2009 Performance Accountability Report Vol. 2 - Maryland Higher ...

Morgan State University faculty, staff and students contribute to the enrichment of the lives of
Baltimore City residents through a variety of partnerships with Baltimore City schools. The
School of Education and Urban Studies has partnerships with 88 out of the 186 Baltimore City
public schools. This year, the University had 110 partnerships with local schools.
Effectiveness
In recent years, Morgan has graduated between 34-42% of its entering freshmen within six years.
This ranks the campus above average among public universities nationally with urban missions,
without respect to the race of entering freshmen. For African-American freshmen, Morgan ranks
near the top among public urban universities nationally. Morgan’s mission requires that it admit
a diverse array of students, including those with exceptional academic backgrounds, as well as
average students who may not have had an opportunity to demonstrate high academic
achievement, but who exhibit academic potential. While it is expected that the diversity of
students with regard to academic preparation will continue to affect the overall graduation rate,
Morgan intends to remain above the national average of its peers.
Overall, second year retention rates have ranged from 68% to 71% for all freshmen and 67% to
70% for African American freshmen. A high proportion of Morgan students tend to originate
from a lower socio-economic background. Finances play a significant factor in the ability of
many students to stay in school. A recent survey of non-returning freshmen showed that for 25
percent of the respondents, the primary reason for not returning to Morgan was financial. The
availability of additional need-based aid would assist in retaining many more students in school
and, therefore, enable Morgan to increase its retention and graduation rates. Another factor
which adversely impacts student retention is Morgan’s increasing dependency on contractual
faculty which is currently at 41%. Research conducted by a Morgan faculty member indicates
that students taking critical first year courses from regular faculty were significantly
academically more successful in those classes than students taking the same classes from
contractual faculty. Success in key courses such as English 101 and college mathematics is a
critical factor in retention.
Quality
The University’s increasing attractiveness programmatically and aesthetically has increased the
number of high ability students at Morgan. High ability students are those students with a
combined SAT verbal and SAT mathematics score of 1000 or above. For fall 2008, high ability
students comprised 16% of the total undergraduate population.
The University awarded 36 doctoral degrees in May 2009. This number reflects the quality and
expansion of the University’s inventory of doctoral programs, which has also made Morgan one
of the state’s primary sources of doctoral degrees granted to African-Americans in critical fields,
such as engineering and public health. Most recently, Morgan established doctoral programs in
English, Social Work, and Psychometrics.
As part of the University’s commitment to continually build upon the strength of its
undergraduate programs and enhance its advanced degree curriculum, Morgan State University
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