MSU Denver, Spring 2022 Campus feature photos, MSU Denver Banner
Enrollment down but applications are looking up
As of May 17:
- Fall 2022 undergraduate full-year full-time equivalent students (FY FTE) is 2,721, which is 6.8% lower than fall 2021 at same point in time (14 weeks before start of term)
- Applications, acceptances and registrations are up thus far, with 509 new students registered for fall compared to 449 at this point last semester.
- Total undergraduate student headcount is 7,770 students, which is 5.7% lower than fall 2021 at same point in time.
- Graduate FTEs are down 3.9% for fall 2022 relative to fall 2021 at same point in time.
- Total graduate student headcount is 879, which is 2.5% lower than fall 2021 at same point in time.
- Summer 2022 undergraduate full-year full-time equivalent students is 11.7% lower than summer 2021 at same point in time (four weeks before start of term).
- Summer 2022 graduate full-year full-time equivalent students is 2.37% higher than summer 2021 at same point in time.
Compensation Subcommittee recommends 3% across the board increase
The committee’s recommendation is a 3% across-the-board increase for administrators, faculty members and affiliates, which would total roughly $3.8 million.
More than 650 employees (361 administrators and 296 faculty members) provided feedback via an online survey with most respondents preferring a general percentage increase over a dollar amount and indicating the raise would encourage retention. In the future, the committee hopes to begin the survey process earlier and include more specific and intentional language to glean more actionable data.
BRC members will take the comp committee’s recommendations back to their groups for feedback.
Stuff That Works strategy focuses on identifying and scaling programs driving retention
Members also reviewed strategies to enhance enrollment and retention via targeted investments in proven student support programs, what we’re referring to as “Stuff That Works.” Presently, exogenous factors including the demographic cliff, strong job market, anti-higher education narratives — as well as internal factors such as the reach of financial aid, advising and student services and the inability to offer other retention-enhancing programs at scale — are negatively impacting enrollment.
The strategy to Stop the Drop focuses on controlling internal efforts by using data to identify then scale programs that have a proven track record of promoting student success. It is important to note that the University is continuing to prioritize the STWs to identify which ones to implement for this budget cycle. The STWs being considered currently include:
- Dean’s Grant: One-time $500-$1,000 grant to support students at crucial crossroads on their path to graduation.
- Every $1,000 invested in individual student retention could net $6,000 in tuition.
- Roadrunner Promise: Institutional grant covering tuition and fees for economically disadvantaged students with adjusted gross income less than $60,000 or with an expected family contribution less than $2,400, after all other aid is received.
- The estimated cost of these scholarships is $500,000.
- The Indigenous & Native Peoples’ Grant: Institutional grant covering tuition and fees for students who are registered members of any of the 574 Indigenous nations recognized by the federal government.
- Approximately $220,000 has been set aside for this program.
- TRIO/Pathways to Possible: These wraparound student support services have a proven impact on retention.
- Adding $516,310 to base funding to scale these programs would further expand the impact.
- College Credit in High School: Concurrent enrollment allows high school students to take college courses with no tuition cost to students or their families and has a proven effect on enrollment.
- An annual $160,000 investment in two new staff members could potentially generate $1 million in revenue.
- Advising: Providing improved access to advising services through increased personnel and streamlining technology.
- The plan includes adding seven more advisors ($490,000), three more coordinators ($250,000) and one more staff member in Advising Systems ($90,000).
- Internships/Experiential Learning for All: This plan includes removing barriers to internships through compensation as well as growing administrative capacity to support degree completion.
- Anticipated 100% return on investment with 91% retention level. Would require $1 million investment ($500,000 per year to base fund EL and $500,000 to support five EL coordinators and two industry navigators).
- Student Academic Services (Tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, Teaching Assistants): Providing students with academic peer support has been shown to support retention and completion both nationally and at MSU Denver.
- The current budget (student staff only) is $182,000 base for SI and tutoring; $300,000 for teaching assistants from one-time funds; however, for the past two years, tutoring and SI have needed additional funding to cover costs of student hiring due to demand and increased minimum wages. We estimate needing an additional $120,000 per year for this program.
- Undergraduate Research:
- The group explored investing $500,000 to support 20 research assistants, 50 research scholars, 30 research rookies and to fund 30 undergraduate research mini-grants.
- Honors Program: The Honors Program consistently demonstrates high retention and degree completion with rates above 85%.
- Investing $500,000 annually and establishing five student leadership awards would expand program benefits.
- Teaching Assistant Program: The program provides students with the opportunity to assist faculty and support student retention and success.
- A $1.24 million investment over three years would benefit hundreds of courses.
Predictive interventions and strategic spending
Feedback from BRC members centered on focusing efforts on points in the academic experience where/when students drop, perceptions around the increase in state funding and tuition coupled with the continuing lack of funding for programs and compensation, faculty overload and lack of support, and stressors around continued cuts to programs and personnel.
Discussion ensued on efforts underway to help identify and address points at which students drop including the development and utilization of a Predictive Retention Model which uses predictive analytics to identify students who may be less likely to reenroll or in need of additional assistance. The Predictive Retention Workgroup also aims to gain a fuller understanding of various enrollment and retention efforts happening around campus, uncover and address pain points and/or roadblocks, and develop shared resources to address.
Clarification was provided on the overall budget picture including that despite successful advocacy efforts to increase state funding by $10.2 million, mandatory increases, enrollment shortfalls and future obligations, such as the Denver minimum wage and state-mandated expenses, have reduced the amount to be used for future needs such as compensation and the STWs. The predicted enrollment shortfall of 4%-6% has the impact of reducing MSU Denver’s base budget by $4 million-$6 million dollars. Coupled with the mandatory and obligated expenses of $4.3 million, that leaves the University with resources of approximately $600,000 to $3.4 million to address all other potential needs.
Funding all these strategic allocations would require enrollment projections to improve by 4 to 6 percentage points and/or to identify between $4 million and $6 million in budget reallocations, according to George Middlemist, Ph.D., associate vice president of Administration/CFO.
Next Steps
The Budget Recommendation Committee is scheduled to reconvene June 3 to further discuss strategic allocations. The group will look at enrollment, special initiatives and compensation and make a final recommendation to the senior leadership team and Dr. Davidson in July.