Report on the Survey of Former Rutgers Camden Students
by Ted Goertzel

Information was obtained about 79 former students who had stopped attending Rutgers Camden without graduating.  In most cases, the former student was interviewed, but in some cases the information was obtained from a parent.  The Registrar's Office had some difficulty producing a list of names and telephone numbers and many of the numbers were inoperative, or had been assigned to other customers. 

Even when we reached the former students, the response rate was poor.  Many former students refused to participate and some were hostile to the interviewer.  In some cases, they assumed we were calling to solicit contributions.  In others, it seemed that they preferred not to be reminded of their experiences at Rutgers Camden.   Although we did not get explicit reasons from these respondents, it seems likely that they had been unable to succeed academically.  Many have probably given up on getting a college degree and understandably do not relish talking about it.

The best way to learn from this survey is to read the 79 one-paragraph interview summaries written by the student interviewers.  These provide much more detail and flavor than I can provide in this summary report.   I did tally the responses, however, and I can give some summary observations here.

Other Colleges Attended.  Forty-nine of the 76 former students (64%) were attending, or had attended, another college or university after Rutgers Camden.  The other colleges attended were the following (this includes a few students who attended more than one):

Camden County College        - 10 students
Rowan University             -  4
Rutgers New Brunswick        -  3
Burlington County College    -  3
Gloucester County College    -  2
College of New Jersey        -  2
Drexel University            -  2
Temple University            -  2
University of Phoenix        -  2
Others mentioned by one student:  Arizona University, Art Institute of Philadelphia, Columbia University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Metropolitan University, Harrisburg Area Community College, Liberty University, Paterson Community College, Penn State Technical College, Strayer, Thomas Edison, an unspecified "community college," "took classes in Georgia," "technical school," and "an art school in New York."

Financial Problems.  Seventeen former students mentioned financial problems and suggested that the tuition was burdensome.  My impression, however, is that this was sometimes an excuse, or at least that the students could have managed Rutgers tuition if they had felt it was worth it to them.

Majors Unavailable.  Seventeen former students said they left because the major they wanted was not available.  This included five who were not admitted to the nursing program, three who wanted a pharmacy major, and two seeking art programs.

Scheduling Problems.  Twelve former students mentioned problems in scheduling.  Most of these wanted to take courses in the evening.

Advising and Administrative Problems.  Twelve former students mentioned problems with advising or in dealing with administrative offices.  Many of these students had difficulty with transfer courses or with finding out what they needed to take.

"Personal" and Family Problems.  Ten respondents said they left for "personal reasons," which we interpreted as meaning they did not want to talk about the reasons.     Five mentioned health problems or family responsibilities, such as the birth of an infant or the need to care for an elderly parent. 

Instructional Quality.  Six former students mentioned problems with the quality of instruction, the largest complaint being professors whose first language was not English.  Some felt that the instructors were not really interested or well motivated.  These concerns are detailed in the interview summaries. 

Academic Difficulties.  Only six of the respondents explicitly stated that they left because the work was too difficult for them.  However, on reading the interview summaries, I infer that the real number is higher.

Online Courses.  Six of the former students mentioned taking courses online, or suggested that Rutgers Camden should offer more online courses.  In most cases, this reflected problems with course availability.  Students would like to have the option of taking some courses online so as to fill out their schedules, especially required courses outside of their major.

Parking, Safety, Campus Environment.  These concerns were conspicuous by their absence.  Some students did mention parking, but not as the reason why they left.  Very few expressed concerns with safety.  A few did mention the lack of an active campus social life, but the large majority were just concerned with getting their classes as efficiently as possible.

Conclusions.  Many of the former students seem to have had a tenuous connection to Rutgers Camden.  They saw it as one of several places where they could take courses in the hope of eventually getting a college degree.  Retention might be improved by:
 The other alternative would be to recruit more students with broader academic interests and stronger skills.  Rutgers Camden already has many of these students, of course, and it is good news that they did not show up in significant number in the this survey of students who dropped out.  There were perhaps two or three who said they left in search of a stronger academic program.

There are also students who leave simply because they move out of the area, although we reached only three whose parents or family members told us they had moved.   But more than half the numbers we called were disconnected or assigned to other customers, and most of those who moved out of the area may be in this group.