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Strategic Enrollment Management Plan

Bemidji State University’s Plan to Sustain a Full-Time Enrollment of 4,500 students

Draft: Updated November 10, 2014

Bemidji State University has been an outstanding higher education institution for nearly 100 years, and to help ensure we continue to offer the highest quality educational experience for students, our community must develop and implement deliberate, intentional strategies to manage enrollment, including recruitment, retention, and graduation strategies. Strategic Enrollment Planning includes the stages of preparation, development of goals, strategies, action items, responsible individuals and departments and expected timeframes for implementation. In the spring of 2014, the Strategic Enrollment Management Planning (SEMP) Committee was established to advance the Universities enrollment priorities. The SEMP Committee is comprised of the following BSU community members:

Andy Bartlett MSUAASF Appointment Tom Fauchald BSUFA Appointment Michael Heitkamp Permanent Position Appointment Lynn Johnson VP Extended Learning and Innovation Appointment Zak Johnson VP, Student Development and Enrollment Appointment Lesa Lawrence VP Finance and Administration Appointment Jenna Long BSU Student Senate Appointment James Parker Chair Shawn Strong VP, Academic Affairs Appointment Sarah Young BSUFA Appointment

Bemidji State University

Mission Statement:

We create an innovative, interdisciplinary and highly accessible learning environment committed to student success and a sustainable future of our communities, state and planet. Through the transformative power of the liberal arts, education in the professions, and robust engagement of our students, we instill and promote service to others, preservation of the earth, and respect and appreciation for the diverse peoples of our region and world.

Vision Statement:

We educate people to lead inspired lives.

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Shared Fundamental Values:

Civic engagement and leadership

International and multicultural understanding

Belief in the power of the liberal arts

Environmental stewardship

We believe that Bemidji State University is: 1. A living/learning environment where teaching and student learning is at the heart of everything we say and everything we do. 2. An institution where learning best occurs when students engage their ‘mind, heart and hands’ in addressing personal and social concerns relevant to them and to their world. 3. A university and college where students, staff, faculty and administrators are teachers and everyone is a learner. 4. An environment where creative and critical thinkers engage in service as part of our obligation as a regional steward of place where we advance the ‘common good’ (see definitions page).

Therefore, the Strategic Enrollment Management Plan should be guided by the below values: 1. Bemidji State University will sustain a full-time equivalent enrollment of 4,500. 2. All faculty and staff will create a culture that always recruits, retains and educates students. 3. Students are our priority. We will keep students’ learning experience in the forefront of all our decisions, actions, services, and initiatives. 4. We will provide students a transformational educational experience. We will catalyze student transformation through an array of educational opportunities and enriching experiences. 5. We will exceed expectations. We will take every opportunity to provide outstanding service that promotes recruitment, retention, persistence, and graduation.

The SEMP Committee purpose is the ideation, discussion, review, development, monitoring, and evaluation of all ideas, strategies, and actions relating to the marketing, recruitment, retention, and graduation of students. The committee’s role is primarily forward-thinking and advisory (much of the actual tactical work will be done in the individual working units). Using this definition, purpose and values, the following core concepts then support all institutional SEMP activities: All SEMP activities are mission driven. * SEMP develops an institutional culture of student success. * SEMP is synonymous with student success and is integrated into BSU’s strategic plan. * SEMP involves all internal and external constituents. * External partnerships are critical. * Everything is assessed and measured in order for decisions to be data driven.

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* Clear enrollment goals are established based on institutional capacity and the institution’s strategic plan, and not simply on the student profile or revenue generation. * Appropriate academic programs are maintained that prepare students for the careers of the future while sustaining mission appropriate offerings. * Creative thinking and looking outside of higher education for best practices is necessary. * Focus on the appropriate utilization of technology to enhance services to students is encouraged (Wilkinson, Taylor, Peterson, and Taylor, 2007).

Strategic Enrollment Management Plan Goals

Institutional Goals

Goal 1: Sustain a first-time, full-time cohort of 850 students per year a) Ensure that appropriate academic courses are available in order to allow students to

graduate in four years. i) Develop and implement a BSU Four-Year Guarantee. ii) Establish an academic course outline, by semester, for every degree program,

track or emphasis area, pre-professional program, certificate or licensure. This outline will be published in appropriate forums to ensure student access.

iii) Published academic course schedule will consist of fall, spring and summer courses.

iv) Develop an enrollment capacity model for each major, degree program and college or school.

