Strategic Enrollment Management Committee (SEMC)
Meeting Summary
Monday, November 21, 2011
Present: Gayle Arries, Amanda Blanton, Jackie Blakley, Gwen Owens, Lisa Robinson, Linda Driggers, Lynn Lewis
Absent: Eugene Grant and Lou Ann Martin
The following is a summary of the SEMC meeting which occurred on Monday, November 21, 2011.
Review/Approval of Minutes
· The minutes of the September 27 and October 20 meetings were approved.
Spring Enrollment Update:
· Amanda gave a brief update regarding spring enrollment figures compared to the same week last year. As of November 21, there are 485 new students who have been admitted for spring term but who are not registered.
· Report 041 shows that 538 current students have their RANs set but have not registered. Student Records contact these students via I-Contact. The breakdown of the students is as follows: 232 in Arts and Sciences Division, 82 in the B&PS Division, 97 in the EIT Division, and 127 in the Health Education Division. The Gateway to College program would account for some of the 538 students; some of the students who have not registered are transient students, and 29 of the 538 students attempted to register but failed. Some of the students may not have met prerequisites, and Dr. Lewis stated that some of the students in the Health Education Division may not have been chosen for competitive entry. It was decided that each Division would evaluate the students in their division who are listed in Report 041 and determine which students to contact.
Enrollment Projections:
· Amanda distributed a handout on Enrollment Projections for 2010-2015. The report shows that a larger portion of our enrollment is coming from recent high school graduates.
College Strategic Plan:
· Amanda asked what the College Strategic Objectives imply for the SEMC as a whole regarding planning initiatives and the overall retention plan, and if the SEMC needed to submit an additional activity for the 3-year plan. Lynn stated that the Executive Staff would like to see visible seeds of retention awareness in deliberate ways. Examples would be workshops and articles in Connection. In Connection, a retention corner titled “A Spotlight on Retention,” or a “Brag and Share” that mentions a member of the faculty who has helped a student were suggested. Amanda said that she has spoken with Rebecca and the plan is to start highlighting retention in Connection in January.
· Lisa agreed to take the lead on establishing a portal in eTC that faculty and staff would be encouraged to join to keep apprised of what the College is doing to improve retention. The portal would be mentioned in Connection.
Withdrawal Survey:
· Amanda distributed information from a meeting she had with Scott Harvey and Chris Marino. Chris indicated that it is very hard to contact students after they have left the college. Current college data show that the majority of students withdraw for personal reasons, which correlates to national data for why students withdraw.
· Suggestions on what the Committee can do to collect more helpful data include the following:
o Include the following question on the withdrawal form, “What would need to happen in order for you to return to Tri-County and complete the program?”
o Require Exit Interviews: If students schedule an exit or re-entry interview, could they receive a refund of the amount paid up front for graduation?
o Instructors could include the following question on their final exams, “Do you plan to return next semester?” If the student answers “no,” then ask why they do not plan to return.
o Late in the semester, call the students with RANs set but who are not registered and ask them if they need assistance registering. If they answer they are not planning to return to Tri-County, ask them why.
o Break down “personal reasons” on the withdrawal form and see how the College could impact that.
· The Committee decided that each division would call its respective students on REP041 to assist with registration or to investigate why students may not be returning next semester and gather the data for the Committee.
Retention Plan/Updates:
· The committee postponed until the December meeting individual updates as not all committee members were present.
Next Meeting:
· Tuesday, December 6, at 10:00 am.
