Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan for University of Wisconsin Whitewater

Transcription

1 Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan for University of Wisconsin Whitewater I. What are our goals?...1 II. III. What have our past enrollment results been?...1 Table 1: UW-Whitewater Headcount Enrollment 1980 to 2011 Table 2: Admission/Enrollment Number of New Freshmen Fall 2009, 2010, 2011 Table 3: Admission/Enrollment Number of Transfer Students Fall 2009, 2010, 2011 Table 4: Applications/Enrolling at UW-Whitewater After Attending Admissions Event What is the Academic Profile of our incoming students?...3 IV. Environmental Scan (Planning Assumptions)...4 Student Demographics Affecting Recruitment Table 5: Top 10 Countries Sending Students to Study in the U.S. 2009/10 to 2010/11 Table 6: Enrollment at Regional UW Colleges and Universities 2001/02 to 2010/11 Financial Factors Impacting Student Enrollment Table 7: Endowment, Aid, and Student Loan Data by UW Institution SWOT Implications Affecting Recruitment & Enrollment Top Feeder High Schools Chart 1: Top Feeder Schools new first-year students Table 8: UW-Whitewater Top Feeder High Schools by Enrolled Students Table 9: UW-Whitewater Top Feeder Transfer Schools by Enrolled Students Top Competitors New Majors and Programs Table 10: Number of New Undergraduate Programs by UW Institution V. What are our target recruitment numbers?...9 Table 11: and Proposed Target Recruitment Numbers by Type VI. VII. VIII. IX. Who are we targeting?...10 How do we communicate our message?...11 What is the Recruitment Plan?...11 How do we measure success?...12 Appendix I: Tables and Charts Table 12: Table 13: Chart 2: Table 14: Table 15: Table 16: Chart 3: Table 17: Table 18: Table 19: Table 20: Academic Profile of New First Year Students by Type.13 Academic Profile of Transfer Students by Type 13 Wisconsin High School Enrollment Changes Demographics of 17 county regional area (S. Wisconsin/N. Illinois) by County.14 UW-Whitewater Current Undergraduate Enrollment by County.15 Enrollment at Wisconsin Private Colleges and Universities 2001/02 to 2010/11.15 Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats: Strategic Planning Retreat Summer List of local, regional and national college fairs attended and Enrollment of Transfer Students by University Type and by Program 22 Approximate Enrollment by County for UW-Madison, 2001, International Students Attending UW-Whitewater by County Fall

2 Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan for University of Wisconsin Whitewater I. What are our goals? 1. To achieve optimal enrollments. 2. To support the mission of the University To position UW-W as the institution of first choice among its students. 4. To provide quality services and improve processes and communication. 5. To link enrollment to budget estimates for the University. II. What have our past enrollment results been? Table 1: University of Wisconsin Whitewater Headcount Enrollment 1980 to ,557 11,615 Total Enrollment 2,044 1,980 First Year Class ,687 10,566 10,810 10,842 10,955 10,769 10,502 10,737 10,962 11,139 2,077 1,895 2,035 1,833 1,762 1,712 1,805 2,063 2,154 1, ,841 11,011 11,046 10,897 10,897 10,594 10,679 10,808 10,816 10,841 1,953 1,819 1,785 1,846 1,704 1,900 1,842 1,914 1,931 1, ,006 10,212 10,321 10,493 10,737 11,027 10,901 10,843 10,458 11,022 1,836 Source: UW System (1989 to 2011) and UW-Whitewater (1980 to 1989) enrollment data The University of Wisconsin Whitewater (UW-W) enrollment has been stable between 10,006 and 11,615 over the past thirty-two years (Table 1). UW-W has exceeded the 11,000 student plateau on four different occasions ( , , , 2009-current) during that time. UW-W has experienced the highest enrollment occurring the past three years ( ). UW-Whitewater has grown each of the past five years since with growth totaling 10.6% (1,113 students). The size of the first year class has fluctuated between 1,704 ( ) and 2,154 ( ). Table 2: Admission/Enrollment Number of New Freshmen Fall 2009, 2010, 2011 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled Wisconsin 4,389 3,228 1,456 4,094 3,149 1,508 4,077 3,089 1,145 WI Minority 1, , , WI Covenant NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 327 Illinois IL Minority Other Non-Resident Other NR Minority International Adult* (age >=25) Military*/** TOTAL New Freshmen 6,500 4,461 1,921 6,309 4,477 2,019 6,653 4,607 1,989 * Adult and students with military experience are counted in the state data ** Military includes: disabled veteran, Montgomery, National Guard, National Guard Reserve, Active Reserve, or Post P age

