St.

Mary’s Recognized for High Hispanic Graduation Rates

Date: 2010-08-09 Author: Lucha Ramey

New reports released today by The Education Trust examine the graduation gaps between whites and minorities
at colleges and universities nationwide. With a 57.1 percent graduation rate of Hispanics and a 58.4 graduation
rate of whites, St. Mary’s University is identified on the “Small Gaps” list.

The Education Trust’s national studies of Hispanic and African-American graduation rates found that even
though 57 percent of all students who enroll earn diplomas within six years, the graduation rates for different
groups of students are vastly different. Nationally, 60 percent of whites but only 49 percent of Latinos and 40
percent of African Americans who start college hold bachelor’s degrees six years later.

Only two Texas public universities and six private universities made the “Small Gaps” list for graduating
Hispanic students, and St. Mary’s has the highest graduation rates of the two San Antonio universities on the
list.

St. Mary’s mean graduation rate of all students over a six year period (1993-2002) is 60.2. Historically, this
high graduation rate places St. Mary’s in the top of Texas schools.

President Charles L. Cotrell, Ph.D., explains how the University’s three-pronged approach results in St. Mary’s
graduating a high number of all students. “Foremost in our commitment to students is making a quality
education affordable and accessible,” said Cotrell. “When students join our community, we provide them with
the support and guidance they need to be successful in their academic pursuits. The personal attention we give
to students helps each of them to reach his or her full potential as scholars and as contributing citizens of the
world. With a campus environment that encourages involvement and service, St. Mary’s students stay engaged,
and when students are engaged, they stay in school and graduate.”

“Higher education institutions that place success at the heart of their mission make it a realistic goal for every
student,” said Jennifer Engle, assistant director of higher education at The Education Trust and coauthor of the
report. “For both moral and economic reasons, colleges need to ensure that their institutions work better for all
of the students they serve.”

This is the second time that St. Mary’s has been recognized by Education Trust. In 2005, the group began
examining graduation rates using College Results Online—a Web-based tool of government statistics of
graduation rates broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender for four-year institutions across the country. That
year St. Mary’s was identified as a national leader for its success at graduating all students. St. Mary’s was also
highlighted as a part of the 2005 report as a successful Hispanic Serving Institution. Education Trust credited St.
Mary’s personal attention and quality teaching as contributing factors to the University’s high Hispanic
graduation rate.

With graduation rates among the highest in Texas, St. Mary’s is ranked fourth in the West Region for quality
and value in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category of the U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of
“America’s Best Colleges.” The Bill Greehey School of Business ranked in the top 10 nationally for “Greatest
Opportunity for Women” by the Princeton Review. More than 70 percent of our students participate in
community service. In 2008, students were engaged in more than 144,000 community service hours.
Accordingly for the fourth year in a row, St. Mary’s has been recognized by inclusion on the President of the
United States’ Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic
Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through
community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence.