Many students unaware of four-year graduation guarantee program
Two years ago Advising and Transition Services at Utah State University, under the guidance of program director Wade Oliver, established a graduation guarantee program.
This program is such that if a contract with a student’s academic adviser is set up and followed, then the student is guaranteed to graduate in four years, otherwise USU will cover the rest of the tuition.
“Our goal is to get the students graduated on time,” Oliver said.
This is not merely a USU promise, it is an actual USU program. To be ensured this graduation promise, students have to follow a four-step process.
First, a student must complete a contract course plan with their academic adviser. They schedule an appointment with Advising and Transition Services and sign the contract. Students participating in the program must visit their adviser at least once per semester to chart progress.
“Currently we do not have any students in our major that are participating in the graduation guarantee program,” said Tami Spackman, adviser in the animal, dairy and veterinary sciences department.
Currently 40 to 50 students are actively engaged in the recent program. The main, but not single, reason which more students have not joined this program is they don’t know about it, Oliver said. Also, participants must be full-time students.
“We get a lot of transfer students, and many of our students work, and so only go to school less than full time,” said David Roberts, adviser in the College of Natural Resources.
Still, nearly all freshmen and some sophomores can easily get in the program after meeting with their adviser, Oliver said. Another reason some haven’t joined is because the program does require participants to choose a major, Oliver said.
This program is for those “serious, goal-oriented students that want to graduate in a given amount of time,” Oliver said.
The guarantee is not a binding contract; it can be dropped anytime the student wants without risk of penalty. It is also free of charge to the students. There is the option of stopping the clock to the program for things such as a church mission or the birth of a baby.
There is more information on this program at www.usu.edu/graduate.
-adammbrown@usu.edu