Towards a National University:

StFX 1994 to 2004: A Progress Report

#1 
Trends in the Characteristics of StFX Students

Preliminary Draft

Winston Jackson, Director
Office of Institutional Analysis
St. Francis Xavier University
January 30, 2005
H:\oia\reports\2004\Towards a National University.doc

Towards a National University:
StFX 1994 to 2004: A Progress Report

#1 Trends in the Characteristics of StFX Students

Becoming a nationally recognized top-quality undergraduate institution has been identified as a key goal of StFX during the Riley administration (1996 onward). In addition to attracting the best and the brightest from Nova Scotia and beyond, the idea emphasizes the importance of the whole university experience. Thus, in addition to providing a first-class academic experience, we are also concerned with the development of the students’ generosity toward others, with developing an appreciation of social justice issues, right through to partying in a responsible, yet fun-loving manner in a conducive environment.  As a university with about 40% of its students living on campus, the residence experience needs to be a positive one. To create and sustain an institution where students are developing strong generic academic skills and growing in their whole person abilities is no small challenge, especially given the financial constraints that contemporary universities face.

This is a series of five proposed reports on the general theme of assessing StFX’s progress in areas related to the student experience.  The reports will examine various data sources to explore areas where we seem to be making good progress in our quest to be a nationally recognized university providing a first-class academic and social experience.  The reports will identify both the areas of highly positive trends as well as identifying areas where we have room for improvement.  The report will examine data for the mid 90s to 2004 covering trends in:

•	#1 Trends in the characteristics of student body
o	regional origins
o	incoming grades
o	in comparison to sister institutions
o	academic performance
o	progress report: assessing the trends

•	#2 Trends in the characteristics of the academic experience
o	generic skill development
o	level of satisfaction with the StFX academic programs (Maclean’s, Globe & Mail, in-house evaluations)
o	progress report: assessing the trends

•	#3 Trends in the developing whole person abilities
o	concern for social justice 
o	role of service learning: immersion & course based
o	progress report: assessing the trends

•	#4 Trends in the residence experience
o	facts and trends
o	progress report: assessing the trends

•	#5 Trends in the Maclean’s and Globe and Mail reports
o	movement in the rankings
o	key elements
o	progress report: assessing the trends

#1.  Trends in the Characteristics of StFX Students

A key element in being a “national” university is the ability to attract excellent students from across the country.  We would expect to see a positive trend in various outcomes such as grade performance and having fewer students in academic difficulty. Indicators include: 
	
•	relative to our sister institutions, StFX will be increasing its market share of top students
•	increasingly attracting students with higher incoming averages; 
•	increasingly performing better
•	increasingly they will be from areas outside our immediate catchment area

Table 1. Percent of Direct Entry Students With Incoming Averages Above 75%, and Percent Change from 1994, 2004, Selected Universities*
                                        Percent
                                         Change
                    Percent   Percent   1994 to
University               94        04      2004
_________________  ________  ________  ________

Acadia                 75.2      85.3     13.43

Dalhousie              76.5      96.8     26.54

Mount A                73.5      95.9     30.48

Mount St. Vincent      55.7      79.0     41.83

Saint Mary's           54.1      80.0     47.87

St. Thomas             55.9      84.8     51.70

StFX                   55.7      93.3     67.50

UCCB                   43.7      71.0     62.47

UPEI                   47.2      74.5     57.84

*Source: derived from Maclean’s annual rankings data

In 1994 StFX was in a grouping of regional institutions (including Mount St. Vincent, Saint Mary’s, St. Thomas) where about 55% of the entering students had averages above 75. In 1994 there was a second grouping of universities where about three quarters of the students had averages above 75 (Acadia, Dalhousie, and Mount Allison) A third cohort was made up of UCCB and UPEI where about 45% of the students entered with averages above 75.  

The picture alters somewhat in 2004 where the data indicate that StFX has replaced Acadia in the top group (shared with Dalhousie & Mount Allison); Acadia is now in the second rung cohort along with Saint Mary’s, St. Thomas, and Mount St. Vincent; UCCB & UPEI make up the trailing cohort.  

Regionally, StFX is the story of the decade in terms of having the highest growth in top quality students.  Moreover, the positive trend will be continuing since next year our Maclean’s figure on the incoming averages will show another substantial increase. 

