Preserving Enrollment
Trend One: Pennsylvania’s college-age population will continue to grow for a few more years and then decline through a period of approximately eight years before rebounding.
Beginning in 2009 and continuing through 2014, the number of students graduating from high schools nationally is expected to decrease from 3.18 million to 3.04 million (4.4% decrease). For Pennsylvania, the decline will be steeper-the number decreasing during that same time period is 13,611 (9.3). From 2009-2016, sixteen of the 20 top feeder counties for Slippery Rock University will see a decrease in high school graduates. Overall the decrease is 9.8% (7.6% for Eastern counties in Pennsylvania and 15.9% for Western counties). Competition will intensify among colleges and universities recruiting fewer high school graduates beginning in 2009.
Strategies
Achieve a marketing position as the institution of first choice among qualified undergraduate and graduate students who can benefit and succeed from the University's academic and co-curricular offerings.
SRU Goal: Slippery Rock University will communicate a clear and consistent brand that enhances its reputation among stakeholders.
Action Collect data from prospective students, high school counselors,
students who declined admission to discover marketing needs.
UPDATE 2010, Commissioned institutional research studies by Paskill,
Stapleton and Lord, Student Insights and intelliresponse to help
inform media buys and messaging.
Action Select marketing and advertising firm to create messages and
determine media buys with a consistent brand presence that matches
research findings.
SRU Goal: Utilize advanced technology in marketing strategies to position the University at the forefront of innovation and creativity.
ACTION Develop social media markets and access to University web sources
through mobile devices
UPDATE 2011, Soliciting contract with social media and mobile application
provider
SRU Goal: Through marketing efforts, inspire targeted prospective students to seek enrollment at Slippery Rock University.
ACTION Increase high school visitations, college fair participations, hosted on-
campus events on weekends, hosted on-campus events for students
of color, and alumni recruitment activities
MEASURE Number of events
BASELINE High school visitations (2003-215), College fair programs (2003-68)
Weekend recruitment events (Saturday Visitations and Weekend
Tour Groups (2003-14), Hosted on-campus events for students of
color (2003-4), Alumni recruitment activities (2003-5) (2003-2004)
UPDATE High School visitations, up 17.61% from baseline year and up 9%
from 2005. College Fair programs, up 25% from baseline year and
up 2% from 2005. Weekend recruitment events (Saturday
Visitations and Weekend Tour Groups, up 14% from baseline year,
and up 10.5% from 2005. Hosted on-campus events for students of
color, up 100% from baseline year and up 33% from 2005. Use of
alumni for recruitment activities, up 140% from baseline year and
up 20% from previous year. High School visitations, up 26% from
baseline year and up 17% from 2006. College Fair programs, up
118% from baseline year and up 92% from 2006. Weekend
recruitment events (Saturday Visitations and Weekend Tour Groups,
up 36% from baseline year and up 16% from 2006). Hosted on-
campus events for students of color, up 225% from baseline year
and up 31% from 2005. Use of alumni for recruitment activities, up
540% from baseline year and up 167% from previous year. The
Department of Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences held a diversity
luncheon November 2006 with 42 in attendance and in November
2007 they held a diversity breakfast with 65 in attendance. (2007-
2008)
UPDATE 1) High School visitations; 256, up 19% from baseline year and up
10% from 2007. 2) College Fair programs; 152, up 124% from
baseline year and up 32% from 2007. 3) Weekend recruitment
events (Saturday Visitations and Weekend Tour Groups); 21, up
50% from baseline year and up 17% from 2007. 4) Hosted on-
campus and off-campus events for students of color; 40, up 900%
from baseline year and up 25% from 2007. 5) Use of alumni for
recruitment activities; 28, up 460% from baseline year and up 27%
from previous year. 6) Implemented new campus visit programs
including Summer Career Days (Health, Education, Computing,
Sports). Each Summer Career Day program reached its capacity
limit and involved the academic departments and SRU alumni in
new and collaborative ways. 7) Initiated first Transfer visit day in
February with over 120 prospective transfer students and their
families in attendance. 8) Initiated several on and off campus
additional bus visits and church/organization visits for students of
color. 9) Successfully hosted PASSHE Counselor Information Day
that brought over 120 High School and Community College
Counselors from PA and OH to campus for professional development
and updates. 10) 31 visits were made to Community Colleges for
fairs and transfer days. (2008-2009)
UPDATE 1) High School visitations: 227 down by planned 12% from year
prior to better focus recruitment initiatives. 2) College Fair programs:
100, planning decrease of 35% from year prior to better focus
outreach efforts. 3) Weekend recruitment events (Saturday
Visitations and Weekend Tour Groups): 21, same as last year,
4) Hosted on campus and off campus events for students of color:
27, down 13 from previous year with larger groups this year. 5)
Use of alumni for recruitment activities: 19, down by 9 to streamline
initiatives. 6) Continuing 7 summer career day visit programs in
June and July by academic program (3 in June and 4 in July).
