The reasons for the steady climb are hard to pinpoint. The characteristics of the typical Elon student have evolved as admission requirements have made Elon a more selective school each year.
The academic profile has changed. Every year we have students with higher GPAs and SAT scores and whove also received Advance Placement credit prior to enrollment, said Rob Springer, director of Institutional Research.
Springer cited the move from a three-credit to a four-credit system, larger faculty, accessibility to tutoring centers and smaller classes as reasons why GPAs have increased.
We are not unique in having an increasing GPA, said Gerry Francis, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs.
Ivy League schools are addressing the same issue. According to a 2004 Georgia Institute of Technology study, Princeton Universitys GPA median rose 0.27 points in 33 years, Dartmouth Universitys rose 0.63 points in 34 years and at Harvard University more than 50 percent of grades awarded in the last three years were As.
Making sure students are challenged has become the focus of administration in efforts to curb this national trend. In 2005, university leaders met at an academic summit to address concerns. The summit produced 18 areas to address upon the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 academic years.
It is the belief of the administration that these recommendations will continue to challenge students with a more rigorous program of studies. Many students may see these changes already in effect.
Recommendations from the summit included intensifying and adapting department requirements for majors and minors, re-evaluating the current general studies requirements, increasing diversity of faculty and students, making withdrawal dates for courses earlier and drafting a new institutional definition of grades.
Michael Calhoun, a professor of physical education at Elon University since 1985, now teaches an array of general studies classes and has witnessed the increase of student capabilities over the last 22 years.
We have to realize that the quality of students has increased, Calhoun said. I have not had a student intellectually incapable in over 10 years.
Calhoun regularly evaluates the level that he teaches at and increases subject matter and work load accordingly.
If I give out an exceptional amount of As in one semester, I have to ask how and why I get those results, Calhoun said. Sometimes I have a group of students who worked hard and deserve those grades, sometimes the course may have not been challenging enough. Sometimes, its a combination of both.
Doubts about Elons level of challenge have risen in the student population.
I think theres an expectation of Elon students that if you put the work in, you should get the benefit of a good grade, said David Pugh, a senior in political science. Sometimes the work the students put in isnt that great, but they still expect an A.
Pugh believes that some teachers are willing to buy into this argument, but
others are not.
Ive had some teachers that are easier than others, and students know who they are, Pugh said. It is up to the student to challenge themselves, not the professor.