3 Over the past three years, new undergraduates from Wisconsin have remained steady (Table 2). The number on underrepresented minority students has remained steady over the past three years with approximately 260 new students each year. UW-Whitewater s growth has been seen in the number of students from Illinois. The number of students from Illinois has risen from 10.5% of the first year class in 2009 to over 14% in Students from non-wisconsin/illinois has decreased from 2009 to 2011, but remains a relatively small group compared to Wisconsin and Illinois students. The number of new, first year international students remained small during this time period; first year adult students and students with military experience together account for 1% of all first year students and have decreased slightly over the past two years. For tracking purposes of this report, students who are at least 25 years old are considered Adult students. Table 3: Admission/Enrollment Number of Transfer Students Fall 2009, 2010, 2011 Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled WI Transfer 1, , , IL Transfer Other Transfer Adult Transfer (inc) Military Transfer (inc)* Total Transfer 1, , , inc = Adult and Military transfer students are not included in the totals as they are counted within the state data * military includes: disabled veteran, Montgomery, National Guard, National Guard Reserve, Active Reserve, or Post 911; this does not spouses or children. Table 3 shows that there has been some growth with transfer students, particularly between Fall 2009 and Fall There has been significant growth in the number of transfer students from Illinois students, but the size of that group is approximately 10% of the Wisconsin transfer population. Adult students and students with military experience account for over 15% and 3% of all transfer students respectively. Table 4: Applications/Enrolling at UW-Whitewater After Attending Admissions Event Enroll year Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Visit year ALL Apply Admit Enroll ALL Apply Admit Enroll ALL Apply Admit Enroll Campus visit Wheels to UWW Premiere Day NA HS visit College Fair Campus visit 1,098 1, , Wheels to UWW Premiere Day NA HS visit College Fair No event XXXX 5,111 3,465 1,382 Campus visit 1,569 1, , Wheels to UWW Premiere Day HS visit College Fair No event XXXX 4,536 3,146 1,268 Campus visit 1,641 1, Wheels to UWW Premiere Day HS visit College Fair No event XXXX 4,555 3,004 1,141 Enrollment data would not be complete without including information on recruitment activities. Admissions staff are involved in a number of recruitment activities from on-campus events such as Campus Visits, Wheels to Whitewater, and Premiere Days. Counselors also visit regional high schools and state, regional, and national 2 P age

4 college fairs to recruit students. Table 4 shows data regarding visits with prospective students. The upper left corner box (row /column 2009) are juniors entering UW-Whitewater in Fall Some data is outside the two years prior to enrollment, both before and after, but that is not included in this chart for clarity reasons. Most of the students who meet with an Admissions staff member and enrolled in UW-Whitewater either came for a campus tour or a Premiere day. The row and the 2009 Fall column show the high school seniors who entered UW-W in 2009 where 535 came for a campus visit. High school juniors are the row above and entered UW-W a year later. It is disconcerting that the majority of new students entering UW-Whitewater did not have an official meeting with a UW-Whitewater admissions person or attend an event. However, many of the students who visited campus for a summer camp, music activity or event may have not had contact with a staff member from the Admissions office, but they need to be considered. Further, when group tours are given, the groups do not fill out visit cards or contact information, so there are many opportunities when prospective students were on campus and not counted in official numbers. III. What is the Academic Profile of our incoming students? The academic profile of our traditional-aged undergraduates (Appendix 1: Table 12) has remained relatively constant over the past five years. Students attending UW-Whitewater, on average, have a 22.3 average ACT score, a high school GPA, and rank in the mid-sixtieth percentile of their high school class. Over the past five years UW-Whitewater averages 120 new students (6% of the class) with an ACT composite of 28 or over, which places their score in the top 10% of all test takers nationally (ACTstudent.org). Likewise, UW-Whitewater averages 93 new students (5% of the class) with an ACT composite of 16 or below, which places their score in the bottom 20% of all test takers. The majority (64%) of UW-Whitewater students have an ACT composite between 21 and 27, or the 55 th percentile to the 89 th percentile (UW-Whitewater Institutional Research, 2011; ). Underrepresented minority students from Wisconsin have a significantly lower average ACT of compared to the overall average of for Fall The non-resident and Illinois ACT were above the Wisconsin minority rates, on average, by over 1.5 points. But, their high school GPA was almost identical and their high school rank was significantly lower than both the overall average and Wisconsin minority average. Data is also important about sub-groups of the incoming student body. Illinois residents have a very similar student profile. Their ACT scores are slightly higher, high school GPA are almost identical, but the high school rank is about 5 points lower. The number of other non-residents is relatively small (24 in Fall 2011) and they have a slightly lower academic profile across the board. Nearly all adult students and students with military experience come in as transfer students, only 25 new first-year students compared to 126 transfer students between the two groups for Fall The first-year adult students have average ACT, but lower high school GPA and class rank. The same is true for the students with military experience, but the numbers of those students is really too small to compare to the larger number in the overall first-year class. The academic profile of our Transfer Students (Appendix 1: Table 13) is typically lower in terms of ACT score (0.5 to 1.0 points across all categories), high school GPA (approximately.10 for non-residents and.25 for WI residents), and high school rank (approximately 2-3% points lower for non-residents and 7-9% points lower for WI residents). Thus, it appears our transfer students, who many are also classified as Adult and students with military experience and thus have completed high school or the ACT exam a number of years ago, score lower on many of the standardized exams and rankings. It is also interesting to note, the number of credits of students who apply to UW-Whitewater and those who actually enroll vary from the low 60s to the mid 30s (apply vs. enroll). Thus, it appears that many students are looking to see if the high number of credits they have earned elsewhere will transfer to UW-Whitewater, and they do not. 3 P age

