{"id":124934,"date":"2023-09-15T13:14:59","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T18:14:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=124934"},"modified":"2023-09-19T10:20:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T15:20:30","slug":"chancellor-must-refocus-on-student-success-to-be-future-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/chancellor-must-refocus-on-student-success-to-be-future-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"Chancellor: 51ÁÔÆæ must refocus on student success to be future-ready"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chancellor Mark Mone\u2019s annual plenary address urged all 51ÁÔÆæ employees to expand 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s student-centric focus and help combat drops in enrollment and student retention.<\/p>\n

Mone spent much of his Thursday address at the Helene Zelazo Center explaining the need for dramatic operational changes at every level. At the crux of his message was this: \u201cStudents\u2019 success equals 51ÁÔÆæ success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mone celebrated many 51ÁÔÆæ successes, including its reaccreditation and the Zilber Family Foundation\u2019s recent $20 million donation to the Zilber College of Public Health. But he didn\u2019t shy away from noting the challenges that 51ÁÔÆæ is facing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of great things happening,\u201d Mone said. \u201cBut it\u2019s no longer time for incremental changes. It\u2019s time for dramatic changes so we can adapt and achieve future momentum. We\u2019ve got to think internally about how to attract and retain students, because they are telling us they have other options besides going to college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although overall enrollment at 51ÁÔÆæ is down 1.2% from last year, Mone said other metrics may be more concerning. For example, 27.5% of last year\u2019s freshmen didn\u2019t return this year, and those declining re-enrollments amount to $16 million in lost revenue. And graduation rates lag, with just over 30% of new freshmen graduating in four years and less than 50% finishing their degree in six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be financially profound if we could elevate a portion of that $16 million,\u201d he said. \u201cWe would be a different university. That\u2019s the difference that enrollments make.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s another reason Mone believes a re-emphasis on student success is so crucial to 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s future, particularly as college costs rise. He noted that many experts say universities haven\u2019t adapted to meet students where they are or adequately address barriers. \u201cStudents are now turning it 180 degrees and they say it\u2019s on us,\u201d Mone explained. \u201cWe own student success, or failure. If that person doesn’t come back, it\u2019s because of something we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new culture needed<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As an example of change 51ÁÔÆæ must consider, Mone reported that some smaller schools are trying unprecedented ideas to grow a caring culture. Amarillo College, for example, hired 16 social workers to help address student needs, including housing, food insecurity and mental health issues.<\/p>\n

Mone said a care component must be part of everything 51ÁÔÆæ does in classrooms, in campus services and beyond. 51ÁÔÆæ has already started identifying and addressing those needs in its 2030 Plan<\/a> and through its Campus Cares program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mone also prioritized \u00a0working with academic partners so that every credit a student earns at a technical college will transfer to 51ÁÔÆæ. That would offer \u201cgame-changing\u201d benefits for students, who could graduate sooner and spend less money when transferring. He noted that other institutions, like Carthage College, have such arrangements in place.<\/p>\n

Mone put forth some additional ideas to benefit student success:<\/p>\n