The University Senate of Michigan Technological University


PROPOSAL 8-00

SENATE RESOLUTION ON RECRUITMENT AND ENROLLMENT

The University Senate of Michigan Technological University appreciates the time and energy behind Gary Neumann's recent presentation concerning Enrollment Management, and thanks him for answering the questions identified by the Senate. In response to that presentation, the Senate offers the following recommendations.

ACTION ITEMS

1. MICHIGAN TECH MUST ENGAGE IN TARGETED MARKETING.

2. MICHIGAN TECH'S ADMISSIONS STANDARDS MUST NOT EMPHASIZE QUANTITY OVER QUALITY.

3. MICHIGAN TECH NEEDS TO ESTABLISH AN ON-CAMPUS ADVISORY COMMITTEE DEALING WITH ENROLLMENT ACTIVITIES AND POLICIES.

4. MICHIGAN TECH SHOULD DISAGGREGATE RECRUITING PROJECTIONS AND SHOW TARGETS FOR EACH COLLEGE.

5. MICHIGAN TECH'S ADMINISTRATION MUST RECOGNIZE THAT BRINGING ADDITIONAL STUDENTS INTO "OVERSUBSCRIBED" PROGRAMS GENERATES ADDITIONAL COSTS AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL REVENUE, AND MAY PUT MTU IN EVEN GREATER FINANCIAL PERIL.

EXPLANATION

1. MICHIGAN TECH MUST ENGAGE IN TARGETED MARKETING.

The dynamics of higher education in Michigan and the changing expectations of college-age students no longer guarantee they will enroll here automatically, so we must have a marketing program. The payoffs of such an effort will not be instantaneous. But the Senate believes it is imperative that a tightly-targeted marketing initiative be developed that reflects:

The University's effort to identify optimal enrollments for individual academic units.

Attempts to inform students that Michigan Tech offers more than engineering.

A desire to increase enrollment in "undersubscribed" programs.

The Senate asks the following question: Is the current marketing effort likely to draw the attention of high school students and their parents to Tech's non-engineering areas of study?

2. MICHIGAN TECH'S ADMISSION STANDARDS MUST NOT EMPHASIZE QUANTITY OVER QUALITY.

The Senate has previously urged that budgetary concerns not affect enrollment or retention standards (e.g., Proposal 13-98: Senate Resolution on the 1998-99 University Budget). We reiterate those concerns here. Both the short- and long-term costs, monetary and otherwise, of recruiting and admitting students poorly prepared for challenging courses of study are too high to allow for this strategy.

3. MICHIGAN TECH NEEDS TO ESTABLISH AN ON-CAMPUS ADVISORY COMMITTEE DEALING WITH ENROLLMENT ACTIVITIES AND POLICIES.

The Senate recommends that this group include, faculty, staff, academic administrators, and enrollment management professionals and that it be charged with recommending the parameters and goals for recruitment and admissions efforts (markets to be targeted, the numbers of students, the mix of those students, optimal recruitment strategies, the division of labor to be used in pursuing admissions efforts, the correlation of financial aid and admissions programs, etc.) Faculty and staff not only have a vested interest in the success of admissions activities, but also a responsibility to assist those efforts. Cooperation is vital so that academic units know the challenges faced in recruiting and attracting students, and so that Enrollment Management professionals understand the aspirations and goals of academic units. The charge to the committee should be to achieve better agreement about, and coordination of, recruitment and marketing activities at Michigan Tech.

4. MICHIGAN TECH SHOULD DISAGGREGATE RECRUITING PROJECTIONS AND SHOW TARGETS FOR EACH COLLEGE.

Currently, Michigan Tech presents a total enrollment goal, often in the context of budgetary projections. The reporting arrangement recommended here will more sharply delineate the University's progress in attracting students to "undersubscribed" programs. The Senate recognizes that the existing reputation of MTU as "an engineering only school" will not be changed overnight, but this proposed reporting mechanism will serve to highlight the desire to expand enrollments in other areas of the University.

5. MICHIGAN TECH'S ADMINISTRATION MUST RECOGNIZE THAT BRINGING ADDITIONAL STUDENTS INTO "OVERSUBSCRIBED" PROGRAMS GENERATES ADDITIONAL COSTS AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL REVENUE, AND MAY PUT MTU IN EVEN GREATER FINANCIAL PERIL.

For several years, the Senate has expressed concern about the impact of more students in programs without spare capacity (e.g., Committee Report on Proposal 25-99, BS in Computer Engineering; and Proposal 22-99, Marginal Cost/Revenue Information). While not favoring enrollment caps, which create their own problems, the Senate strongly reiterates its position that budgeting scenarios not automatically assume every student generates additional general fund revenue. (See Proposal 13-98, Senate Resolution on the 1998-99 University Budget.) We hope that information from the strategic planning modeling group will provide a more complete understanding of such costs.

The Senate respectfully requests a response from the administration concerning these recommendations.

Adopted by Senate: March 22, 2000