5 IV. Environmental Scan (Planning Assumptions) The following environmental factors impact the strategic enrollment plan: A. Student Demographics Affecting Recruitment: 1. The number of high school graduates in Wisconsin (Appendix 1: Chart 2) decreased slightly from 1,369,000 in 2000 to 1,335,000 (2.5% decline) in 2010; starting in 2010 there will now be a slow increase of high school graduate to 1,445,000 (8% growth) in In our metropolitan markets, Milwaukee and Racine will see slower growth while Madison and Kenosha will see significant growth above the state average during the next 20 years (Wisconsin Population 2030, Wisconsin Demographic Services Center, 2004). 2. The ethnic composition in Wisconsin is 83.3% Caucasian, 6.3% percent African American, 5.9% Latino, 1.0% American Indian, 1.0% Asian and 1.8% of the population reporting 2 or more races (US Census Bureau 2010). The racial diversity in the state is changing with substantial growth in two specific groups Hispanics and Asian Americans primarily of Hmong decent. There has been a 114% increase of the Hispanic population ( ) to over 335,000 and 106% increase in Hmong ( ) population in Wisconsin to over 47,000 in (Wisconsin s Public School Enrollment: Past, Present, & Future, 2007; Wisconsin's Hmong Population: 2000, 2002). The increase in Hispanic/Latino population has a relatively equal distribution across the state. The Hmong population is fairly concentrated in certain communities; near Whitewater those only include Milwaukee and Madison; most are located between Wausau/ Appleton or Sheboygan/ Manitowoc regions. With growth of nearly 15% from , the African-American population of 360,000 in Wisconsin live in four cities: Milwaukee, Racine, Beloit, Kenosha, with Milwaukee home to nearly three-fourths of the state's African-Americans (US Census data 2010). 3. Wisconsin residents have, on average higher rate of graduating from high school, but the percent of Wisconsin residents who are 25 years of age or older have not earned a bachelor s degree or higher is lower than the US average (U.S. Census, 2000). This is true of 12 of the 17 surrounding counties surrounding UW- Whitewater (Appendix I: Table 14). Thus, the perceived benefits of attending higher education may not be supported as much as in other areas, but the ability to serve more adult students is notable. Studying the population of the surrounding counties gives an estimate of the number of people to target. Using current enrollment data by county (Appendix 1: Table 15) provides further data on future recruitment. 4. The number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities rose 4.7% to 723,277 during the academic year, a record number of students studying abroad in the U.S. The top countries sending students to the U.S. is summarized in Table 5. Table 5: Top 10 Countries Sending Students to Study in the U.S. 2009/10 to 2010/11 Rank Place of Origin 2009/ /11 % of Total Total % Change WORLD TOTAL 690, , China 127, , India 104, , South Korea 72,153 73, Canada 28,145 27, Taiwan 26,685 24, Saudi Arabia 15,810 22, Japan 24,842 21, Vietnam 13,112 14, Mexico 13,450 13, Turkey 12,397 12, Institute of International Education, There is increased competition from universities in Wisconsin and in surrounding states in recruiting academically qualified, traditional-aged college students. The growth of regional UW universities (Table 6), namely UW-Milwaukee and UW-Oshkosh indicate competition in the region. UW-Milwaukee s first year class has grown 40% in the past ten years. The growth in the UW-Colleges On-line suggests potential 4 P age

