Goal 3
Recruit, Enroll, Retain, and Graduate Qualified Students from all Backgrounds.
Objectives in red are those to be met in academic year 2007-2008.
Objective 3.1
Between 2007 and 2010, develop and implement an enrollment marketing plan
that will increase the number of applications from qualified students by 2% each
year. Increase the yield by 1% per year.
Primary Responsibility: Vice Presidents
Progress to Date:
Outreach efforts to prospective students continue to
yield slight year-to-year increases in enrollment. Applications for 2007 were up
1.6% over 2006; applications from in-state students rose by 2.1% and from
out-of-state students by 1.6%. The total number of enrollees (1,957) in 2007
reflects a yield rate of 52%. In-state freshman enrollees decreased by 2.7% over
2006; the number of out-of-state freshman remained on par with 2006. The Office
of Undergraduate Admissions prepares a Multicultural Recruitment Plan which
includes comprehensive efforts to market the institution to underrepresented
groups, primarily from the state's metropolitan core and other urban centers.
The College benefits from recruitment initiatives sponsored by the RIOHE's Joint
Admissions Agreement (JAA), which provides a gateway to the College for
Community College of Rhode Island students who might not otherwise proceed
beyond an associate's degree. Discrete outreach and marketing initiatives are
conducted annually by Admissions, but there is no cohesive marketing plan. To
remedy this, the College has retained a consultant with expertise in
recruitment, retention and advising to provide guidance for the development of a
better coordinated plan.
The addition of 367 additional residence hall beds allows the College to attract
more out-of-state students with the promise of on-campus housing. In addition,
the growing interest on the part of current students in student activities,
new student organizations, intercollegiate athletics, club sports, and recreational
activities serve to support this effort.
1/24/08
Academic Affairs Update:
Recruit, Retain and Graduate Qualified Students from all backgrounds
As of the May 9 admissions report, total applications from freshmen and transfer students are up 6.2%, with freshman applications up 10.8%. In-state applications increased 1.7% and out of state applications increased by 21.4%, due, in part, to targeted out of state recruitment efforts. Freshman deposits are up 1.3% over last year, with a 5.5% increase for traditional freshmen. The greatest percentage gain is with out of state students, with a 9.6% increase in deposits (out of state, non-MTP) and a 9.4% increase in MTP deposits.
Yield efforts this year included the annual admissions spring party (April 2008) for admitted freshmen and a series of personalized letters from the deans to students indicating a planned major in their respective schools.
Retention figures for 2007-08 almost exactly mirror those for the preceding two academic years, across all year-to-year transitions.
Administration and Finance Update:
Publishing Services worked with the News and Public Relations to publish a new brochure aimed at prospective honors students along with other items in a package of Admissions recruitment materials.
6/2/08
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Objective 3.2
By 2009, increase enrollment of traditionally under-represented students so
that enrollment approaches the demographics of the regions from which the College
draws its applicants.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President
for Student Affairs
Progress to Date:
Academic Affairs Update:
Increase enrollment of traditionally under-represented students so that enrollment approaches the demographics of the regions from which the college draws its applicants.
Due to program costs, the size of the class for the Preparatory Enrollment Program (PEP) program was reduced this year. However, an all time record number of applications was received (572) indicating a continuing interest and need for the program. Last year 145 students were offered acceptance; this year only 103 students were offered admission (representing 18% of applicants). If PEP’s typical yield pattern holds steady, we expect to have approximately 50 PEP students at the College in the fall of 2008 (as opposed to 72 last year).
The “Bridges Program”, a two-semester learning community for students with academic potential who do not meet traditional admission requirements, has proven to be a successful program in terms of academic success and retention. Given the planned decrease in the PEP program, the Division of Academic Affairs has added a second Bridges Program learning community for fall 2008. This has allowed us to accommodate PEP applicants who were not eligible for admission because they did not meet the Federal Guidelines; they missed the PEP application deadline and met PEP requirements; or they were students referred by high school counselors as potential Bridges Program candidates.
As of May 9, 2008, multicultural students accounted for 20.2% of applications received, a record high and a 2.4% increase over last year (compared to 18.1% in their statewide ae cohort, according to 2000 U.S. Census figures).