7) Coordinated second annual Transfer visit day in February with
over 160 prospective transfer students and their families. 8) Hosted
Butler County Counselors Meeting in May with 20 participants, 9)
35 visits were made to community colleges for fairs, campus visits,
and transfer days, up by 4. (2009-10)
SRU Goal: To enroll students with the greatest ability and potential, Slippery Rock University will provide competitive as well as need-based scholarship opportunities.
Sustain an enrollment capacity of the University to deliver quality teaching and exceptional services balanced with the financial requirements of the enterprise.
SRU Goal: Slippery Rock University will seek a planned enrollment growth from 2007 to 2012 that represents an annual increase in Fall credit hours generated at 1 percent each year. The overall enrollment goal is focused on attaining a student enrollment of approximately 8,675 students at the end of 2011 at the projected 1 percent credit hour growth rate.
ACTION Support the recommendations from Slippery Rock University’s
Enrollment Services Division’s Strategic Enrollment Plan. Goals are:
1) Headcount enrollment will increase by 1%; 2) Credit hours
generated
MEASURE Headcount enrollments and credit hours generated in fall terms
BASELINE 1) Headcount enrollment: 7789 (Fall 2003); 2) Credit hours
generated: 106,334 (Fall 2003); 3) Out-of-state enrollment:
327 (Fall 2003); and 4) African-American and Hispanic first-time
full-time headcounts: 86 and 13, respectively (Fall 2003)
UPDATE 1)Fall 2007 Headcount enrollment 8325, up by 1.2% since baseline
year (Fall 2006). 2) Credit hours generated: 115,860, up 1.1% from
baseline year, (Fall 2006). 3) Out-of-state enrollment; 697, up 3.1%
from Fall 2006. 4)African American and Hispanic first-time, full-time
headcounts; 97 African American, down 7.6% from Fall 2006, up
12.8% from baseline year and 28 Hispanic, up 47.4% from Fall 2006,
up 115% from baseline year.
UPDATE 1) Fall 2008 Headcount enrollment 8458, up by 1.6% from Fall 2007,
up by 8.6% since baseline year. 2) Credit hours generated: 118,211,
up by 2.0% since Fall 2007, up 11.2% since baseline year. 3) Out-of-
state enrollment; 719, up 18.5% from Fall 2007 (607). 4) African
American and Hispanic first-time, full-time headcounts; 82 African
American, down 15.5% from Fall 2007, down 4.7% from baseline
year and 22 Hispanic, down 21.4% from Fall 2007, up 69.2% from
baseline year. 2008 (Fall 2007 out-of-state # is 607, the # reported
of 697 is out-of-state and international combined).
UPDATE 1) Fall 2009 Headcount enrollment 8,648, up by 2.3% from Fall 2008,
up by 11.0% since baseline year. 2) Credit hours generated: 120,508,
up by 1.9% since Fall 2008, up 13.3% since baseline year. 3) Out-of-
state enrollment: 773, up 7.5% from Fall 2008 (719). 4) African
American and Hispanic first-time, full-time headcounts; 97 African
American, up 18.3% from Fall 2008, up 12.8% from baseline year
and 24 Hispanic, up 9.1% from Fall 2008, up 84.6% from baseline
year.
UPDATE 1) Fall 2010 Headcount enrollment 8,852, up by 2.4% from Fall 2009,
up by 13.6% since baseline year. 2. Credit hours generated: 123,948,
up by 2.9% since Fall 2009, up 16.6% since baseline year. 3. Out-of
state enrollment; 865, up 11.9% from Fall 2009 (773). 4. African
American and Hispanic first-time, full-time headcounts; 80 African
American, down 17.5% from Fall 2009 (97), down 7.0% from baseline
year and 32 Hispanic, up 33.3% from Fall 2009 (24), up 146.2% from
baseline year.
SRU Goal: Increase the quality of the incoming cohort while sustaining planned enrollment growth.
ACTION Support the recommendations from Slippery Rock University’s
Enrollment Services Division’s Strategic Enrollment Plan to improve
the selectivity rate and the quality of incoming first-time full-time
students.Goals are: 1) Improve selectivity rate over three years;
2) Improve SAT to over 1000 within two years; 3) Improve high
school grade point average mean to 3.25; and 4) Improve percent
of students in top 10%, 25%, and 50% of high school in class. (AA)
MEASURE Selectivity rate, SAT mean, high school grade point average, and
class rank percent for top 10%, 25%, 50% for first-time full-time
students.
BASELINE 1) Selectivity rate: 80.7% (Fall 2003); 2) SAT 990 (Fall 2003);
3) High School GPA: 3.18 (Fall 2003); 4) Top 10%, top 25%,
top 50% of high school rank in class: 7%, 29%, 63%, respectively
(Fall 2003)
UPDATE 1) Selectivity rate: 59% (Fall 2008) 70% (Fall 2007); 2) SAT mean:
1031 Fall 2008) 1002 (Fall 2007); 3) High school GPA: 3.39 (Fall
2008) 3.26 (Fall 2007); 4) Top 10%, top 25%, top 50%: 12%,
40%, 80% Fall 2008) Top 10%, top 25%, top 50%: 10%, 35%,
71% (Fall 2007).