6 growth marketing complete on-line degrees both within UW-Whitewater and for transfer students to UW-Whitewater from the Colleges. Table 6: Enrollment at Regional UW Colleges and Universities 2001/02 to 2010/ % Change UW-Whitewater 10,566 11, % UW-Madison 41,159 42, % UW-Milwaukee 24,648 30, % UW-Oshkosh 11,994 13, % UW-Parkside 5,068 5, % UW-Rock County 991 1, % UW-Washington County 942 1, % UW-Waukesha 2,253 2, % UW-Colleges Online 148 1, % Source: UW System and institutional websites, Further, six private institutions in the region (Appendix 1: Table 16), Alverno College, Carroll University, Carthage College, Concordia University Wisconsin, Mount Mary College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, have all indicated they are at record enrollments. Further, the growth of UW-Colleges, especially Rock County, Washington County, and UW-Colleges On-line may have a significant impact on recruiting traditional-aged students from those areas. As UW-Whitewater recruits more students from Illinois, there are other UW universities recruiting in the area. UW-Oshkosh has increased recruiting in Illinois and offers the MSEP rate (which is 150% of resident tuition rates) to Illinois students. UW-Parkside offered in-state tuition to Illinois residents, but is now offering the MSEP rate. B. Financial Factors Impacting Student Enrollment: 1. New freshmen entering UW-Whitewater have fewer financial resources compared to peer institutions in the state. Table 7: Endowment, Aid, and Student Loan Data by UW Institution UW Institution Endowment per FTE Institutional Grant Aid Avg Student Loan Debt $ amount Rank % Receiving Avg $ % w/loan Avg Debt Whitewater $ % $1,412 72% $24,739 Eau Claire $2, % $1,548 72% $22,571 Green Bay $ % $2,754 76% $22,321 La Crosse $1, % $ % $23,411 Madison $43, % $2,628 59% $24,717 Milwaukee $2, % $3,341 74% $29,019 Oshkosh $1, % $1,375 73% $27,808 Parkside $ % $3,131 72% $25,324 Platteville $1, % $ % $22,655 River Falls $1, % $1,417 81% $22,805 Steven s Point $3, % $1,259 74% $24,467 Stout $1, % $1,421 78% $27,688 Superior $3, % $3,519 87% $25,081 Source: 2009 IPEDS data; UW System loan data 2009/10 According to data submitted by the individual institutions to the Department of Education, UW-Whitewater ranks near the bottom of the other state institutions in terms of endowment (Table 7). Endowment is measured by full time equivalent (FTE) where a student enrolled in 12 credits is considered 1 FTE. Approximately 5% of the university s endowment is used for annual scholarships. Thus, the lower the endowment, the lower the amount of annual scholarships. As scholarships are often used in recruiting students to UW-Whitewater, the higher the amount of financial aid that is available, the easier it is to recruit students considering other institutions. 5 P age

7 C. SWOT Implications: On August 9, 2011 UW-Whitewater s Provost held a strategic planning retreat for her staff. During the retreat a SWOT analysis (Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats) was conducted. Following each section of the SWOT was an implications section and below is a summary of that section that ties to enrollment. Strengths: The number of underrepresented minority students who have graduated has risen, but with more underrepresented students the percentage graduating has not moved much recently. We have a higher rate of minority students than other UW campuses. Why do our High Impact practices not match national level results? Small community (weakness or strength?) Weaknesses: What do we need to do to create an identity? How can we improve resource base? How can we improve access to data? Learning as a campus changing our mindset regarding UW System. Opportunities: Branding/identify marketing Plan for growth initiatives Focus on mission Priorities Need to stay nimble, flexible Diversify money so not so state-dependent Threats: State System interferences Questions about money Competition Perception that our campus not as great as UW-Madison D. Top Feeder Schools: Recruitment efforts at UW-Whitewater need to come from many factors. Recruitment can occur passively when a student attends an event (athletic, music, summer camp) on the UW-Whitewater campus with no contact from a UW-W staff member. Active recruitment occurs on and off-campus. Off-campus recruitment occurs at local high schools during school visits and after school college event nights. Wisconsin Educational Fairs (WEFs) have been important to share the message of UW-Whitewater to high school counselors across the state. UW-W attends the 23 fairs. Other off-campus recruitment occurs at local, regional, and national college fairs (Appendix 1: Table 17). As indicated in Table 4: Applications/Enrolling at UW-Whitewater After Attending Admissions Event, there has been only modest sustained contact with regional high schools over the past several years. This lack of contact has led to few students having personal contact with UW-Whitewater Admissions staff in their school. As a result, few students who apply and enroll at UW-Whitewater have had an admissions representative in their school. Understanding where our students come from is important and understanding which high schools send the most students to UW-Whitewater. A list of the Top 100 high schools was developed using five years of data from A list of the top 25 schools are noted on Chart 1 and are listed in Table 8. All top 25 feeder high schools come from within the 11 county regional area in Wisconsin. In the 2008 Equity Scorecard Project, the goal of this initiative was to achieve equity in educational outcomes for all students, especially students of color. A regional map (used below) was included and student demographics from the 13 counties in Wisconsin were studied. For this report, the additional four counties in Illinois were also added to provide insight to the students recruited in Illinois. 6 P age

8 Chart 1: Top Feeder Schools new first-year students / / Winnebago Co, IL Boone Co, IL McHenry Co, IL Lake Co, IL Table 8: UW-Whitewater Top Feeder High Schools by Enrolled Students Rank School Name Prospects Applicants Admits Enrolled 1 Arrowhead HS Mukwonago HS Tremper HS Whitewater HS Milton HS Joseph A Craig HS Elkhorn HS Muskego HS Central HS - Westosha Beloit Memorial HS Fort Atkinson HS Waukesha West HS George Parker HS Menomonee Falls HS Burlington HS Oak Creek Senior HS Kettle Moraine HS Germantown HS Hartford Union HS Badger HS Eisenhower HS Verona Area HS Waukesha HS North Jerome I Case Sr HS Oconomowoc HS P age