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Objective 3.3
By 2009, increase by 2% the recruitment and enrollment of transfer students.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Academic
Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs
Progress to Date:
Academic
Affairs Update:
Increase by 2% the recruitment and enrollment of transfer students (by 2009)
Transfer applications are currently down 11% compared with last year’s applicant pool. The top five feeder schools for transfer applicants are CCRI, URI, BCC, Johnson & Wales, and New England Tech (from the Division’s March 21, 2008 admissions report). Over 50% of transfer applications have traditionally come from CCRI. Of the top five feeder schools, we recruit principally from two community colleges. We have increased our recruitment efforts and programming for CCRI students, but for the first time in the 2008-09 applicant pool the College is experiencing the impact of CCRI’s vigorous efforts to promote the Joint Admissions Agreement or JAA (whereby students spend two years at CCRI before coming to the College), rather than regular transfers to the four-year institutions which regularly occurred after one year of study at the community college level.
As a result of the growth in JAA, overall transfer deposits are down 6.6%, and traditional transfers are down 2.4% (as of May 9, 2008). Nonetheless, we are experiencing success in the yield (percentage of admits resulting in deposits) of transfers, with the highest yield in the past five years. Yield is at 35% as of May, 2008 and is up 1.6% over last year and 17.2% over 2004. Hence, for those students who do wish to transfer, we are finding a large percentage who are qualified and willing to commit to the College.
Again, the retention rates remain consistent with prior years. We look forward to seeing positive impacts from various developmental education initiatives, including Pathways Through Colleges and the Bridges Program, as well as from more robust offerings through the Math Development Center and OASIS tutoring services. The College will be monitoring the impacts of universal (mandatory) academic advising which went to scale, College-wide during the spring of 2008 (after a highly successful pilot run through the English Department and BSW Program in the fall of 2007). Recent physical changes on campus, including a new residence hall and revitalized student activities, are likely to have a positive impact on retention rates, particularly for out of state students.
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Objective 3.4
Beginning with Fall 2008, sophomore to junior year, and junior to senior year retention will increase by 1% per year.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs
Progress to Date:
The move toward universal advising, which has been
endorsed by a resolution of the Council of Rhode Island College, is intended to
have a significant impact on year-to-year retention, but especially for rising
juniors and seniors. Commencing with the spring 2008 semester, every degree
student will be assigned to an advisor, either within his/her academic
department or through OASIS. The Office of Institutional Research will provide
periodic reports to the working group to monitor retention trends. The Office of
the Dean of Students will conduct periodic surveys of students who choose to
leave the institution to ascertain why they plan not to return to the
institution.
The addition of 367 additional residence hall beds allows the College to attract
more out-of-state students with the promise of on-campus housing. In addition,
the growing interest on the part of current students in student activities,
new student organizations, intercollegiate athletics, club sports, and recreational
activities serve to support this effort.
1/24/08
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Objective 3.5
Beginning with Fall 2009, decrease by 1% per year the gap in retention between minority students and other students.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs
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Objective 3.6
Beginning with Fall 2009, decrease by 1% per year the gap in retention between out-of-state and in-state students.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs
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Objective 3.7
By Spring 2010, decrease by 1% per year the graduation gap between minority students and other students.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs
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Objective 3.8
By Spring 2010, decrease by 1% per year the graduation gap between Pell Grant recipients and other students.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs
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Objective 3.9
By June 2008, explore the feasibility of expanding opportunities to deliver
instruction and services using alternative schedules, methods, and formats,
including distance learning options; identify potential departments and programs
that may participate.
Primary Responsibility: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Affairs,
Vice President for Administration & Finance
Progress to Date:
Beginning with the Fall 07 semester the Counseling Center placed a professional
staff member in the College Health Services two evenings a week and all early
indications are that these redeployed resources are being well used by students
who may not be able to access counseling services during normal daytime hours.
1/24/08
Administration and Finance Update:
While the use of WebCT continues to expand rapidly in the support of regular classroom instruction, Information Services reports no progress on this objective relative to alternative venues, but stands ready to participate perhaps on a committee to address this initiative to facilitate substantial completion by the end of the strategic planning period.
6/2/08
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