search articles:     from the issue of December 14, 2006         Quality indicators track UNL progress  BY KIM HACHIYA, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS UNL has made progress on a number of fronts, according to its annual "quality indicators" report card recently made public. The university has met or exceeded goals set five years ago regarding six-year graduation rates, retention rates and sponsored research, the report stated. Additionally, progress has been made in increasing the proportion of undergraduate students of color and in the number of female faculty or faculty of color. The Indicators of Institutional Quality 2006 annual report measures UNL's achievements in a number of areas. The report, compiled from internal and external data sets, allows UNL administrators and faculty to measure how the university is doing and how it compares to its peers. The project was launched in 2001. Among the highlights of the 2006 report are: • UNL's six-year graduation rate now exceeds 63 percent, meaning that within six years of enrolling as first-time students, 63 percent have earned their degrees. In 1999, our six-year graduation rate was 47 percent. • UNL's retention rate now exceeds 84 percent, again, a significant improvement since 1999. Roughly a third of graduating seniors report having a meaningful research or creative activity experience while at UNL. • Federal research expenditures have risen by more than 80 percent since 1999, and this past fiscal year, UNL's funded research exceeded $100 million; total grants for all university missions was nearly $166 million, more than double the funding of 10 years ago. • The proportion of students of color among UNL's undergraduate population is increasing, and the percentage of tenured/tenure-track faculty who are female or people of color continues to increase. • The average ACT composite for incoming first-year student continues to climb with the average for the class that entered in fall 2005 posting a composite of 24.9. The data comprising the publication are not a comprehensive list of accomplishments by UNL's faculty and students but are reflective of UNL's progress toward institutional goals, according to Barbara Couture, UNL's senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. In an introduction to the report, Couture said it's important to celebrate success, but also rewarding to identify potential areas for improvement. Couture said the quality indicators process is a helpful tool for decision-making. The report is online at http://www.unl.edu/svcaa/documents/quality_indicators_2006.pdf. GO TO: ISSUE OF DECEMBER 14 NEWS HEADLINES FOR DECEMBER 14 Project uncovers DNA-like ice structures Gifts of Love offers opportunity Sen. Hagel to address graduates UNL prof testifies against Hussein Carr, Stump knighted by French government Group studies Great Plains fire history begins Housing puts lottery system into play Quality indicators track UNL progress Student depth reporting team headed to Berlin 732659S36533X