“Begin with the end in mind.” Stephen Covey
The first couple of weeks of this 2014-15 academic year indicate an exciting and productive year ahead. The energy level on campus is contagious with student activities in every corner, at all times of the day. Although the 2014 freshman class is not the largest, it may well be the smartest, with the approximately 1,900 freshmen averaging just short of 24 on the ACT.
We have also realized a 2 percent enrollment increase overall, partially due to another increase in first year retention, now at 76 percent. That is a six percentage point increase in freshmen retention in just two years! The strategic budgetary investment we made two years ago has already been paid back by the associated tuition revenue, and we have more than 100 additional continuing students making successful progress toward their degrees.
With the recent release of the 2014 U.S. News and World Report College Ratings, Tennessee Tech finds itself once again in good company and very familiar territory, ranked #34 among southern regional universities overall, #13 among southern public universities. We continue to be recognized as one of the most affordable, high value universities anywhere, with the best return on investment among Tennessee institutions.
Yes, as we head into our Centennial Celebration, this year promises to be one of the best for Tennessee Tech. We are blessed with tremendous potential and great opportunities. To help you keep track of all the many ongoing projects and activities, please refer to the new blog rightnow@tntech.edu. Best wishes to everyone for another great school year. Let’s plan to finish as well as we have started.
Go Eagles!