9 E. Top Feeder Transfer Schools Table 9: UW-Whitewater Top Feeder Transfer Schools by Enrolled Students Rank School Name Prospects Applicants Admits Enrolled 1 Madison Area Technical College 3,834 2,459 2,002 1,676 2 UW Rock County 3,071 2,158 1,770 1,466 3 UW Waukesha 2,632 1,645 1,419 1,259 4 UW Milwaukee 2,132 1, Gateway Technical College 1, UW Parkside 1, Milwaukee Area Tech College 1, UW Platteville UW - Madison UW - Stevens Point Blackhawk Technical College College Of Lake County UW La Crosse UW Oshkosh Waukesha Co Tech College Understanding our top institutions where students transfer from is also important (Table 9). As UW colleges such as UW- Rock County and UW-Washington County grow (Table 6), transfer programs need to be enhanced communication between the potential student and UW-W1. Institutions such as UW-Rock County, Milwaukee Area Tech, and College of Lake County all had higher enrollments at UW-Whitewater in 2011 than the five year average; thus, there is growth in students transferring from those schools. Further, as new majors are developed (i.e. Computer Science, Environmental Science), agreements need to updated or initiated as appropriate. Appendix 1: Table 18 shows the academic programs transfer students enroll in and differentiates enrollment in programs by students from UW universities, UW colleges and Technical institutions. It is surprising that during that time there was almost equal enrollments by institution type (university/college/tech). As mentioned, a list of academic programs students transfer into is in Appexdix 1: Table 18. During those four years that data was collected, it is not unexpected that the top transfer program was Pre-Business, but this may change now that students are declaring a specific program. Further the top 9 programs were the same regardless of institution type. F. Top Competitors by Institution (comparable with multiple applications): Although 75% of UW-Whitewater s applicants only submit an admissions application to only 1 institution (UW- Whitewater), another 15% submit applications to two UW institutions. There 25% of students who submit applications to the UW System submit multiple applications. There is a need to determine the major competitors for UW-Whitewater students based on these multiple applications. This information has been requested, but has not been received. Other data suggests that competition is also growing in region. UW-Madison posts recruitment by county. This data, as seen in Appendix 1: Table 19, indicates a significant drop of students from Milwaukee County. This would also confirm the growth at UW-Milwaukee and an increase in the number of students they recruit locally. Although regional recruitment at UW-Madison seems to have decreased, as seen in drop of the number of students enrolled from regional counties, a few counties, namely Kenosha, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha, have seen a significant amount of growth. Thus, more competition for UW-Whitewater in those counties. 8 P age

10 G. New majors or programs: Table 10: Number of New Undergraduate Programs by UW Institution UW Institution New Programs UW Institution New Programs Whitewater 3 Parkside 5 Eau Claire 7 Platteville 2 Green Bay 3 River Falls 5 La Crosse 3 Steven s Point 8 Madison 5 Stout 15 Milwaukee 8 Superior 3 Oshkosh 9 Average* 5.3 * Three programs (Health & Wellness Mgt, Japanese Studies, and Sustainable Mgt are counted in each institutional total, but not in the overall total) New majors and programs draw students to consider attending a university. In the UW System since there have been 69 new undergraduate programs in the UW system (Table 10). In addition, the UW Colleges (UWC) students can now receive a bachelor's degree at their local campus. In the UWC collaborative bachelor's degree programs, UWC faculty teach the general education courses, and the cooperating UW baccalaureate institution faculty teach the courses in the specified major. The UW baccalaureate institution then awards the bachelor's degree upon completion of requirements of the degree program ( V. What are our target recruitment numbers? And what plans are in place to reach those numbers? Table 11: and Proposed Target Recruitment Numbers by Type 2011 Class 2012 Proposed Class 2013 Proposed Class 2014 Proposed Class WI New 1,145 1,210 1,205 1,210 WI Minority WI Covenant Illinois Illinois Minority Non-Resident Non-Resident Minority International Total New Freshmen 1,989 2,125 2,155 2,195 WI Transfer Illinois Transfer Non-Resident Transfer Total New Transfer OVERALL TOTAL 2,701 2,825 2,870 2,910 A. First-year class size Consistent with the UW-Whitewater Growth Agenda enrollment goals, the proposed new students first-year class size for the 2012 fall class will be 2,115 new first year students; the proposed 2013 fall class will be 2,155 students; the proposed 2014 fall class will be 2,195 students. These students will come primarily from Wisconsin (84%) and Illinois (13%). The remaining students will be other non-residents and international students. It is anticipated that additional students will be recruited from Illinois over time from 13% to 14% of the first year class. The proposed number of transfer students will also reflect the UW-Whitewater Growth Agenda enrollment goals. So, transfer student enrollments will remain approximately 700 students to meet these targets. It is also anticipated that the number of transfer students from Illinois will also grow slightly during this time period. 9 P age

