AFA Committee
Minutes for October 31, 2007

Present: W. Ganis, S. Gilchrist, A. Godert, K. Maple, A. Lundquist, C. Patella, J. Schnurr, S. Sloan     

1. Meeting was called to order by A. Godert at 9:33 am.

2. Minutes of October 24 were approved.

3. There will be no meeting next week.

4. Susan went through the incoming student statistics, from the Class of 2008 to the Class of 2011. Questions about the Students of Color were discussed - especially if the CIRP could help us get a better idea of those students who are not self-identifying. Susan also discussed a table of the Wells enrollment history from 1965-2007 - and the perception that Wells has been lowering its standards. We haven't.

5. William asked about retention data. Anne explained that it is calculated in 2 ways: 1) students who stay until graduation, and 2) students who stay from year to year. Right now our retention from sophomore to junior years is fairly low.

6. Cathy updated us on Financial Aid - which we award based on high school GPA and not SAT score.

•  Right now a student is guaranteed the scholarship amount they receive from Wells (for those with a GPA > 92% it was $8000) every year they attend, regardless of their Wells GPA. One way to increase retention may be to decrease aid if a student isn't making yearly satisfactory progress towards degree completion.

•  There are also Wells grants that students can get. For those incoming students with a >92% GPA the maximum that they could receive from Wells this year was $16000.

•  Henry Wells Scholarships will be changing for next year - adding on an additional $3000 discount to the tuition of those who get one.

•  William asked where the scholarship/grant money comes from - the endowment, which is one of the reasons that Wells is operating in a deficit.

•  William also asked if Financial Aid has been 'massaged' so that athletes get more money. Anne and Cathy explained the strict NCAA standards in place so that can't happen. Anne also explained that the difference we have been seeing in our student athletes is that we are actively recruiting them - giving both them and their families a greater stake in Wells, which will increase retention.

•  We need to further focus our Financial Aid incentives on the students in the Need Between $11000 - $19000 because enrollment of those students has been dropping.

Respectfully submitted,

Jaclyn Schnurr

Secretary