Subgoal 2: Assure the Recruitment and Retention of a High Quality, Diverse Student Body.

MTU and the SBE have a goal of recruiting a high quality and diverse student body. Unfortunately, enrollments in the SBE have been declining (see Attachment 1, an enrollment management report used in the AACSB accreditation process, page 6).

TABLE 3. Total SBE Enrollments (Fall Count).

Year	Student Head Count
1988	386
1989	353
1990	335
1991	346
1992	340
1993	271
1994	292
1995	273
1996	239

Three factors beyond the SBE’s control have contributed to this decline.

1. College enrollment generally has declined, as reflected in degrees conferred (see Attachment 1, page 1).
2. Interest in business curricula has also declined (see Attachment 1, page 2).
3. Because the SBE has traditionally received about half of its students from internal transfers, MTU’s depressed enrollments, particularly in engineering, have hurt the SBE’s enrollments as well (see Attachment 1, page 5).

In addition, recruiting at MTU is sometimes more difficult because the University is located far from major population centers.

In order to address the enrollment problem, the School has a number of initiatives. We have:

Step	Action
1.	Established 2+2 programs with targeted Michigan community colleges, similar to the one which currently exists with MTU’s School of Technology.
2.	Targeted selected high schools in the region for recruiting.
3.	Contacted students, within the SBE’s service region, with acceptable ACT scores and who have expressed an interest in business.
4.	Established a call-back system for high school students who express an interest in the SBE.
5.	Aimed a more aggressive marketing effort at internal transfers, especially "wavering" majors, and at potential dual-degree candidates [6.4A, Activities 15, page 27].

As this recruiting effort progresses, we must direct special attention to attracting minority students in order to improve the diversity of the SBE’s student body. However, some diversity exists (see Figure 1) because of foreign students (see Attachment 1, page 5), especially Asians, and because the SBE’s students are exposed to students in other majors, particularly engineering, in SBE courses.

FIGURE 1. SBE Undergraduate Student Enrollment Data - Diversity

Enrollment since 1988 in the SBE, as well as the percentage female enrollment, is given in Figure 2 below based on records for the fall term of the given academic year.

FIGURE 2. SBE Undergraduate Student Enrollment Data.

The SBE has a goal of increasing retention rates. Compared to the College of Engineering at MTU, SBE retention rates are lower (see Attachment 1, pages 9 and 10). However, these figures need to be interpreted with caution. They are retention rates within the University, based on a student’s initial major. Nonetheless, the SBE’s retention rates are of concern and related to many things, including the curriculum which has already been discussed. Part of retention is providing a supportive environment which helps students develop the tools necessary to succeed in this academic environment. The two seminar courses, BA250 and BA450, are partly designed to encourage students to help themselves in planning for a successful academic and professional career. The School has recognized, however, that additional initiatives are needs. Therefore, the Dean’s office now interviews students when they graduate to get feedback about improvements which are needed. The University’s current work to develop a better evaluation of teaching effectiveness should also help. The position of Coordinator of Academic Services has been increased to full time to help student mentoring and counseling, as called for in the AACSB plan [6.4A, Activity 2, page 28]. Finally, additional seed money for student groups and organizations is needed and is called for in the AACSB plan [6.4A, Activity 3, page 28].

Subgoal 3: Provide an Environment that Enhances the Quality of Student Life.

A new SBE Student Handbook for undergraduates (Attachment 2) has been designed to help students understand what is expected of them and how to get the most from their undergraduate experience in the SBE. The handbook also has a list of student organizations associated with business (see Attachment 2, page 82). These student organizations include Phi Gamma Nu (the professional business fraternity), Omicron Delta Epsilon (the international honor society for economics), Kappa Sigma Iota (the accounting club), and Alpha Kappa Psi (the social business fraternity). In the past, there was a marketing/management club and a data processing management club. These may be renewed if sufficient student interest warrants it.

The dean of the SBE receives input from students both informally and formally. An important formal process by which the dean receives student input is through the Dean’s Advisory Council. This Council is made up of representatives from the active student groups.

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