11 B. Academic quality The academic quality of students recruited will be anticipated to remain the same for all target groups as identified in section III. VI. Who are we targeting for recruitment? For a long-term recruitment plan, all aspects of the recruitment process needs to be considered. Recruitment occurs whenever a prospective student encounters the university albeit from reading the local newspaper to a campus visit. Thus, UW-Whitewater needs to consider all facets of recruitment. There are two ways that students can find UW-Whitewater. First, the student can find the university. Among many ways, this occurs through web searches, high school counselor, or word-of-mouth. The other way is that UW-Whitewater can contact the student based on buying names or other sources. For students looking for Whitewater, or looking for programs UW-Whitewater offers, would need to have a solid web presence. This means identifying college search engines and making sure they have the appropriate information about UW-Whitewater (contact information, cost, majors, etc.). There would also have to be up-todate information provided to local high school counselors. This occurs through them attending a Wisconsin Education Fair (WEF), providing material during visits to high schools, mailing appropriate information to them, sending them updated links on our website, or having them visit UW-Whitewater. There is also the need to develop an appropriate word-of-mouth referrals to UW-Whitewater. Many universities use alumni in recruiting process. The other way to recruit students is to contact them. One such way used is to buying names through various sources. ACT and College Board (SAT) have been the primary suppliers of the college-bound students in the past as students take the PSAT/SAT or ACT for college enrollment. In the recent past UW-Whitewater has bought names sporadically targeting specific areas and groups. This is an easier way to find students who meet the institutional profile and to target specific populations of students. Search engines such as Colleges.com, CollegeSearch.com (College Board), and CampusProwler.com have all contacted UW-Whitewater looking to expand their business. UW-Whitewater has used CollegeWeekLive as one way of promoting the university in an on-line environment. This product allowed UW-Whitewater to have on-line booth for prospective students to visit. One of the strengths of the UW-Whitewater Admissions office is the in-house communication and letter generation process. The current system allows for tracking prospects, applicants and matriculated students. Other companies such as Datatel CRM Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) for Student Recruitment, Azorus' Social Media Intelligence, and Oracle On Demand provide similar services. Companies have also branched out into assisting students in their college search including Hobson and Zinch. Students enter data about their interests and the company profiles institutions that would be appropriate for them. The company also links with universities to buy names of selected prospects based on specific program interests and regional affiliation. However, companies like Zinch do not have the broad-based name base ACT or SAT may provide. Other companies such as LinkedIn and Brazen Careerist are focused on students graduating from college and are thus not used often in recruiting students. While CRM software may not be what UW-Whitewater needs, additional prospects and appropriate management of them is something to consider. The primary campus contact with prospective students occur through a number of campus visit venues including Warhawk Premiere Days, Wheels to Whitewater, departmental visit days, and summer conferences. Off-campus recruiting occurs through visiting high schools, college fairs, transfer college fairs. Each of these visits must be reviewed to see how/when the UW-Whitewater message is being delivered. Other recent developments in recruiting potential students is occurring with non-traditional and students with military background. Thus, contacting businesses to partner with them on specific programs or implementing tuition assistance programs will help recruit students to UW-Whitewater. Identifying military partners and developing long-term strategies to remain in contact with them and provide them on-going updates to garner further support will be a challenge. 10 P age

12 Another piece to off-campus recruitment occurs with international students. The UW-Whitewater Admissions office will have to work with the Center for Global Education and the International Education committee to determine a recruitment plan and assistance with developing long-term international partnerships. Table 5 provides some guidelines of possible areas to recruit from in the future. Another way to expand recruiting efforts is to use our current resources. Our current international students, (Appendix 1: Table 20: International Students Attending UW-Whitewater by County) may be a great asset to use in recruitment efforts to build additional students into the pipeline. Currently, the largest number of students from one country is from Saudi Arabia and these students are graduate students. The intent is to broaden our first-year incoming students from abroad. The fact that UW-W only enrolls one student from India and no students from South Korea, the second and third countries sending students to the United States each year is almost unheard of in most institutions. Further, communication with students who have expressed an interest in UW-Whitewater needs to further developed. Currently, students who have submitted their ACT scores and have not submitted an applications are not contacted. Further students who have submitted a FAFSA, but no application are also not sent information. A communication plan needs to be developed for these prospective students. Further, follow-up communication needs to occur with students who were high school juniors when they visited UW-Whitewater for a campus tour, Warhawk Premiere Day or Wheels to Whitewater program need to contacted. Recruiting of traditional students within the 80-mile radius of Whitewater will remain the focus of the Admissions office. As admissions recruitment becomes more competitive, additional steps will be taken to expand our reach into further markets outside our regional area to include Madison, Appleton/Oshkosh, and Kenosha/Racine in Wisconsin, and Rockford and Grayslake/McHenry in Illinois. VII. How do we communicate our message? The primary communication to prospective students is through a series of recruitment material including: Freshmen Admissions, Transfer Admissions, Majors and Minors, Campus Involvement, Cultural Opportunities, Adult Students, and Financing Your Education. The plan for the recruitment cycle is to create a consolidated viewbook. The last viewbook was in and was discontinued due to cost. Several UW-Whitewater admissions counselors produce their own newsletters. These newsletters provide monthly updates on the admissions process and share timely reminders about applying for housing, Plan-It-Purple and financial aid. The newsletters are usually targeted to specific populations (i.e. non-residents, Wisconsin Covenant). The intent for the next academic year is to design a template for each month to provide consistent information to all incoming students. A university specific piece is also given to all high school counselors who attend the one of a series of counselor workshops sponsored by UW Help. This document provides updates on new programs and university policies related to admissions (i.e. change in foreign language requirements, deadlines for FAFSA now March 1, etc.) Another general publication that is produced is compiled through UW System called Find Your Fit. This is a comprehensive viewbook with each institution receiving a 1-page layout and a half-page admission requirement page. This document is often given out at Wisconsin Education Fairs, Inc. (WEF) events that are located throughout the state each fall ( The UW-Whitewater admissions office has done very little direct marketing over the past few years. For example, small advertising projects have occurred with the Rockford RiverHawks and the Beloit Snappers in Billboards have been used by the College of Business, but not by the university as a whole. VIII. What is the Recruitment Plan? Plans for the recruitment cycle are being developed to include the traditional high school visits, regional college fairs and regional 2-year colleges. Each area will have a developed strategy with timelines and goals. There will be a focus on visiting our top 100 feeder high schools in Wisconsin at least once a year and the top 25 feeder high schools multiple times. Visit plans for our top feeder transfer institutions will also be developed. These visits will also include discussion with administrators on how to further develop articulation agreements with UW- Whitewater s new academic programs and enhance the current programs. 11 P age

