Sul Ross State University identifies, evaluates and publishes goals and outcomes for student achievement, appropriate to the College’s mission, the nature of the students we serve and the kinds of programs offered. Although SRSU monitors a wide variety of student success measures, we are reporting in three key areas: student retention and graduation, student engagement, and post-graduation success.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Principles of Accreditation, Standard 8.1 (Student Achievement) requires institutions to identify, evaluate, and publish goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution’s mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered. SACSCOC also indicates that the institution should use multiple measures to document student success. Requirements for publication are further specified in the SACSCOC Policy on Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure. To evaluate student achievement, Sul Ross State University reviews graduate school placement, job placement, licensure/certification passage, student learning, graduation rates, retention rates, and course completion rates.
Mission Statement
Sul Ross State University offers life-changing opportunities by delivering quality undergraduate and graduate education. We foster critical thinking, creativity, diversity, and research, empowering our students to excel beyond the frontiers of what is possible. We are a Hispanic serving public institution for the residents of the U.S./ Mexico borderlands, Southwest Texas region, and beyond.
Student Achievement Highlights
To evaluate student achievement, Sul Ross State University reviews graduate school placement, job placement, licensure/certification passage, student learning, graduation rates, retention rates, and course completion rates.
Graduation and Retention Rates
Selection Rationale: Sul Ross State University recognizes that two primary indicators of student achievement are student persistence and graduation. The Texas State University System (TSUS) Chancellor, Brian McCall, introduced Vision 2020 in 2015 and called upon all TSUS institutions to identify baseline data and to establish targets for year 2020 as a comprehensive vision of success. SRSU collects and reports data annually based on IPEDS definitions.
Targets: The SRSU 2020 target for 6-year graduation rate was 29.7% which is an increase of 11.5 percentage points from the 2015 baseline of 18.2%. The SRSU 2020 target for 1-year persistence rate was 62.1% which is an increase of 3 percentage points from the 2015 baseline of 59.1%. These targets are the SRSU Vision2020 goals which are estimated to be reached by the 2020-2021 academic year.
Outcomes: In 2019, the 6-year graduation rate for first-time-in-college students at Sul Ross was 24.9% and the 1-year persistence rate was 52.6%, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Online Institutional Resume. Although neither of the targets for graduation nor persistence has been met at this point, there has been an upward trend in 6 year graduation rates for the past 5 years. The university is developing a new student advising system to provide more support for student persistence and graduation.
6 Year Graduation Rates (Alpine)
1 Year Persistence Rates (Alpine)
Retention Rates by Ethnicity for First-Time, Full-Time Degree Seeking Students Enrolled in Fall 2018; Alpine Campus
| Fall 2019 Retention | |||
| Ethnicity | Total Enrolled Fall 2018 | Enrolled Fall 2019 | Retention Rate |
| Black | 62 | 23 | 37% |
| Hispanic | 173 | 105 | 61% |
| White | 106 | 50 | 47% |
| Other | 3 | 2 | 67% |
Data Source: SRSU Banner database
Retention Rates by Ethnicity
Selection Rationale: As indicated in the previous measurement, student persistence is an important factor in student achievement. We would like to increase those retention rates on the whole and also promote similarity of retention rates among the different ethnic groups at SRSU.
Targets: The results for retention rates 2019 will be viewed as the baseline for this measurement. Reasonable targets will be calculated for the 2020 cycle based on these results.
Outcomes: This is baseline data. Therefore, no outcomes based on existing targets are available for this cycle. The fall 2019 baseline data indicates that our Hispanic population has the highest percentage of both originally enrolled students in fall 2018 and the highest retention rates for fall 2019. Less that half of the White and Black students returned for the fall 2019 cycle. The number of students in the Other category is very small, and thus would not present an accurate comparison with the other three ethnic categories.
Graduate School Placement/Job Placement Rates
Selection Rationale: The university is committed to promoting marketable skills in all degree programs to support graduates’ transition to careers and/or higher education. Another key indicator of student success at SRSU is whether baccalaureate graduates enroll in graduate-level programs or professional schools, or find employment after graduation.
Targets: The Vision 2020 target for Alpine graduates employed is 65% and will be used on all campuses. The adopted target for employment/higher education or strictly higher education is 8%.
Outcomes: In the 2019 THECB Accountability Reports, 2.1% of baccalaureate graduates from SRSU-Alpine and 6% of graduates from SRSU-Rio Grande College were enrolled in graduate or professional school programs in Texas by the year after graduation. In 2019, 67.5% of graduates from SRSU-Alpine and 73.3% of graduates from SRSU-Rio Grande College had achieved gainful employment by the year after graduation. In 2019, 9.4% of graduates from SRSU-Alpine and 7.8% of graduates from SRSU-Rio Grande College were enrolled in graduate or professional school programs in Texas and were employed by the year after graduation. Therefore, the targets were met in each category at Alpine and on the Rio Grande campuses.
