STRATEGIC ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
TASK FORCE
Preliminary Report To
October 2008
Task Force
Challenge
Develop
a plan to direct ECUs efforts in enrollment management and student success
Ensure
recommendations are consistent with ECU Tomorrow, UNC Tomorrow, the Engaged University Carnegie
Classification, SACS accreditation and the expectations of a graduate research
university
Solicit
input from a broad range of constituencies across the university through
vigorous and informed debate
Utilize
special topic subgroups to provide expertise in key areas
Recommend
strategic initiatives for
enrollment, retention, and graduation which build upon ECUs reputation as a
university of choice
Key Overarching
Principles
SEM
involves making choices
Strategic
decisions that support ECUs commitment to providing a quality university
experience to many people will not allow us to be all things to all people
ECU
must squarely face the tradeoffs and make decisions through informed thought
and action rather than deciding through inaction
The
process is not without risk, but the benefits are far greater than the risks
SEM
is an iterative process ever changing and flexible
The SEM process must be driven by hope in the future, not by
fear of tomorrow
Current Enrollment Data
ECUs
2017 enrollment projections
submitted to UNC General Administration
are:
Undergraduates 26,082
Masters/Doctoral 10,989
First Professional 578
Total 36,018
DE Only 11,805
ECUs
fall 2008 census of 27,703 exceeds Fall 2008 projections by 1,052 students. The 2008 incoming freshman class of 4,516
exceeded our year 2012 FT/FT freshman projection of 4,510 students.
The challenge is to determine a recommended enrollment
growth process consistent with our mission and the quality experience we desire
for students
Critical Issues
Identified
The
most critical issues impacting Strategic Enrollment Management in our
institution are:
Ψ
Defining
and Embracing our Access
Ψ
Improving
Student Retention and Graduation
Ψ
Determining
Effective Academic Mix
Ψ
Providing
Optimal Infrastructure
These
issues are inter-related and a recommended solution for one issue will affect
another
Thus,
the recommendations need to be considered in the context of the whole and
implemented with an understanding of the impact of one on the implementation of
others
The
committee purposefully does not provide specific enrollment targets since that
decision must be informed by faculty and programs and data.
ISSUE 1: Defining & Embracing our Access
We
are known for our commitment to access for students throughout the state,
particularly in
More
than 60% of our students come from west of I-95
ECU
must adopt a common definition of access as it implies different things to
different people
For
the purposes of SEM:
Access is defined as setting reasonable
admissions standards and admitting those who meet those standards
Those
academic standards will become more rigorous over time, with a tension between
improving quality and sustaining our commitment to access
With
an increase in standards, ECU may experience an initial enrollment decline in first
time/full time freshmen and transfer students.
A
proactive plan to assist potential students in meeting ECUs admission
requirements is critical to honoring our commitment to access.
GOAL:
To
be the leader in providing a quality university experience to students who meet
reasonable admissions expectations while ensuring that all students are
prepared to meet these standards and to succeed academically.
Representative Recommendations:
Create
gateway programs targeted at under-represented students and families
Continue
to expand statewide outreach through
distance education programs
Increase
integration and cooperation with Community Colleges and UNC institutions
Increase
students and faculty from under-represented groups
Establish
the Pirate Promise Scholarship Fund
ISSUE 2: Improving Student Retention and Graduation
Our
admissions and retention standards, as well as pressure to grow, often conflict
with the political, financial and social realities of improving student
retention and student graduation
In
the future, our success and state funding will be measured by how well we
attract, keep and graduate our students
We
must maintain and improve the academic standards that faculty believe are
appropriate to our programs and student body
Task
force recommendations are appropriately more-focused on the undergraduate
population
GOAL:
Increase
student retention and graduation rates
Representative Recommendations:
Slow
the rate of growth
Admit
students with increased academic qualifications
Create
programs targeted at recruiting and retaining high performing students
Support
students in achieving academic success
Implement
academic policy changes
Enhance
student financial and operational support services
Expand
and enhance programs and support functions in Student Affairs
ISSUE 3: Determining
Effective Academic Mix
Decisions
are often made based on the overall mix of academic programs, specifically the
balance between graduate and undergraduate and their relative funding streams
ECU
can no longer afford to make significant program resource allocation decisions
without obtaining and using program related financial and operational data.
GOAL:
Strategically
evaluate and re-evaluate the breadth and depth of our programs and degrees.
Representative Recommendations:
Support
graduate programs without negatively impacting undergraduate programs,
undergraduate teaching, or ECUs mission
Establish
and implement program financial and capacity metrics and standards
Assess
efficiency and effectiveness of current support structures and operations of
graduate education
Improve
ECUs position as the predominate provider of online and off-campus distance
education in the UNC system
ISSUE 4: Providing Optimal
Infrastructure
ECUs
academic, support services and physical infrastructure has not kept pace with
its rapid growth
GOAL:
Rebuild
a university infrastructure sufficient to meet the needs of students, faculty,
and staff.
Representative
Recommendations
Create
and appropriately staff an Office of Enrollment Management
Provide
resources to accommodate space needs
Enhance
Instructional Technology services
Strengthen
the Office of Institutional Planning and Research
Implement
industry best practices with respect to responsiveness, accuracy, customer
satisfaction, timeliness and operational accountability
Enhance
all aspects of safety for faculty, staff , students and visitors
Create
university-level operational process review and improvement team to evaluate
cross-unit policies and operations to identify and eliminate bottlenecks,
redundancy and inefficiency
Report Format:
Draft
report is organized by the 4 primary issues with each issue having a set of
recommendations
Timeline
(immediate, short term and long term) is proposed for each recommendation
Responsible
parties are identified for each recommendation with office/unit listed first
being one to initiate work on recommendation
Appendices
are provided that list the recommendations without discussion and also classify
the recommendations by timeline and by responsible parties.
Task Force Timeline:
SEM
Task Force will solicit input through various means, including faculty, staff,
and student forums. Comments may also be
sent to the Task force at SEMTF@ecu.edu
Forums
are scheduled on:
October 15, 2008, 2-4 pm at Mendenhall Great
Rooms 1 and 2
October 16, 2008, 3:10 5 pm at
October 23, 2008, 3-5 pm at
Students/Grad Students forum:
October 28, 6:30-8:30 pm at
Draft
report is available on Enrollment Management website at www.ecu.edu/enrollment
Preliminary
report to Trustees in November 2008
Final
report to Trustees in February 2009