13 The overall plan will include reviewing how and when campus visits are completed. As there are many types of campus visits, from Warhawk Premiere Days, Wheels to Whitewater, daily individual tours, large group tours and conferences, each type of contact will be have to reviewed. Expanded efforts in terms of additional Warhawk Premiere Days in the summer and a campus-wide Open House have been discussed. The WPD events will occur in July and August 2012 and the Open House early in Several of our targeted market areas including veterans, non-traditional/adult, and international will all have a plan developed around expanding our presence in those areas. With a new director of the Center for Global Education coming on board this summer, new and expanded efforts should be developed specifically in this area. An integral part of developing a wider target audience in 2012 and beyond will be working with vendors to find additional prospects. The Admissions office plans to use CollegeBoard, ACT and Zinch to buy student names that fit the academic profile of prospective students. Other social media sites such as CollegeWeekLive, Facebook and Twitter will be developed as marketing outlets to prospective students. Once the prospective students are identified, the appropriate recruitment material will be sent. Thus, as we develop the 2013 Viewbook, we need to make sure it is comprehensive and representative of the university. Further, continuous communication to prospective students will be at the forefront. Communication to prospective students before visits to high schools, evaluations of visits (both with counselors at schools/fairs and on campus) will be conducted, and throughout the year will be added. Admissions also looks to increase the advertising in upcoming years. This would include advertising at past venues such as with the Rockford Riverhawks and Beloit Snappers, but may also expand to other arenas as appropriate. Other advertising may include using Facebook ads or related electronic media. Further, more promotional material such as pens, folders, and t-shirts will be given to prospective students during campus visits. IX. How do we measure if we are being successful (Assessment)? A. There are a number of factors that can be used to measure recruitment success including: 1. Meet admissions targets/goals a) Increase the number of underrepresented minority students b) Increase the number of non-resident students c) Meet college/departmental/program recruitment goals 2. Maintain or increase student academic profile 3. Increase the retention rate of the first-year cohort 4. Increase the graduation rate of the first-year cohort 5. Increase the number of prospective students 6. Increase the number of campus visits 7. Increase the number of students who choose UW-Whitewater as their 1 st choice of colleges 12 P age

14 Appendix I: Supporting Charts WI New Freshman ACT (inc. minority/cov)hs GPA WI NF Minority ACT HS GPA WI NF Covenant ACT HS GPA IL-New Freshman ACT (inc. minority) HS GPA IL Minority NF ACT HS GPA Other Non Res NF ACT (inc. minority) HS GPA Other NR Minority ACT HS GPA Adult ACT HS GPA Military ACT HS GPA TOTAL New FreshmenACT HS GPA Table 12: Academic Profile of New First Year Students by Type Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA WI Transfer ACT HS GPA IL Transfer ACT HS GPA Other NR Transfer ACT HS GPA Total Transfer ACT HS GPA # of Credits Table 13: Academic Profile of Transfer Students by Type Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled Applied Admit Enrolled P age

