On-Time Graduation Initiative helps working students prioritize college success

Brittany Rodriguez has regularly sacrificed sleep and “friend time” so she can keep up with her classes at Rutgers Business School, maintain her grades, and spend at least 20 hours a week working to help pay for school.

After transferring into Rutgers from Union County College, she took five classes her first semester in order to get on track to graduate in two years. She juggled her class work around an administrative job in a dentist’s office and part-time work as a tutor. “It became a little overwhelming,” Rodriguez said.

A pilot of Rutgers Business School’s On-Time Graduation Initiative is easing some of the pressure on her this semester. Rodriguez is one of 10 students at Rutgers Business School-Newark who received a $1,800 scholarship so they could reduce the number of hours they are working around college classes. The scholarships were created through alumni giving and donations from corporate friends of the business school.

“We created the On-Time Graduation Initiative as a way of providing well-performing students with some relief from the burden of working one or two jobs while they’re trying to finish college and prepare for a career,” said Lei Lei, the dean of Rutgers Business School.

Luke Greeley, associate dean of the undergraduate program at Rutgers Business School-Newark said he first realized the significance of the issue about three years ago when he was teaching a mandatory business forum class. Students who were working 20 hours or more a week had trouble keeping up with assignments and maintaining their grades.

“I worked through college,” Greeley said. “I know the what the struggle is like. I know it’s real.”

The concern that Lei and Greeley have isn’t limited to the effect on academic performance but also the additional years that some students spend earning their degrees while they juggle classes and the amount of credits they take each semester around work schedules. 

Only about half of students attending Rutgers Business School in Newark are graduating college in four years, according to information from the undergraduate office. And Rutgers Business School-Newark isn’t alone. Across the country, public research universities show high rates of delayed graduations. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Maryland, the University of Texas-San Antonio and Temple University have 4-year graduation rates that average around 40 percent. 

At Rutgers University-Newark overall, the 4-year graduation rate is 42 percent. “The initiative would be a good way to help the Newark program,” Greeley said.

Alumnus Frank Palumbo was quick to become a supporter of the pilot. Palumbo worked part-time on afternoons and weekends as an undergraduate, but he said he knew others had a more difficult juggle. One classmate, he remembered, worked all night and then came straight to class afterward.

“As a Rutgers Newark alumni, it is a privilege to be part of empowering Rutgers Newark students to graduate on time,” he said. “This allows them to focus on their education and personal growth and paves the way for their future success.”

The $1,800 scholarship Rodriguez is receiving as part of the pilot allowed her to drop her work hours one day a week. She uses that day to focus on studying and concentrate on several group projects that she has this semester.

David Ruiz, a junior studying fashion and supply chain management, typically works 24 hours as a concierge at an upscale residential building on Hoboken’s waterfront. “It can be hard,” he said of juggling work with classes. “Sometimes, it feels like too much. I try to push through.”

Ruiz said this semester one of his family members became ill, making his financial situation tougher. “If it weren’t for this scholarship, I probably would have had to drop out so I could work more,” he said.

Instead, he has been able to keep Thursdays and Fridays clear of work and focus on class assignments. “I’ll be able to invest more time on my class work instead of just doing what I have to get by,” he said.

The On-Time Graduation pilot, which will run through the spring semester, is being funded by alumni like Palumbo and Rutgers Business School’s corporate partners.

Rutgers University alumnus Keith Banks, who is a long-time champion of the business school, and his wife, are also supporters. “When I learned about students taking six years to graduate due to their need to work, I was inspired to get involved,” Banks said. “The goal is to ensure that all motivated students have the ability to graduate on time irrespective of their financial circumstances.”

Joanna Mulford, a managing director and senior portfolio manager at PGIM Real Estate who sits on the dean’s advisory board as well as the scholarship committee for the Rutgers Center for Real Estate, praised the On-Time Graduation Initiative. Her company is supporting the pilot.

In her work for the Center for Real Estate, Mulford said scholarships have been awarded regularly to help ease the financial burden on students. “I have seen first-hand the positive impact this support has had on students and their ability to work fewer hours while pursuing their degrees,” she said.  

Dean Lei said the results of the pilot will be measured to provide justification for continuing the scholarships.

“We are grateful to our alumni whose generosity and empathy are making the pilot program possible this semester,” she said. “We hope to make an even greater impact on the lives of our students and their families with a permanent On-Time Graduation Initiative.”

- Susan Todd