A nationally known economist and author said students need better advice on choosing a college during a presentation Friday afternoon for the Board of Regents at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

In his book “Crossing the Finish Line,” Spencer Foundation President Michael McPherson and his co-authors examine the effect of a variety of variables, according to a statement. These include high school grades, test scores, financial aid, family income and parental education and how they have an effect on student retention and graduation rates.

UW spokesperson David Giroux said the presentation was very well received by the regents.

“The book is very rich in data and a lot of analysis,” Giroux said. “Mike seemed to do a good job scaling it down to a few key points about which of those data were the best predictors of success for completing an undergraduate degree.”

Along with his presentation, McPherson used graphs to illustrate his points. One showed the correlation between the SAT/ACT and high school grades. Research from these graphs suggested the correlation was stronger between high school grades and overall college success.

Another graph showed the correlation between cost and college graduation rates, with cost being the net cost, which is the difference between tuition and financial aid.

“Where that makes a difference is among lower income students,” Giroux said. “There is a direct correlation between net cost and success on completing a degree. Net cost doesn’t matter. You can charge higher tuition and offer high financial aid, which can amount to low net cost.”

The data from the book suggest students with lower-income families and minority students tend to have lower graduation rates and take more time in earning a degree.

Essentially, McPherson said universities should help students realize the importance of the decision they are making when they choose which college to attend. They should make information on obtainable financial aid more readily available to students.

Michael Rindo, executive director of University Communications at UW-Eau Claire, said there were a number of other presentations made throughout the day.

“It was a full agenda and it showed a number of issues we’re working on such as facilities development, collaborations with the city of Eau Claire on a number of projects, our academic mission, program analysis, among other things,” Rindo said.

He added a number of agenda items were approved by the board during the meeting, including the addition of programs at UW-Milwaukee and UW-Stout, as well as the renewal of a two-year contract extension with Gold Country Inc. for space rental and merchandising rights for UW-Madison Athletics.

System President Kevin Reilly also spoke of preliminary data that suggests the UW System is seeing an increase in enrollment despite the current difficult economy.

“All in all it was a good meeting. It’s invigorating to have the face-to-face interaction with people when the regents meet on campuses. It humanizes the big policies discussions,” Giroux said.