UPDATE 1) Selectivity rate: 62% (Fall 2009) 59% (Fall 2008); 2) SAT mean:
1026 (Fall 2009) 1030 (Fall 2008); 3) High school GPA: 3.38 (Fall
2009) 3.39 (Fall 2008); 4) Top 10% = 12.25%, top 25% = 41.9%,
top 50% = 83.6% (Fall 2009) Top 10% = 11.8%, top 25% = 39.6%,
top 50% = 0.4% (Fall 2008)
UPDATE 1) Selectivity rate: 67% (Fall 2010) 62% (Fall 2009); 2) SAT mean:
1018 (Fall 2010) 1026 (Fall 2009); 3) High school GPA: 3.39 (Fall
2010) 3.38 (Fall 2009);4) Top 10%=13.1%, top 25%=42.8%, top
50%=82.3% (Fall 2010) Top 10% =12.25%, top 25%=41.9%, top
50%=83.6% (Fall 2009)
SRU Goal: Develop programs that promote successful integration to the academic community and retain students to graduation. (AA)
ACTION Encourage students to participate in Orientation programs.
Orientation participation will be for first-time full-time and transfer
students in an effort to improve student learning and success in the
first college year.
BASELINE Orientation participation rates in 2002 for first-time full-time and
transfer students were 90% and 30%, respectively.
UPDATE 2007- 99.5% full-time, 45% transfer; 2006 - 98% full-time, 50%
transfer, 2005 - 99% full-time, 55% transfer; 2004 - 99% full-time,
49% transfer, 2003 - 95% full-time, 46% transfer; 2002 - 90% full-
time, 30% transfer.
UPDATE 2008 – 99.3% full-time, 47% transfer; 2007 – 99.5% full-time, 45%
transfer; 2006 – 98% full-time, 50% transfer, 2005- 99% full-time,
55% transfer; 2004 – 99% full-time, 49% transfer, 2003 – 95% full-
time, 46% transfer; 2002 – 90% full-time, 30% transfer.
UPDATE 2009 – 99.6% full-time, 44% transfer 2007 – 99.5% full-time, 45%
transfer; 2006 – 98% full-time, 50% transfer, 2005- 99% full-time,
55% transfer; 2004 – 99% full-time, 49% transfer, 2003 – 95% full-
time, 46% transfer; 2002 – 90% full-time, 30% transfer.
UPDATE 2010 - 99.9% full-time, 40% transfer 2009 – 99.6% full-time, 44%
transfer 2007 – 99.5% full-time, 45% transfer; 2006 – 98% full-time,
50% transfer, 2005- 99% full-time, 55% transfer; 2004 – 99% full
time, 49% transfer, 2003 – 95% full-time, 46% transfer; 2002 – 90%
full-time, 30% transfer.
SRU Goal: Develop retention programs for all students. (AA)
ACTION Improve graduation rates for first-time full-time students.
MEASURE Review of annual retention and graduation rates of first-time full-
time students.
BASELINE First-to-second year persistence, Second-to-third year persistence,
Third-to-fourth year persistence, Four-year graduation, Five-year
graduation, Six-year graduation (2000)
UPDATE First-to-second year persistence (Cohort 2006-78%, up 2% from
2005, 76%), Second-to-third year persistence, (Cohort 2005-67.4%,
up .4% from last year, 67%), Third-to-fourth year persistence,
(Cohort 2004, 64.2%, up 2.2% from last year, 62%), Four-year
graduation (Cohort 2003, 30.09%, up 1.09% from last year, 29%),
Five-year graduation (Cohort 2002, 54.6%, up 5.8% from last year,
48.8%), Six-year graduation (Cohort 2001-53.2%, up 1.5% from
last year, 51.7%) 2007-2008
UPDATE First-to-second year persistence (Cohort 2007-79%, up 1% from
2006, 78%), Second-to-third year persistence, (Cohort 2006 –
70.3%, up 2.9% from last year, 67.4%), Third-to-fourth year
persistence, (Cohort 2005, 63.0%, down 1.2% from last year,
64.2%), Four-year graduation (Cohort 2004, 35.9%, up 5% from
last year, 30.9%), Five-year graduation (Cohort 2003, 52.8%, down
1.8% from last year, 54.6%), Six-year graduation (Cohort 2002,
59.2%, up 6% from last year, 53.2%) *Note - (30.09%
incorrect/30.9% correct for Cohort 2003 four-year graduation)
2008-2009
UPDATE First-to-second year persistence (Cohort 2009 – 81.5%, up 0.9% from
last year, 80.6%), Second-to-third year persistence, (Cohort 2008 –
74.3%, up 4.0% from last year, 70.3%), Third-to-fourth year
persistence, (Cohort 2007, 67.2%, up 2.0% from last year, 65.2%),
Four-year graduation (Cohort 2006, 37.4%, down 0.3% from last
year, 37.7%), Five-year graduation (Cohort 2005, 56.1%, down 1.5%
from last year, 57.6%), Six-year graduation (Cohort 2004, 60.6%, up
2.9% from last year, 57.7%) 2010-2011