President Michael A. MacDowell

The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) developed U-CAN (www.ucan-network.org) in response to focus groups with prospective students and parents, conversations with Congress and calls from the U.S. Department of Education for colleges and universities to provide more information in a consumer-friendly format. U-CAN is the first national consumer information tool developed by colleges and universities. It consists of hundreds of institutional profiles that contain comparable data and links to the institution’s Web site for more detailed information on specific aspects the college or university. The profiles are displayed in a common template that NAICU developed, based on consumer feedback.

“Choosing to go to college is one of the most important decisions an individual will make in his or her lifetime,’’ says Michael A. MacDowell, president of Misericordia University. “Misericordia University whole-heartedly supports the initiative because selecting the college that best fits the student’s intellectual, professional, and extracurricular interests; values and personality; and financial circumstances is crucial to his or her satisfaction and academic success.’’

Through focus groups conducted in cities across the nation, prospective students and parents from all backgrounds identified the information they most need to make an informed college choice. Their comments shaped the format and content of the U-CAN site.

U-CAN profiles include information identified by policy-makers as important for institutional accountability. Congress and the U.S. Department of Education have called for comparable, concise, relevant and easily accessible information to help the public better evaluate and choose colleges.

Misericordia’s profile, for example, includes color graphics that easily outline the price of attendance, the percent of freshmen receiving financial aid, campus information and the percentage of students who graduate within four, five or six years. It also highlights the personal 12-1 student faculty ratio and shows that most undergraduate classes have between 2 to 19 students in them.

Overall, the in-depth information included in the profiles covers admissions, enrollment, academics, student demographics, graduation rates, most common fields of study, transfer or credit policy, accreditation, faculty information, tuition and fee trends, price of attendance, campus housing and campus safety.

“Misericordia University imbues in each student a sense of service to others that has been the hallmark of this institution since its inception,’’ President MacDowell says. “So it was only natural that Misericordia would fully participate in a program that promotes transparency and accountability in higher education.’’

U-CAN helps to make the college selection process more holistic, and more responsive to the interests and priorities of the individual student. The profiles provide key statistical data that complemented by narrative descriptions and subject-specific links to relevant campus Web pages. Together, this quantitative and qualitative information gives consumers an opportunity to see what sets each college or university apart in nature, mission, and academic and student life features.

NAICU has been working on U-CAN since mid-2006 in close consultation with the National Association of Independent College and University State Executives, member presidents and a number of other associations representing independent institutions.

For more information about Misericordia University, please log on to www.misericordia.edu or call (570) 674-6400.