b) The Office of Admissions and Office of Communications and Marketing will collaborate to develop a comprehensive marketing plan targeting incoming students. i) The redesigned bemidjistate.edu will emphasize student recruitment. ii) The Office of Communications and Marketing will work with external vendors to

continue annual advertising campaign targeting prospective students in specific geographic locations.

iii) The Office of Communications and Marketing and Office of Admissions will collaborate to develop marketing and informational materials targeting prospective students.

iv) BSU will allocate necessary admissions, marketing and communication resources to support recruitment of a first-time, full-time class of 850.

c) Create a campus culture that emphasizes and supports on-campus recruitment and enrollment activities for prospective students. i) Expand campus-wide participation in all on-campus activities involving

prospective students and student recruitment. ii) Enhance campus tours and the campus-tour experience. iii) Create faculty participation procedure for on-campus activities involving

prospective students (visits, AAR, academic open houses, etc.).

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iv) Enhance registration events and engage new students and their guests through a personalized approach.

d) Establish a comprehensive minority student recruitment program. e) Position BSU as a destination school for pre-professional programs.

i) Establish articulation agreements with partner schools for professional programs.

ii) Properly align BSU curriculum to support articulation to partner schools. iii) Explore a competitive enrollment process for pre-professional programs that

offers early-accept status to high-achieving students.

Goal 2: Sustain a full-time graduate enrollment of 250 a) Expand current graduate programs.

i) Offer degree programs at satellite locations. ii) Offer cohort based, accelerated, face-to-face courses and programs (on-campus

and distance). iii) Provide part-time student enrollment opportunities in all graduate programs. iv) Explore 3+2 or 4+1 programs with current undergraduate students. v) Explore the utilization of additional teaching resources to instruct graduate

academic courses. vi) Develop an enrollment capacity model for each major, degree program and

college or school. b) Determine new graduate programs that are in demand.

i) Survey alumni about graduate-level programs that they would like BSU to provide.

ii) Research labor market trends and work with academic departments on specialty markets to determine viability of new graduate programs.

c) BSU will proactively market and promote graduate programs, both online and on campus. i) Partner with a higher education company or a marketing firm to handle the

marketing and recruitment of online graduate programs. ii) Invest in an admission-friendly CRM software to increase capacity to

communicate with prospective graduate students.

Goal 3: Annually recruit 600 transfer students to BSU (on-campus and off-campus)

a) Actively recruit students who have attended other colleges or universities prior to BSU.

i) Partner with an enrollment marketing firm to assist with all marketing and recruitment for off-campus and online programs.

ii) Establish a transfer-student recruitment relationship management system for off-campus and online transfer students.

iii) Improve BSU’s relationships and develop articulation agreements with community colleges.

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iv) Waive application fee for graduates of colleges where we have articulation agreements.

v) Guarantee admission to graduates of colleges where we have articulation agreements.

b) Explore programming to support increased retention of transfer students. i) Review transfer admission standards to help ensure admitted transfer students

will be academically successful. ii) Review admissions processes for on-campus and off-campus transfer students

so both use the same process. iii) Establish an online Orientation for off-campus transfer students. iv) Evaluate and expand the Transfer Experience course for transfer students. v) Increase BSU’s ability to provide support programming and services for online

students. c) Maximize enrollment opportunities for existing degree completion programs.

i) Market online programs aggressively. ii) Ensure adequate course offerings in existing programs are available to meet

demand. d) Expand our current off-campus and online undergraduate capacity and offerings.

i) Develop an enrollment capacity model for each major, degree program and college or school.

ii) Explore possibilities for additional online degree completion programs. iii) Explore possibilities for additional off-site degree completion programs. iv) Ensure adequate course offerings are available to meet demand. v) Explore use of additional resources to increase teaching resources for online

courses.

Goal 4: Increase persistence rate to 72 percent and the six-year graduation rate to 52 percent. Goal Four is an overarching goal that can, and should, be considered supplemental to every other goal in the SEMP.

a) Create a culture that encourages four-year graduation plans. i) Offer proper sequence of undergraduate classes to meet the needs of our

students. ii) Develop an AAR advising training for faculty, staff, and student leaders who

participate in AAR events to enhance advising to incoming students iii) Strategically administer summer course offerings to support four-year grad

plans. b) Enhance academic advising initiatives.

i) Establish a University College for all first-time, first-year students. ii) Provide advisers with the information they need in order to more closely

monitor academic progress during the critical first year. iii) Register students for the full academic year. iv) Work with each student to develop a four-year graduation plan or academic plan

during their first year on campus.