Percent of Graduates Enrolled in Graduate/Professional School in Texas, Employed or Both the Next Year
2018 Grads as of Fall 2019 – Alpine
Percent of Graduates Enrolled in Graduate/Professional School in Texas, Employed or Both the Next Year
2018 Grads as of Fall 2019 – RGC
SRSU Senior’s Reported Gains
| CORE CURRICULUM DIMENTION AND NSSE INDICATOR | NSSE 2019 (n=97) |
NSSE 2020 (n=134) |
NSSE 2021 (n=127) |
NSSE 2022 (n=107) |
NSSE 2023 (n=108) |
| Communication Skills | |||||
| Speaking clearly and effectively | 75% | 77% | 84% | 76% | 76% |
| Writing clearly and effectively | 75% | 70% | 86% | 84% | 82% |
| Teamwork | |||||
| Working effectively with others | 81% | 72% | 80% | 74% | 77% |
| Critical Thinking | |||||
| Thinking critically and analytically | 78% | 83% | 90% | 88% | 88% |
| Solving complex real-world problems | 68% | 56% | 72% | 63% | 63% |
| Empirical & Quantitative Skills | |||||
| Analyzing numerical and statistical information | 60% | 66% | 63% | 69% | 56% |
| Personal Responsibility | |||||
| Developing or clarifying a personal code of values and ethics | 78% | 64% | 75% | 72% | 69% |
| Social Responsibility | |||||
| Understanding people of other backgrounds | 73% | 62% | 73% | 62% | 73% |
| Being an informed and active citizen | 58% | 62% | 74% | 61% | 64% |
*Percentage of seniors responding “very much” or “quite a bit” as perceived gains on each NSSE indicator.
SRSU Comparison of Student Engagement with Comparison Group
| Results of Comparison with Comparison Group |
|||||||
| Theme | Engagement Indicator | Student Classification | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Learning with Peers | Collaborative Learning | FY | — | ∇ | — | — | — |
| SY | ∇ | — | — | — | — | ||
| Discussions with Diverse Others | FY | ∇ | — | — | — | — | |
| SY | — | ∇ | — | — | ∇ | ||
| Campus Environment |
Quality of Interactions |
FY | — | — | — | — | — |
| SY | — | ∇ | — | — | — | ||
| Supportive Environment |
FY | — | — | — | — | — | |
| SY | ∇ | ∇ | — | — | — | ||
FY = First Year SY= Senior Year
National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
Selection Rationale: Students’ perceptions of their cognitive and affective development, as well as their overall satisfaction with the institution, provide useful evidence of their educational experiences. Starting in spring 2016, the National Survey of Student Engagement was administered to all freshmen and seniors.
Target: The faculty Core Curriculum Committee set the threshold for achievement for seniors, who respond ‘very much’ or ‘quite a bit’, for NSSE items aligned with each of the six core curriculum skills, to increase each year or maintain at 75% or higher. For the Learning with Peers indicators, the target is to meet or exceed SRSU’s comparison group ratings.
Outcomes: The target was met in two areas: communication and teamwork. The target was not met for the areas of critical thinking, empirical and quantitative reasoning, personal responsibility, and social responsibility. Furthermore, NSSE engagement indicators show that both first-year SRSU students and seniors rated items measuring “learning with peers” significantly lower than students at other institutions in our comparison group. For engagement indicators measuring “campus environment”, seniors rated both items significantly lower than our comparison group.
Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)
Selection Rationale: Sul Ross State University was established in 1917 as a teachers’ college to prepare teachers for public school teaching in the remote area of West Texas. For over one-hundred years, SRSU has continued that tradition. Teacher Certification is a central part of the Student Achievement report, because local school districts continue to depend upon the university to provide teachers for the children of our surrounding communities.
Target: The Texas Education Agency is responsible for setting targets for all Education Preparation Programs. The target was set at 80% for all Education Preparation Programs (EPP).
Outcomes: Passing rates have fluctuated at all campuses over the seven years reported cycle. Recent interventions to increase the number of students meeting the target (80%) include offering content exam study sessions for students to prepare for the TExES and an increase focus on core curriculum courses.
Teacher Certification (TExES) Pass Rates
SRSU-Alpine
2012-2019
| 51 | 71 | 85 | 63 | 58 | 58 | 92 |
Number Tested
Target: 80%
Teacher Certification (TExES) Pass Rates
SRSU-Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Uvalde
2012-2019
| 9 | 6 | 74 | 85 | 92 | 9 | 49 |
Number Tested
Target: 80%