academic Affairs Committee on Monday, discussion in the Senate itself and formal approval by the Regents.

So far, the concept appears to be getting a positive reaction.

“The general student sentiment is that they like it,” said Jessie Harris, student body president. He asked that the university pursue a systematic way for students and advisers to interpret graduation requirements listed in the course catalog.

Gregory Hooks, chairman of the faculty senate, said it is important that different university departments “be given the space to say no” to the guarantee if they feel it would be a false commitment by the university or risked giving students a “watered-down degree” for the sake of expediency.

In fact, each of the university’s 70 programs and departments that offer majors could choose whether to participate in the guarantee program.

It currently takes an average of 4.79 years to get a bachelor’s degree at WSU, putting the school at about the middle of 19 similar institutions. Cornell University students get out fastest, in 4.2 years, while University of Minnesota students take the longest, 5.3 years.

Why students are taking longer is unclear, but school officials offered a variety of explanations Friday.

Personal reasons - work, family, health and financial problems - were cited most often by students having trouble finishing in four years, Provost Tom George said.

“It’s not because of us. It’s because of them,” George said. “I’m not saying we’re without guilt on this.”

Among the university’s shortcomings are scheduling conflicts, filled classes, transfer problems and complicated requirements, according to a report prepared by George’s office.

“In many cases, the accreditation requirements for a particular major have increased so dramatically that it leaves students no slack whatsoever if they look at another course,” said President Sam Smith.

Academic factors slowing students down include a lack of preparation, changing or delaying the choice of a major, and dropping or retaking courses.

Students faring best are self-motivated, of traditional college age, receive financial support from their parents and come directly from high school, not a two-year college.

One misgiving about a four-year guarantee is it may be unfair to transfer, part-time, academically disadvantaged and older students. One often-cited benefit is it would increase access for more students by moving those already here through the system more quickly.

At the heart of the four-year guarantee would be a contract in which a student would promise, among other things, to take a full course load, pick a four-year major, meet all his or her financial obligations and pass one-quarter of the necessary credits each year. Students can change their major but only if they can still meet their requirements inside the original four years.

The universities of Colorado, Florida, Indiana and Iowa are already using a guaranteed degree plan.

Their programs are too new for their success to be gauged, said Monty Nielsen, WSU registrar, but they are proving popular. At Iowa, which provided the template model for the WSU proposal, the contract last fall was signed by 53 percent of incoming freshmen.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Eric Sorensen Staff writer Mike Prager contributed to this story.