15 Chart 2: Wisconsin High School Enrollment Source: Demographic Trends and Enrollment in Wisconsin s Public Schools, Winkler, et. al (2006). Table 14: Demographics of 17 county regional area (S. Wisconsin/N. Illinois) by County 2012 HS County % Under % HS College Median Graduates Graduates Income 2009 Graduates Pop (2010) 18 y.o. Caucasian Columbia , % 95.8% 89.8% 19.6% $52,967 Dane 5, , % 84.7% 93.9% 44.4% $58,002 Dodge , % 93.8% 86.3% 15.0% $50,483 Green , % 96.6% 90.0% 18.3% $51,030 Jefferson 1,118 83, % 94.0% 88.0% 21.3% $53,261 Kenosha 2, , % 83.8% 87.2% 22.0% $52,914 Milwaukee 13, , % 60.6% 84.7% 26.8% $42,012 Ozaukee 1,235 86, % 94.9% 94.5% 42.2% $73,830 Racine 2, , % 79.7% 86.6% 22.4% $52,063 Rock 2, , % 87.6% 87.7% 19.6% $49,347 Walworth 1, , % 91.9% 89.1% 25.2% $50,097 Washington 1, , % 95.8% 92.0% 25.9% $61,756 Waukesha 5, , % 93.3% 94.7% 38.4% $72,982 WISCONSIN Avg. 5,686, % 86.2% 89.0% 25.5% $49,994 Boone Co, IL 54, % 84.4% 85.8% 19.3% $60,425 Lake Co, IL 703, % 75.1% 88.0% 40.9% $76,336 McHenry Co, IL 308, % 90.1% 91.1% 31.2% $74,669 Winnebago Co, IL 295, % 77.4% 83.8% 20.5% $44,390 ILLINOIS Avg. 12,830, % 71.5% 85.7% 29.8% $53, P age

16 Table 15: UW-Whitewater Current Undergraduate Enrollment by County (13 counties in WI; 4 counties in IL) Columbia Dane 1,047 1,050 1,054 Dodge Green Jefferson Kenosha Milwaukee Ozaukee Racine Rock Walworth Washington Waukesha 1,432 1,469 1,425 ALL other Wisconsin 1,392 1,472 1,418 Boone Co, IL Lake Co, IL McHenry Co, IL Winnebago Co, IL ALL other Illinois ALL other non-wi/il ALL International TOTAL Enrollment 9,613 10,020 10,115 U.S. Avg. 308,745, % 72.4% 84.6% 27.5% $50,221 Source: US Census Bureau 2010; Wisconsin High School Graduate Projections , UW Madison, March Table 16: Enrollment at Wisconsin Private Colleges and Universities 2001/02 to 2010/ % Change Alverno College (Milwaukee) 1,196 2,759* 44.0% Beloit College 1,330 1, % Carroll University (Waukesha) 3,000 3,535* 17.8% Carthage College (Kenosha) 2,700 3,400* 25.9% Concordia University Wisconsin (Mequon) 4,810 7,618* 58.4% Marquette University (Milwaukee) 11, , % Mount Mary College (Milwaukee) 1,421* Ripon College (Ripon) 900 1, % Wisconsin Lutheran College (Milwaukee) 806 1,022* 26.8% Source: Institutional websites, * Indicates record enrollment according to university website 1. Marquette data available from P age

17 Chart 3: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats UW-Whitewater Provost s Strategic Planning Retreat Meeting Notes, Tuesday, August 9, 2011 Strengths Location proximity to Illinois Positive leadership o Good and committed o Principled and coherent and diverse Recruiting multi-cultural students Reputation Sense of community Strong faculty Dedication to students Commitment to LEAP Success of athletics Innovative teaching Spirit of innovation Established interdisciplinary core courses UWW is used to being frugal Strong campus leadership Diversity in student body Pride in being part of UWW Collaborative efforts Quality of HIP s offered Access mission Many new buildings Proactive Strong standing with HLC Amount of LC s offered Amount of on-campus prof development opportunities Beautiful campus Accessible Leadership Increasing or stable enrollments Strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship Stable financially LEAP as a campus organizing principle Facilities campus look good For a university, can move quickly Educational value Sports program Strong and diverse leadership and innovation Community sense Question of work life, physical facilities, financial invest Equitable quality in facilities Diverse student success (compared) o How to communicate strengths to attract faculty/staff o LEAP and HIP sustainability Use strength in leaders Cultivate leadership and innovation Strengths: Themes/questions/comments Why do our High Impact practices not match national level results? Overall, graduation rate for minority students has risen, but with more underrepresented students has not moved much recently Why isn t everyone in New Student Seminar? We have a higher rate of minority students than other UW campuses Helpful to disaggregate the retention data by ethnicity Small community (weakness or strength?) Weaknesses No strategic marketing best kept secret in Wisconsin, decentralized (program-based) No systematic strategic planning process (with goals) Budget should be more tied to goals Retention and graduation gap Lack of data driven decision process Insufficient endowments No clear identity Resource competition/budgetary constraints Failure to broadly embrace IE Disengagement Communication challenges within university Lack of advocacy beyond campus Lack of use regarding innovative/current technology to communicate with students Silos Need to do more with Inclusive Excellence Bureaucracy impedes rapid movement Lack of time to work on key issues (stop the bus) Perceptions (external) Our location may not attract Faculty/staff diversity (lack of) Educational programs need greater integration (capstone, etc) Limited number of scholarships Not nearly enough financial aid 16 P age