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v) Require formal training for on-campus academic advisors before they can be assigned advisees.

c) Offer financial incentives and resources to support four-year graduation initiatives. i) Develop and implement a BSU Four-Year Graduation Guarantee. ii) Establish a guaranteed tuition rate/room and board rate lock program for

students that continually enroll at BSU and live in the on-campus residence halls. iii) Strategically increase scholarship awards for incoming students. iv) Award existing merit-based freshman scholarship programs over four years, at

all award levels. v) Expand the Random Acts of Kindness program. vi) Develop an emergency assistance grant fund program. vii) Develop a low-cost daycare option on campus. viii) Expand work study and payroll job opportunities on campus and actively

promote these opportunities to students in order to encourage campus engagement.

d) Establish meaningful connections among faculty/staff with students to promote deep connections with BSU. i) Require all incoming freshman students to enroll in First-Year Experience or

College Orientation courses as part of a University College. ii) Implement a system where FYE or College Orientation instructors are academic

advisors for students in their classes. iii) Build academic and residential transitions programs and initiatives for

sophomores, juniors and seniors similar to FYRE and FYE for first-year students. iv) Combine FYE course (1 credit) with critical thinking content based course from

each college to establish a two credit course. v) Create a re-enrollment program that contacts every non-registered student,

regardless of academic status. vi) Develop and implement a robust structure that acknowledges students who

complete the first semester and do well. e) Ensure that essential university offices and services are available to students during

normal university operating hours. i) Establish a task force to expand the information available at the HMU

Information Desk. This will be a service to provide accurate information to students and ensure appropriate referrals occur (BSU’s version of a one-stop shop).

ii) Establish a tutoring center in the A.C. Clark Library as a hub for all academic tutoring on campus.

iii) Offer peer tutoring in foundational courses. iv) Provide specialized training for peer tutors to ensure the peer tutors promote

student success. f) Establish and evaluate pilot programs allowing students to easily connect with

faculty. i) Establish an on-line scheduling pilot program that would allow students to

schedule meetings with faculty and staff members. ii) Establish a pilot program allowing faculty to post office hours on-line.

g) Effectively connect students to the university and not just to a major or degree.

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i) Create a transferrable Career Exploration Module that can be delivered by faculty and staff in a variety of campus settings.

ii) Establish a faculty and staff mentoring program for all freshman and sophomore students.

iii) Strongly encourage all freshmen to hold campus employment of at least one hour per week to increase engagement.

iv) Establish campus-wide programs and incentives to connect students to faculty and upper-division students.

h) Create an intrusive re-enrollment plan during the freshman and sophomore years. i) Provide opportunities for students to engage with a major during their first

semester, in partnership with faculty and upper-division students. ii) Start using a comprehensive institutional-level Customer Relationship

Management system for current students. iii) Coordinate notifications to an advisor when a student gets a hold placed on

his/her account for any reason. i) Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to engage families and parents in the

BSU education experience. i) Create a Parent Association, including a volunteer executive board. ii) Expand family weekend into a full campus event. iii) Expand parent programming during AAR weekends and Orientation. iv) Create a viewbook for parents of prospective students. v) Create a specific home on BSU website for parents of prospective and enrolled

students. j) Faculty and staff will actively engage students placed on warning status after the fall

semester. i) Develop an effective and efficient plan to help students on academic warning

succeed at BSU. ii) Effectively utilize summer session to engage current students who are on

academic probation and/or warning and establish a summer residential program for students on academic warning status.

k) Develop programs to support and encourage academic success for conditional admits. i) Establish summer programming to engage prospective students who are not

academically prepared for higher education. ii) Develop and implement a one-day workshop for first-year students that are

placed on academic probation. The workshop will be hosted in January prior to the beginning of the spring semester.

l) Faculty should proactively work with students whose academic performance or attendance appears to put the student at risk of failing to persist. i) Encourage increased faculty utilization of EARS.

m) Create an intrusive and proactive re-enrollment plan. i) Establish a retention/enrollment team to create engagement events for specific

dates throughout the semester. ii) Establish engagement events with major selection within each semester. iii) Create a mentorship program with the incoming freshman class. iv) Establish a formal exit process for students that are leaving BSU.

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n) Dramatically overhaul and expand New Student Orientation. i) Make Orientation/first-year experience a deeper, more engaging process that

continues through the entire academic year. ii) Require students to participate in Orientation. iii) Make a First-Year Experience or College Orientation course mandatory for

freshmen. iv) Develop and implement a summer, orientation camp experience for new

students. o) Create a plan to support emotional and mental health needs of BSU students.

i) Develop a plan to address accessibility of campus mental health services, with a focus on underinsured or uninsured students.

