UW - Stevens Point Enrollment Management Plan, Executive Summary

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

Enrollment Management Plan -Executive Summary

Enrollment and Retention Goals for the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point

The five year goals of the UW – Stevens Point Enrollment Management plan are:

Attain a stable enrollment mixof undergraduate and graduate students with a goal of 10,000 students.
Increase the number of out of state enrollments for all student types from 11% of total enrollment to 16%of total enrollment.
Increase the undergraduate student retention rate from 81% to 86%.
Increase the transfer student retention rate from 80% to84%.
Increase the diversity student retention rate from 80.7to83.2%.
Increase the percentage of new, domestic diversity admissions from 11% to 17% of total new students.
Increase diversity student graduation rates from 48% to 54%.
Increase the four year graduation rate from 24% to 30%.
Increase the number of students receiving degrees by 7%.
Raise the average ACT score from 23 to 24.
Improve the quality of data and analysis toolsetsfor campus departments and decision makers to effectively manage enrollment and retention.
Develop anEnrollment Management Unit that is focused on delivering high quality and efficient enrollment services to the students, faculty and staff y of UW – Stevens Point.
Implement the International Admissions Recruitment Plan and theAdmissions Office - Annual Student Recruitment plan.

Context for the Enrollment Management Plan

The External Environment

The population of 18 year olds within the State of Wisconsin is decreasing. In 2008 there were 71,000 Wisconsin high school graduates. In 2014-2015 the number of high school graduates is projected to be 64,100 and will plateau at that level through 2020.

High school graduates are increasingly becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. The percentage of diversity students which was 17% of the overall Wisconsin high school graduating class in 2008 – 2009. By 2019 this segment of the population will increase by four percent Diverse students do not typically attend college at the same rate of white, Caucasian students. In 2013 approximately 1000 diversity students in Wisconsin took the ACT exam for admission.
Increasing competition from for-profit colleges, private universities, and other University of Wisconsin institutions.
Online instructional options, including Massive Open Online Courses, will continue to increase in number and compete withtraditional instructional modes, which will put downward pressure on tuition revenues.
Students and parents are increasingly sensitive to higher tuition costs and student loan obligations. The public will want to see more value from a degree to reflect the increasing investment.
The U.S. Department of Education is developing a quality ranking and rating system for higher education that will determine institutional financial aid awards.
Growing demand from employers for workforce-readiness skills. Over the last two decades employers have reduced or eliminated in-house training programs in favor of partnering with higher education institution for employees that are prepared for the workforce.

The Internal Environment

University Strengths
Unique mix of programs that ispopular with students.
High rate of success for graduates in further higher education and employment.
High visibility and strong brand recognition within Wisconsin, especially within the North Central Wisconsin region.
Inclusive shared governance of the institution.
Strong sense of institutional mission within faculty and staff.
Caring and supportive environment for students.
Implementation of new General Education Program requirements.
Implementation of MAP-Works software.
Implementation of a constituent relationship management system to manage recruitment efforts.
Low student loan default rate for student loans. The UW – Stevens Point three year default rate for 2013 is 4%.
Average student debt is $27,000 and is comparable to other UW institutions.

University Challenges
Enrollment imbalances in major programs.
Class scheduling conflicts for students.
Under-utilization of facilitiesresulting in decreasing state funding for improvements to instructional space and an inefficient use of resources.
Scholarships are largely given to upper classmen rather than being used to attract new freshman.
The University lacks a scholarship management system. A scholarship management system would provide a central place for students to review campus scholarships and apply for all eligible scholarships using one dynamic form (form would provide/reduce fields based on the types of scholarships applied for by the student). This type of tool would provide better service to students, increase scholarship applications and maximize institutional resources to provide students with an affordable education. The system would also allow scholarship committees in Colleges/departments to use their existing processes while having all of the student data/application materials online. Increasing scholarship access to existing students will promote an improvement in retention and provide an opportunity to reduce student indebtedness.
Retention and graduation of diversity students is lower than overall student retention.
University retention activities, while effective, lack a coordinated approach.
Online services are not comparable to our competitors.
Inability to automate registration functionssignificantly increasesfaculty and staff workload.
Lack of analytic and predictive capabilities with student data creates a competitive disadvantage.
Current student information system requires significant enhancement to provide for requisite checking,for the historical dating of system actions to measure student enrollment changes, for enrollment apportioning within sections, and for automation of enrollment restrictions.
Manual enrollment processes throughout the university increase the error rate, lower staff productivity and negatively impactdata quality.
Lack of eform/business process management system slows the timeliness of forms processing.
Lack of a student an interactive degree audit, online student planner and communications tracking module to ensure effective academicadvising and advisor/student interaction.