 Figure 1. Percent of Direct Entry Students With Incoming Averages Above 75%, and Percent Change from 1994, 2004, Acadia, Mount Allison, StFX

Note that Acadia has had the least increase in the percent of students entering with averages above 75.  StFX has not yet caught Mount Allison in the percent of students having averages above 75, but StFX is rapidly closing the gap between the two institutions. (Scoop: in the 2005 Maclean’s StFX will be reporting a figure of 97% of entering students having high school averages above 75.) The positive trend thus continues.

Table 2.  Entry Averages and First Year Performance, StFX, 1998-2004

           Average
Year of       High  % Above 75  % Below 55
Entry       School  University  University
________  ________  __________  __________

1998          77.9        14.8        24.1

1999          79.4        14.8        23.4

2000          79.2        19.4        20.6

2001          79.5        19.3        17.1

2002          80.6        19.4        18.7

2003          82.2        22.0        11.7

2004          83.9          .           .

Note that besides high school averages increasing (having gone from 77.9 to 83.9) the first year performance has also improved in that more students are now achieving grades above 75 and fewer producing averages below 55 in their first year of study.  This information is also presented in the line graph below.

Figure 2. Percent First Year Averages Above 75, Percent
 Below 55, Students Entering StFX,1998-2003

Figure 3.   Average High School and First Year Grades, 
Direct Entry Students, StFX 1998 - 2004

This bar chart displays the high school averages of direct entry students (blue) as well as the first year averages of these same students (green).  The trend lines are clear: incoming grades as well as first year performance are positive. Note that the first year performance of the 2004 entrants is blank since at the date of this analysis (January 2005) the data are not yet available. 
Table 3.  Percent Assigned an Academic Penalty, StFX, by Year Entered (1998-2003)

Penalties incurred at the end of first year include suspension or dismissals.  Note that the percent of students being assigned a penalty dropped from 19.8% in 1998 to 10.4% for student who entered in 2003.  Again these data show a positive trend.  Besides getting better students, they are less likely to experience an academic penalty in their first year of study at StFX.
Table 4.  Regional Distribution of Direct Entry Students 1998-2004

Note that there has been a slight decline in the proportion of StFX students whose origins are Nova Scotian. In 1998 seven in ten students were Nova Scotians; by 2004 this figure dropped to two-thirds.  The double cohort from Ontario may be seen in the 2003 data where we enrolled about double the students from Ontario than we normally get from that region.  Aside from the one year blip, we have almost doubled the percent of students coming from Ontario; we show marginally positive trends in our intake from other parts of Canada and from the USA.  Overall, the regional distribution of our students indicate a trend line consistent with achieving the status of a national university. 

Figure 4.  Geographic Origins StFX Incoming Students, 1998-2004 

Note: Eastern Nova Scotia includes students from Pictou, Antigonish, and Guysborough counties.

The trends here indicate declines in the proportion of StFX students coming from Eastern Nova Scotia and from Cape Breton; the proportions from “Other Nova Scotia” and from Non-Nova Scotia are on the increase.  These trends are important given the rather sharp declines in the potential university student pool from Eastern Nova Scotia and from Cape Breton.  Again, the trend line is a positive one in that it is clear that we need to attract a higher proportion of our students from outside our traditional area.

Progress Report: Assessing the Trends

In terms of attracting quality students StFX is well on its way to becoming one of the top undergraduate universities in Canada.  Compared to its immediate competition, StFX is increasingly attracting more than its share of top students.

Probably largely as the result of getting students with higher incoming averages, fewer students are getting into academic difficulty in their first year and more are producing first year averages above 75%.

StFX is on a positive trend line in terms of attracting more students from outside its immediate catchment area. This is reflected by having more students from out-of-province.  Within the Nova Scotia, StFX is attracting more students from outside eastern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton.  

Among the concerns that might be raised would be: (1)  the number of international students is still modest and not growing rapidly; and (2) in raising our entrance requirements are we limiting our service to the regional communities?

Overall, the trends appear to be positive in terms of quality of student attracted and their subsequent performances. In addition, the students are being attracted from further away than ever before. StFX is well on its way to becoming a national university.