Dropout rate hurts state

Argus Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.: College recruitment is a tough job in South Dakota these days.

Besides getting kids to sign up for classes and choose a dorm, now the focus includes retention more than ever. State universities are working to bring freshmen back as sophomores, and in the early stages of the efforts, they’re losing ground, slightly.

The state’s six public universities have focused on helping students feel that they belong on campus and can get academic or social help when they need it.

So far, the average number of freshman students who return as sophomores is 72 percent, the same as last year. The system overall, which accounts for students who transfer to other regental universities is 75 percent, dropping a percentage point from a year earlier. Results are mixed among the schools, as well.

We don’t have an easy solution to help solve the problem but applaud the Board of Regents for looking seriously at the reasons behind the state’s dropout rate.