Strategic Enrollment Management Student Leadership Meeting Friday December 5, 2014

Strategic enrollment management creates… an optimal mix of programs/services for students conversations/collaborations between administration, faculty, staff, and students a focus on data to determine strengths, gaps, and trends a sense of ownership Nate

Examples of current strategies Strategies for retention and graduation Outreach and marketing Early alert Degree planning and career planning Scholarships Student focus groups Course scheduling Nate

Why and why now? Nate Why: Financial reasons – we are in an unsustainable trend. If we want to be able to offer the breadth and quality of programs and services that we currently do (and make them better), we need the revenue to do that. Planning reasons – we need to go through our planning processes (financial, strategic, capital) with a better understanding of what is coming at us, and why? When we start to grow how will we handle the increased need for sections and services What’s different when we have declining enrollments? Why now: The current enrollment and financial picture tells the whole story

Fall quarter FTE Nate

Fall quarter FTE 12% decline from fall 2010 to fall 2014 Nate

State funding 23% decrease from 2008-09 to 2014-15 Nate

Current retention rates Nate

Whatcom county age trends Gains from 2015 to… Age 2020 2025 15-19 1% 8% 20-24 -4% 25-29 2% -1% 30-34 10% 35-39 16% 28% 40-44 25% Nate

Meeting guidelines Everyone has an opportunity to share. No idea gets dismissed. No decisions are finalized. Today is about thinking creatively and collaboratively, and generating ideas. AM Contact person – for mor

Introductions (2 minutes) Why did you enroll at WCC? Please… Assign a recorder at each table to take notes on the paper provided for the group. Record group ideas and list a contact person for each idea so we can follow up as needed. AM

Question 1 (5-10 minutes) What is WCC doing now to encourage enrollment? What is working well? What is not working well? AM

Question 2 (5-10 minutes) What strategies could we implement right away to increase enrollments in winter, spring, and summer quarters? AM

Question 3 (5-10 minutes) What long-term ideas do you have for increasing enrollment and encouraging students to stay at WCC? All ideas are encouraged. AM

Question 4 (5-10 minutes) Thinking about our resources, what are our major needs to support this work (improved enrollment and student success)? Where do we need people, technology, spaces, etc.? AM

Question 5 (5-10 minutes) As WCC works to increase enrollment and retention, what are the big questions you hope we address? AM

Question 6 (wrap-up) How can students contribute to increasing enrollments and retention? AM

Thank you!