Enrollment Management Newsletter

This is my first semester as Vice President for Enrollment Management and I am honored to have been selected to lead this important division. As you likely know, I have been employed at SVSU for 31 years, 28 years of which were served working in the Admissions Office. Most recently, I served as the Interim Director of the Office of International Programs.

Reflecting on my many years working in enrollment-related capacities at SVSU, my professional experiences here have been incredibly rewarding, having participated in the enrollment success at SVSU. I should also add that it has been an honor to closely collaborate with my predecessor, Bob Maurovich, while he was at the helm of our steady enrollment growth for the past 15 years.

New to the division is Dr. Cliff Dorne, associate vice president. A professor of Criminal Justice, Cliff previously served as CJ Department Chair, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences, and, subsequently, Associate Vice President for Graduate Admissions/Program Development. Cliff comes to us from the Academic Affairs Division and brings an academic perspective to his work in enrollment management.

These are exciting yet challenging times for our Division. One of the Division’s paramount goals, in addition to maintaining our enrollment growth with respect to new students, is to facilitate the creation of a campus culture of student success. By this we mean accepting the challenge of increasing the persistence-to-graduation rate at SVSU and appreciating that each of us plays an important role in that process. This news brief is one way we will keep that mission at the forefront. By sharing our ideas, projects, successes and stories, we will all be reminded of that important goal.

Cliff and I look forward to working with you as we plan a variety of new initiatives to promote the campus-wide student success agenda. We invite you to contact us with your ideas and suggestions as we embark upon this complex yet exciting challenge!

You can reach me at jdwyer@svsu.edu and Cliff at cdorne@svsu.edu.

Enrollment Summary: As we interact with students and parents (prospective and current), it’s valuable to know data (and its significance) about our students. We continue to enroll more students, who are taking more credit hours. Our Freshmen, based on ACT and GPA, are academically the best we’ve ever had and our international enrollment continues to provide ALL of our students an opportunity to interact with people from around the world.

This fall 2010 semester, our enrollment stands at a record 10,656 students taking 122,870 credit hours, up from 10,498 students in fall 2009 taking 119,970 credit hours. This is an increase in 158 students or +1.51%. The increase in credit hours is +2,900 or +2.42%.

We had a record number of incoming freshmen at 1,754. These students are the best academically-prepared freshmen in the university’s history. Their average composite ACT score was 21.6, up from 21 last fall semester. The average high school GPA was 3.21.

International student enrollment stands at 459 and our top three countries of origin are Saudi Arabia, Mainland China, and Canada; the remainder are from 27 other countries.

New Initiatives: When we speak of student success, we know that it means more than learning in the classroom. Getting the right courses at the right time is an important service we can offer and the more we can reduce frustration and assist our students, the more likely they will persist-to-graduation.

In the near future, the Academic Advisement Office will implement two new projects: • •

Students will be able to access their degree audits on-line As a component of the advisement process, students can now utilize new Schedule Planner software, permitting them to develop a series of prospective class schedules in real-time prior to registering for classes.

We expect that this will reduce any frustration with the registration protocol.

When you “create a culture of student success” in an institution that strives to be a place of choice and opportunity, you need to be constantly aware of the balance between making SVSU a desirable place of choice for the “best and the brightest” and making it a place of opportunity for those who seek the opportunity of a better life through education. Recruiting both is a goal – and so is retaining both.

Fall AY 2010-2011 we launched a Freshmen retention program called PASS (Plan of Action for Student Success.)

Collaborating closely with Vice President for Student Services, Merry Jo Brandimore and her Division colleagues, we implemented this voluntary program for students entering SVSU with ACT scores between 16 and 20. A total of 111 students are participating within three sub-groups: MSS or Making Students Successful (Multicultural Student Services), FYRE or First Year Residential Experience (Residential Life), and FYE or First Year Experience (Enrollment Management/Student Affairs). The students are assigned staff-advisors and student mentors and participate in periodic meetings with both.

We are also piloting an ACT instrument, the Student Readiness Inventory that measures self-reported commitment to academic and campus engagement aspects of university life. Additional initiatives include: • • • • • • • •

MyTOPfive: Introducing freshmen to University engagement Involved Freshman (IF) Passport: Freshman “game” that motivates students to attend events/activities Project RED Workshops: Study skills, time management, career exploration, use of Cardinal Direct, and wellness programs Early Warning Intervention: Faculty identification of students who are struggling or not attending class Major/Minor Exploration: Career Services Fair and career planning FYRE-Side Chats: Spending time with faculty outside the classroom Orientation III/Academic Advising: A specialized approach to ensuring students are advised for Winter 2011 Money Matters/Financial Aid: Empowering students to understand and take control of their finances as related to their education

Stay tuned. The PASS committee is in the process of assessing the program and making plans for further institutionalization of the program for Fall 2011.

From Career Services…

The SVSU Majors/Minors Exploration Fair was held Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, in the Student Rotunda in front of Bookstore.

Faculty was on hand to discuss career opportunities associated with various programs of study. Think of this as another retention initiative --- when a student finds his niche or her passion, amazing things happen!

For those of us who work directly with students, please remind them of the upcoming employment & networking fairs.

From Web Communications: The new Student Happenings (http://www.svsu.edu/studenthappenings/) and Campus Events Calendars (http://www.svsu.edu/ calendar/svsu-events) are your centralized source for what’s happening on campus. If you are booking an event, make sure the space is booked using R25. If your event is booked in R25 but not appearing on these calendars, please contact Holly LaRoseRoenicke.

Web Communications will be scheduling meetings with departments over the school year to present results of a baseline website audit, using the new Baseline Website Standards.

The Office of Graduate Admissions has moved to Wickes 160. Please stop by and visit our new location to discuss our graduate programs.

The Office of International Programs (OIP) has moved to the second Floor of Wickes Hall.

Research indicates that students with study abroad experience are more desirable to potential employers. Why? Their travels suggest a level of confidence, risk taking and initiative (let alone international experience) that are marketable traits in an employee. Additionally, students who study abroad often cite the experience as a major highlight of their college experience. So again, think of Study Abroad as a way we “create a culture of student success.” Collaborating closely with the Academic Affairs Division, we are planning 12 Faculty-Led Study Abroad courses planned for this academic year, including destinations of China, Italy, and Indonesia. A record 375 students attended the recent Study Abroad Fair.

In each issue, we will profile a Department engaging its student majors in advising and co-curricular outreach.

• Provides one-on-one academic and career advising to its student majors • Recruits majors to become active in ACM Student Chapter •

Holds an event titled “Pizza Popp’in Profs,” providing an opportunity for faculty to mix with student majors to provide advice on what classes to take next semester and engage in Q&A sessions.

• Connects with all incoming freshman planning to major in the program We welcome reports of related initiatives to be profiled in future editions of this Newsletter. Please send this information to cdorne@svsu.edu.