This academic year we had a 3 year graduation rate of 68.9 %, which was decreased from 70% the year prior, and which is below our benchmark goal of 70%. Based on the ACEN report, an area needing development is to implement strategies to improve retention rates. Students need support for both academics and skill development. We have been maintaining limited tutoring and advising hours utilizing peer tutors, and have been able to offer faculty test reviews prior to exams for each course. We also have access to Net Tutor for Nursing courses, however there has been minimal usage of this service by our students. Despite a full-time tenure track faculty search, we were unable to fill our open lines, and resorted to hiring numerous new adjuncts, who need extensive clinical support which we are unable to provide due to multiple duties covered by our current faculty members.

With the retirement of another experienced, tenured faculty member after the Fall, 2018 semester, we need to hire additional full-time faculty in order to be able to provide the high quality instruction and support students and newly hired full time and adjunct faculty need.

In Newburgh we admitted 48 students in the spring of 2018; in Middletown, 96 students were admitted this fall, 2018 (including day and evening students). Skill lab use on both campuses has been high; as of the week of November 20th, the usage was approximately 77 student-hours per week in Newburgh, and 216 student-hours per week in Middletown. A technical lab assistant in Newburgh was hired Fall 2018.  The full-time Middletown lab assistant had to do double duty to set up the Newburgh lab, while the new lab assistant was trained and mentored to the position, and had limited time to be in the lab helping students with skill practice. The lack of a lab assistant had a definite effect on the ability of students to be in the lab practicing. There were eighteen 3rd time skill tests this semester, as compared to thirteen last fall semester, and 4 students failed out of the program based on third-try skill failure as compared to 2 last fall. Given that student failure at high-stakes skill testing results in attrition from the program, an increase in technical lab assistant hours to full time are needed for both campuses to support validation of student skill competency.