Goal 5: Increase international student enrollment to 10 percent of the overall enrollment population.

a) Utilize the English Language Center-Bemidji (ELC-B) program to grow enrollment. i) Establish a conditional admissions program for International Students. ii) Establish engagement opportunities with ELC-B program students. iii) Establish scholarship programs to encourage ELC-B students to attend BSU.

b) Establish a localized international recruitment plan targeting North America. i) Actively participate in transfer fairs at community colleges in Minnesota, Texas,

Washington and California. ii) Establish relationships in continental international markets, such as Fort

Frances, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. iii) Significantly expand online recruitment efforts, including enhanced

International Program Center webpage. iv) Establish alumni recruitment networks throughout the world.

c) Develop the use of agents and partnerships. i) Increase activity with CIBT to promote the university globally. ii) Develop relationships between BSU and international recruitment agents.

d) Develop international programming and resources on campus. i) Establish programming-specific transition program to help international

students ii) Increase outreach and engagement opportunities for international students in

the Bemidji community e) Strengthen international academic programming.

i) Establish 3+1 and 2+2 agreements with international academic partners. ii) Expand BSU’s visiting scholar program with the goal of hosting five visiting

scholars per academic year. iii) Develop and actively promote education abroad partnerships to faculty, staff and

students using the portal and BSU website. iv) Assign site coordinators for each education abroad partnership. v) Provide additional services to help students practice oral and written English

skills.

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Goal 6: Increase Native American enrollment to 10 percent of the BSU enrollment population.

a) Hire a recruiter with sole focus on Native American students. i) Directly engage the high schools and tribal colleges to overcome proven barriers

to matriculation and retention. ii) Establish a physical presence for BSU on the campuses of tribal colleges and high

schools. iii) Establish early contacts with predominately Native American K-12 schools,

beginning at the elementary and middle school level. b) Increase Native American student enrollment in distance programs at tribal colleges

and MnSCU partner colleges. i) Establish 2+2 program agreements for a BA degree completion program in

Indian studies, with Central Lakes College, Itasca Community College, tribal colleges transfer into BSU for the final two years of a Bachelor’s Degree

ii) Offer BSU courses to tribal college campuses utilizing interactive “smart” classrooms and newly upgraded video conferencing equipment

iii) Use video conferencing classrooms to assist student groups and organizations from BSU and tribal colleges in collaborative projects and conversations.

c) Grow the native-focused programs and course offerings on campus. i) Keep the Ojibwe teacher training, native nation building and indigenous

entrepreneurship goals of capital campaign a top priority.

Goal 7: Increase the student of color persistence rate to 91 percent of the non-student of color persistence rate.

a) Increase services on campus in order to enhance students of color feeling welcome and supported at Bemidji State University. i) Create an appropriately staffed and funded Inclusiveness Education Center on

campus designated to work with under-represented students. ii) Assign students to academic advisors with specific understanding of diverse

cultures and a desire to work with under-represented students. b) Help students overcome cultural disassociation.

i) Establish an Elder-in-Residence program. ii) Increase visibility of minority faculty and staff on campus. iii) Recruit and retain a greater number of highly qualified minority faculty and staff. iv) Establish faculty and staff positions specifically designated to work with targeted

student populations, such as Native and African-American students, veterans, etc.

v) Explore programming that educates and involves students in other cultures, i.e. Campus wide Diversity Forum

c) Position students to be academically successful once they arrive at BSU. i) Expand tutoring, academic coaching and technology assistance programs. ii) Encourage collaboration between and expand operations of campus support

programs, such as the Writing Center, TRiO, Academic Success Center, AIRC and Career Services.

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Goal 8: Implement the BSU Residential Experience a) Develop a comprehensive engagement model that offers students, faculty and staff

opportunities to engage with each other on campus, especially during evening hours and weekends. i) Create a campus committee including students, faculty and staff, led by the

Associate Director of the Hobson Memorial Union, to develop and schedule engagement opportunities for campus.

ii) Improve calendaring functions on bemidjistate.edu. iii) Collect, analyze and publish data regarding student, faculty, staff, and

community members feelings and wishes for engagement opportunities. iv) Promote student, faculty and staff attendance at athletic events, in collaboration

with the Athletic Director and Beaver Dam Fan Club. v) Encourage collaboration between Residential Life and Hobson Union

Programming Board to increase the number and variety of available on-campus programs.

vi) Support Summer Program Director’s programming and conference efforts through financial support and staff involvement.

