Academic Affairs News

Good afternoon,
 
Like many public universities, WKU has shown a decline in enrollment over the past five years. We are not unique. What sets WKU apart is how we are responding by placing our focus on more than just total headcount.
 
Regionally and nationally, enrollment decline can be attributed to (1) decline in the number of high school graduates, (2) fewer college bound students, (3) increasing costs of higher education, and (4) fewer international students pursuing college in the United States. Here are two recent articles that you might find interesting.
 
https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20191101-Grawe?utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en&cid=cr&source=ams&sourceId=203457
 
https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20191006-A-Crisis-in-Enrollment?utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en&cid=cr&source=ams&sourceId=203457
 
To assure financial stability, we must focus on net tuition revenue—the amount of tuition revenue we bring in—and accurately predict that income as a part of our budgeting process. This has become increasingly more important as tuition makes up a larger portion of our revenue picture. With the pool of high school graduates dwindling, we have turned our attention to recruiting from other states as well as reinvigorating our international recruitment efforts. Both of these demographics bring in higher net tuition per student.
 
It is not enough to put all of our efforts into recruiting new students. It is just as important to retain the students that we have. Significant efforts across campus last year to increase retention, persistence, and graduation rates have resulted in impressive gains. President Caboni shared those results in his campus email last week. Again, the overall increase in retention for first-time, first-year freshmen increased by 3% to 72.9%. This is a huge two-year gain!
 
Further systematic strategies to strengthen our enrollment profile are being developed as part of a Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP). This is one of the strategies in the 2018-2028 WKU Strategic Plan, “Climbing to Greater Heights”. Strategic enrollment planning is a continuous and data-informed process that fosters deliberate long-term enrollment and fiscal health. Through a strategic process that integrates academic and co-curricular planning with marketing, recruitment, retention, and financial aid strategies, six working groups are engaged in the development of a plan. The list of working group members is attached in a separate file.
 
The six working groups are comprised of both faculty and staff and represent both the Division of Academic Affairs and the Division of Enrollment and Student Experience. These working groups are: Financial Assistance, Student Success, Marketing and Recruitment, Academic Program Evolution, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Colonnade. These groups met for two days in October, conducted a SOAR analysis (strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results), and have requested the data they need for strategic ideation and writing their situation analyses. The next steps will occur over approximately six months and includes strategy prioritization, goal setting, finalizing a written plan, and then broad communication and implementation.
 
The ongoing work associated with Transformation of academic programs will have a huge impact on the attractiveness of our academic program portfolio. Driven by student interest and market forces, an interesting, innovative, and relevant portfolio of forward looking academic programs will attract bright and engaged students to WKU. Further, the new financial aid strategy will enhance access and opportunity for students in our service region.
 
By now, I hope you have made the connection between the recruitment outreach and events, retention initiatives, academic program transformations, new scholarship model, and SEP. These ongoing projects involve many different divisions, units, and Hilltoppers in an effort to strengthen WKU’s enrollment profile. This is important! We must be deliberate and strategic in order for us to be competitive in the higher education marketplace. Thank you for your continued work and enthusiasm associated with these projects!
 
In other news, Dr. Michelle Trawick will be stepping down as Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Excellence effective January 31, 2020. After serving in various roles at WKU since 2000, Michelle has accepted the opportunity to serve as Dean of the College of Business, University of Nebraska, Omaha.  Please join us in congratulating Michelle and wishing her much success in her new role. An announcement concerning the search for the next Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Excellence will be forthcoming.
 
Sincerely,
 
Cheryl Stevens
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Co-chair, Strategic Enrollment Plan Steering Committee
 
Brian Kuster
Vice President for Enrollment and Student Experience
Co-chair, Strategic Enrollment Plan Steering Committee