November 11, 2020 - Strategic Enrollment Planning Update
Dear Faculty and Staff,
I write to you today with an update on our university’s Strategic Enrollment Planning process. As you know, we launched this year-long process in September 2019 to develop the university’s first-ever strategic enrollment management plan focused on long-term enrollment growth and aligning our efforts to meet the educational, financial and material needs of our students and university.
We contracted with RNL during this process and engaged nearly 100 stakeholders from across the university to bring a collaborative, holistic, data-informed and action-focused approach to enrollment management. Though the pandemic slowed our timeline, we are now preparing a draft plan to share with the campus community for review and comment in December.
This draft plan will include actions and investments that focus on enrollment facilitation, student retention and success, academic programs and pathways, and marketing, outreach and advocacy. I am pleased to share that – at this time of budgetary constraints – the University of Missouri System and President Mun Choi has committed a total of $5 million in catalyst funding to launch and sustain our five-year plan.
It is important to remember that enrollment growth requires more than just a focus on new student recruitment. It also requires us all – no matter our individual role – to collectively welcome, engage and support our students throughout their academic journey to best retain and ultimately transform UMSL students into UMSL graduates.
I look forward to sharing the draft strategic enrollment plan with you next month and to working with each of you to make it a success for our students and university community.
Sincerely,
Kristin Sobolik
Chancellor
University of Missouri–St. Louis