Institutional Enrollment Strategies

Develop a reporting system to forecast course demand and maximize enrollment and capacity planning.
Increase funding for freshman, diversity, and out-of-state scholarships.
Systematize the Project Win-Win concept of awarding associate degrees for students who withdraw or leave prior to completing bachelor degree.
Implement the International Student Recruitment Plan.
Review options for 2+2 enrollment agreements with international institutions.
Develop and implement an annual recruitment plan for the Admissions Office.
Develop recruiting materials that are consistent, comprehensive, anduniformly branded.
Develop adult outreach programs that can be completed online or in the evening/weekend.
Review program capacities, projected enrollment growth targets, and departmental staffing and fiscal capabilities.
Review registration and academic policies to ensure that they enhance student retention and comply with appropriate state and federal regulations.

Retention Strategies

Develop a campus-wide retention plan.
Implement MAP-Worksor its equivalent for all student types.
Implement a pre/co-requisite checking system to ensure adequate course preparation prior to enrollment in a class.
Implement an enrollment system that allows for the automated apportioning of high-demand classes to minimize course bottlenecks.
Implement the use of provisional admissions for programs with a retention problem.
Implement a conditional admission process for students who need specific skills remediation and for academically suspended students seeking re-admission. An admissions/retention committee would establish admissions criteria for specific admits based on their academic needs.
Review current campus retention strategies to determine effectiveness and how to maximize benefits from these efforts.
Develop on-campus support services for out-of-state students, international students, and adult learners.

Enrollment Management Unit Strategies

Review Office of the Registrarstaffing to ensure redundancy of key processes and to project future operational needs.
Evaluate, plan, and implementa “one-stop” enrollment services model.
Integrate departmental functions wherever possible to improve efficiencies and services.
Review and revise the new and transfer student orientation processes to improve service to students.
Develop an online registration process for new students and transfer students.
Review current operations to ensure compliance with the Department of Education regulations.
Develop an organizational structure that emphasizes cross-training and cross-support functions within Enrollment Management departments.
Coordinate and enhance unit communications to ensure effective student recruitment and excellent service to students, faculty and staff.
Align recruiter responsibilities with dedicated territories in order to focus efforts on the most productive regions and to provide prospective students with the best possible service.
Provide Admissions recruiters with knowledge and understanding of financial aid award processes to improve service to prospective students. This strategy would provide a single point of contact for prospective parents and students to obtain answersto admissions and financial aid questions.

Enrollment Management Technology Strategies

Review the Student Information System to determine whether to upgrade or replace.
Implement digital imaging across all Enrollment Management offices to reduce operational costs and improve the quality and speed of services. Convert all existing student records to a digital storage format.
Implement digital forms/business process management software across all departments within Enrollment Management.
Implement an online service desk tool to provide 24/7 student access to FAQ’s and troubleshooting.
Purchase and implement software that will provide departments and colleges with an efficient method to process scholarship applications and a tool that will provide students with an easy way to find and apply for scholarships on campus.
Implement constituent relationship management recruitment software within the various Colleges, Continuing Education and in International Admissions to increase the applicant pool, to develop enrollment targets by major and track recruitment activities to determine effectiveness.
Upgrade existing degree audit software to provide an interactive degree audit tool, a what-ifdegree review and a student plan of study.
Purchase and implement a reporting and analytics software solution that will provide academic departments with key administrative and evaluative data for their programs.

Data and Analytics Plan – Measuring Effectiveness

Develop data definitions and metrics to ensure consistent measure of enrollment and retention goals.
Develop enrollment targets by program within CRM system to measure recruitment productivity.
Develop effectiveness measures for each unit within Enrollment Management.
Develop effectiveness measures for retention programs across the campus.
Develop predictive and analytical business intelligence capabilities to project enrollment and retention for the University.
Develop institutional enrollment and retention reportsto be utilized by academic departments for planning, advising and evaluation.

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