vii) Increase support for the Outdoor Program Center’s weekend programming efforts and make the OPC one of BSU’s signature programs.

viii) Establish university-wide excursions, hosted and organized by Residential Life, to area attractions of interest such as Itasca State Park, the “Lost 40,” the Red Lake Pow-Wow, maple syrup collecting and processing sites, etc.

ix) Increase resources allocated to intramural sports in order to expand offerings to include more activities and an emphasis on weekend activity.

x) Refresh traditional programming activities and explore opportunities to add additional activities, such as Jack Frost Days, Sun Splash, on-campus Homecoming activity, etc.

b)Faculty and staff will actively engage in Residential Life educational programs.

i) Establish a faculty-in-residence program where faculty could live in and maintain an office in the residence halls.

ii) Develop a faculty and staff programming series offering presentations in the residence halls on topics of faculty member’s choice.

iii) Establish a culture where faculty and staff frequently participate in student educational experiences during evening hours and weekends.

c) Develop a campus model for service learning that engages students, faculty and staff.

iv) The Director of the Hobson Memorial Union will chair a campus committee that will design and implement a service-learning model for BSU.

v) BSU will establish a scholarship program, for upper-class students based on service learning and community service.

d) Create opportunities for significant and meaningful campus celebrations and traditions. i) Research historical and contextual events for opportunities to develop traditions

(events, etc.) for the campus community.

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ii) Survey facilities and grounds to determine if meaningful spaces for learning and engagement could be developed that would become part of university traditions.

iii) Engage students, faculty and staff to solicit ideas for celebrations and traditions. e) Increase the importance of pride in the BSU campus, facilities and grounds.

i) Explore how teaching and learning activities on campus can be leveraged to enhance the physical campus and community environment.

ii) Encourage open dialogue and suggestion on how we can improve our campus grounds and facilities and provide incentive for successful ideas.

f) Evaluate the dining service program and ensure the dining program is meeting the needs of students i) Explore opportunities to provide festive, simple food that caters to the taste of

today’s college student. ii) Add Saturday and Sunday brunch buffets at Walnut Hall. iii) Implement “theme nights” for food service - i.e. Friday night as “basket night”

with made-to-order burgers, chicken, tacos, wings, etc.; Saturday as “grill night” with ribs, steaks, chicken, etc.

Appendix

Below are definitions utilized in the creation of the SEMP: Action Items – activities that support the strategies and are explicit in detailing who is responsible for the action, what the action is, when the action should occur, how much the action item may cost, how the action item could be measured, and what the outcome was after the action occurred. EARS – (Early Alert, Retention and Success) is a communication tool that provides faculty and staff the opportunity to refer a student who has an academic concern such as excessive absences, failure to complete assignments, or low test scores. It is an early alert reporting system that is intended to increase student retention rate at the university through the provision of intervention early in the semester. Goals – Enrollment objectives that can be quantified and are understandable to all who are accountable to the achievement of the goals. The Residential Campus - is the educational experience of engaging students that live in Bemidji, on and off campus, through intentional interactions with other students, faculty, staff, administrators and the Bemidji Community. Strategic Enrollment Management - is a comprehensive process designed to guide Bemidji State University to achieve and maintain the optimum recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students including any factor that influences a student’s decision to attend or continue enrolling (Dolence, 1996). Strategies – represent the broad course of action with long-term outcomes that support the enrollment goals.

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Type of Students • Traditional – Students who are recent graduates from high school • Non-Traditional – Students who graduated from high school more than one year prior to college enrollment • Transfer – Students with attempted and/or earned post high school college credit, regardless of age • Prior Degree – Students who already have earned a bachelor’s degree • PSEO – High school students taking college courses at Bemidji State University to meet their high school graduation requirements • Concurrent Enrollment– High school students taking college courses at their high school to meet their graduation requirements • Non-Degree Seeking – Students enrolled in Bemidji State University classes but not seeking a degree or certificate at BSU • Visiting Students - Students enrolled in Bemidji State University classes but not seeking a degree or certificate at BSU with another home institution • Graduate Student - a student who has completed a baccalaureate degree, and is currently taking graduate-level coursework in pursuit of a graduate degree, certificate, licensure, or other professional development courses

Changelog 20140616: DELETED Goal 1; items in this former goal were redistributed to other goals. Current Goal 1 is former Goal 2; others incremented as necessary. 20140616: Changed title to include overall goal of 4,500 students 20140415: replace Goal 7 via Mike Heitkamp 20140415: replace Goal 10 via James Parker 20140415: change transfer goal to 600