At  the  University  of  Missouri-­‐Kansas  City,  we  are  committed  to  student  success  for  all  of   our  students,  regardless  of  socioeconomic  status  or  any  other  factors. As  an  urban-­‐serving  public  university,  we  have  a  high  percentage  of  students,  57%,  who   fall  in  the  FAFSA  high-­‐need  category  (EFC  less  than  $5,000).  Our  enrollment  of  Pell   students  is  36%  of  our  total  undergraduate  enrollment.  Many  of  these  students  work  in   addition  to  attending  school,  and  many  are  also  parents.  These  factors  have  a  significant   influence  on  their  six-­‐year  graduation  rate;  we  have  students  who  doggedly  pursue   college  degrees  for  longer  periods,  against  significant  odds,  and  we  are  proud  of  their   efforts  and  do  all  we  can  to  support  them.  For  example,  our  figures  for  students  who   start  here  as  freshmen  (not  counting  transfer  students),  show  a  6-­‐year  graduation  rate   of  42%  for  Pell  students  who  started  as  freshmen  in  2007,  but  that  figure  jumps  to  47%   for  Pell  students  graduating  within  8  years.     It  also  should  be  noted  that  the  Education  Trust’s  decision  to  use  6-­‐year  graduation   figures  from  2013  –  essentially  focusing  on  students  who  entered  as  freshmen  in  2007  –   puts  UMKC  at  a  distinct  disadvantage  because  it  falls  within  a  three-­‐year  period  in  which   we  had  a  significant  reduction  in  our  ability  to  financially  support  high-­‐need  students.   When  our  Pell  students  benefitted  from  the  Federal  Family  Education  Loan  Program   (FFEL),  our  6-­‐year  graduation  rate  for  Pell  students  was  higher  than  that  for  non-­‐Pell   students.  In  2005,  our  6-­‐year  graduation  rate  for  Pell  students  was  55.2%;  in  2006  it  was   58.6%.  Rates  for  non-­‐Pell  students  were  40%  in  2005;  in  2006  it  was  46%.  The  FFEL   program  suddenly  ended  in  2008,  so  students  who  started  school  in  2007  with  full   support  were  suddenly  cut  off  from  a  significant  source  of  financial  aid.  It  took  UMKC   three  years  to  come  up  with  alternative  funding  via  a  new,  locally  based  support   program,  the  UMKC  Advantage  Grant.  That  program  started  with  students  entering   school  in  2011,  so  there  are  no  6-­‐year  graduation  rates  available.   We  have  invested  significant  effort  in  our  student  success  programs  in  recent  years,  and   it  is  beginning  to  pay  off.  Compared  to  many  comparable  urban-­‐serving  public   universities,  our  35%  graduation  rate  for  Pell  students  is  higher,  but  our  58%  graduation   rate  for  non-­‐Pell  students  shows  an  even  more  pronounced  difference.  We  are  not   satisfied  with  that  gap,  and  we  are  investing  more  resources  in  our  student  success   programs  in  an  effort  to  narrow  that  gap.  These  include  the  UMKC  Advantage  Grant   program,  which  essentially  allows  all  Pell-­‐eligible  students  to  attend  UMKC  on  a  tuition-­‐ free  basis;  an  intensive  advising  program  providing  individualized  education  plans;  and  a   University  College  allowing  incoming  freshmen  unsure  about  a  major  to  explore  a   variety  of  potential  fields  while  earning  general  education  credits.  More  than  half  of  the   University  College  students  receive  Pell  grants.  As  a  result,  persistence  into  Year  2  for   undeclared,  Pell-­‐eligible  entering  freshmen  at  UMKC  has  increased  from  46.5%  in  2009   to  76.7%  in  2014.     John  Martellaro Director,  Media  Relations Division  of  Strategic  Marketing  and  Communications University  of  Missouri-­‐Kansas  City Office:  816-­‐235-­‐1592 Mobile:  816-­‐695-­‐5311 martellaroj@umkc.edu