CAMPUS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2007
Sherman College to Raise Entering GPA
Requirement
Effective spring quarter
2008, Sherman College of Straight Chiropractic
will raise its entering grade-point average
(GPA) requirement (currently 2.5 on a 4.0 scale)
by one-tenth of a point each year, until the
entering GPA reaches 3.0 in 2012. The college’s
Board of Trustees approved the policy in early
March.
The proposal to increase the entering GPA
requirement initiated from faculty
recommendations and from several discussions in
meetings of the college’s Academic Affairs and
Institutional Effectiveness Committees. The
increased admission standards were also
discussed extensively with student
representatives, academic deans and the
Enrollment Services office, and they reflect the
rising qualifications needed for students to be
academically successful at Sherman. The first
incremental increase in spring 2008 will bring
the required entering GPA to 2.6.
“Our goal in adopting this policy is to attract
students who are adequately prepared for the
rigor of the academic program at Sherman
College,” says Vice President for Academic
Affairs Jon Schwartzbauer, D.C. “It is only
appropriate that the requirements associated
with admission to Sherman College be aligned
with the expectations students will encounter
when they enter the doctor of chiropractic
program,” Schwartzbauer explains.
Increasing the entering GPA requirement
specifically addresses an objective of the
college’s Strategic Plan to “increase student
quality in the recruitment process by using
indicators of student success to evaluate
candidates.” Included in the college’s
definition of student success are (1) completing
the doctor of chiropractic degree program in 14
quarters and (2) passing all four parts of the
National Board of Chiropractic Examiners’ tests
before graduation. The Council on Chiropractic
Education (CCE) currently requires a minimum
entrance GPA of 2.5 for students enrolling in
all chiropractic colleges.
A study of entrance data for Sherman students
enrolling between 2004 and 2006 compared
entrance GPAs with Sherman College quarterly
GPAs, cumulative GPAs and national board scores.
Strong correlations were found between entrance
requirements and Sherman College GPAs and
national board scores, supporting the concept
that increasing the entrance requirement would
lead to an improvement in student performance in
the chiropractic program and on national board
exams.
College officials believe increasing the
entrance requirements will result in
better-equipped students who are able to thrive
within the chiropractic program. In addition,
the change should result in increased retention
and graduation rates.
Vice President for Enrollment Services Robert
Irwin, D.C., doesn’t expect the revised policy
to cause any changes in enrollment trends, as
most Sherman students exceed a 2.6 entering GPA.
By giving a year’s notice to students preparing
for admission, the college does not expect the
change to be a hardship on any qualified
candidates. “We want to ensure the best possible
fit between Sherman College and its students,”
Irwin says. “Aligning admission requirements
with the high academic standards already in
place at Sherman just makes sense.”
Executive Vice President/Provost Myron Brown,
D.C., who serves on the task committee of the
CCE that is currently considering a major
re-write of its educational standards, agrees.
He says that because part of Sherman College’s
mission is to train leaders for the profession,
raising the entering GPA is appropriate. As a
member of the task force, Brown hopes the CCE’s
new educational standards will focus on outcomes
relative to an institution’s mission and leave
the process, including entering GPAs, up to the
institutions.
Sherman College will continue to monitor the
effect of entering GPA on educational outcomes
and if necessary, will adjust admission policies
accordingly.
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