Planning Ahead: Enrollment Management

This spring, we will conduct a national search for an enrollment management director who will work with the enrollment management steering committee to set specific targets and identify what is needed to support student success and retention.

We have already taken one step to improve university-wide retention rates — we have implemented MAP-Works.

MAP-Works is an early-alert system that helps us intercede and address students’ academic and personal problems or concerns as they arise. The goal is to coordinate efforts across campus to promote student success and persistence.

Last year, MAP-Works was piloted with 512 incoming freshmen and was highly successful in identifying students likely to struggle academically. This past fall, all undeclared students were enrolled in MAP-Works. In addition, BU now measures second-, third- and fourth-year persistence rates to better understand the factors that impact student retention and provide additional student support services.

Planning and Assessment

Again this year, Bloomsburg University will participate in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). The survey applies to all freshmen and seniors. The goal is to learn more about student success and institutional improvement efforts in many areas, including:

• Collaborative learning 
• Student-faculty interaction
• Quality of interactions 
• Supportive environment
• High-impact practices

Data from this survey will help the institution improve overall teaching, learning and student support services.

Facilities Master Plan

We are currently going through the master planning process that will help us determine what our university will look like in 10 years. We have partnered with Stantec, a professional consulting firm specializing in planning, engineering architecture and interior design, to learn more about our campus’ physical strengths and areas for improvement. Stantec has already conducted several focus groups and one-on-one interviews with members of the campus community.

Social media is playing a role in this latest master plan. You may join the conversation on Facebook or follow #BUCampusPlan on Twitter.