Black font on yellow background with text SEM Plan 2025 Strategic Enrollment Managment.

During fall 2021, Wichita State launched its new 2025 Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan with the overarching goals of expanding enrollments to 17,000 students, increasing first to second-year retention rate to 75%, and closing the equity gap for underserved students. The success of the new plan is dependent on the contributions of everyone on campus.

Check out the featured strategy this week to see if it aligns with work in your area.

Strategy 2.2 Promote, empower and measure coordinated marketing efforts and campaigns across the campus. Create a successful pipeline of messaging celebrating aspects of the life and work of the university.

For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Shaw 316-978-7130 or carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu.

Black font on yellow background with text SEM Plan 2025 Strategic Enrollment Managment.

During fall 2021, Wichita State launched its new 2025 Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan with the overarching goals of expanding enrollments to 17,000 students, increasing first to second-year retention rate to 75%, and closing the equity gap for underserved students. The success of the new plan is dependent on the contributions of everyone on campus.

Check out the featured strategy this week to see if it aligns with work in your area.

Strategy 1.3: Promote greater campus connections with alumni and community supporters who can become ambassadors for the university with pride in and knowledge of the latest campus developments.

  • Ideas for the classroom: Invite alumni or experts in the community to your class or to a department event to share their knowledge and connect them to current students. Share with alumni and community experts the newest developments in your program.
  • Ideas beyond the classroom: Develop and distribute regular newsletters for your area that reach an external audience. Include promotion through social media. Invite alumni to meet with prospective students to share the value of their WSU experiences.
  • Shout-out: The College of Health Professions has actively engaged its more than 9,000 alumni by creating a family photo album and bringing alumni back to campus for visits. 

For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Shaw at 316-978-3010 or carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu

Black font on yellow background with text SEM Plan 2025 Strategic Enrollment Managment.

During fall 2021, Wichita State celebrated an end to its first five-year strategic enrollment management plan (SEM). WSU completed 34 tactics in the original plan and established an additional 97 tactics as ongoing practices, successfully incorporating these initiatives as part of its regular processes. This lead to an increase of 7% in overall enrollment since 2016 despite the pandemic. 

Also in fall 2021, a new 2025 SEM Plan was launched with the overarching goals of expanding enrollments to 17,000 students, increasing the university’s first to second-year retention rate to 75%, and closing the equity gap for underserved students. The success of the new plan continues to be dependent on the contributions of everyone on campus.

For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Shaw at 316-978-3010 or carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu.

Image that says Celebrate

Mark your calendar and join us 3:30 – 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22 at Rhatigan Student Center Ballroom for a Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) update and celebration.

SEM has had a great year and wants to recognize its campus-wide efforts. Comments will begin at 4 p.m.

David Vuletich, senior director of Research Advisory Services with the Education Advisory Board, will provide a workshop presentation titled, “The Faculty Role in Retention and Student Success,” at 2 p.m. today, Sept. 28 at the Rhatigan Student Center (room 142).

David has earned Bachelor’s degrees in astrophysics and chemical physics from Michigan State University, a dual-title Ph.D. in biochemistry and astrobiology from the Pennsylvania State University, and an MBA from Indiana University.

Please contact carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu for a Zoom link.

After a national search, Aaron Hamilton is the next director of Wichita State University’s OneStop Student Services.

Hamilton received both his Bachelor of Arts in communications and his Master of Public Administration degrees from WSU. He previously worked at WSU Undergraduate Admissions since 2003. During this time, Hamilton served in progressive leadership roles as senior recruitment coordinator; assistant, associate and senior associate director of admissions. Hamilton also served on the President’s Diversity Council, was appointed the government relations chair for the Great Plains Association of College Admissions Counselors (GPACAC), and worked as president and treasurer for the Kansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (KACRAO).

In this new role, Hamilton will oversee the activities of OneStop, which provides first-level of support for all students in matters relating to admissions, registration, financial aid, student accounts. and general advising. OneStop also provides advising for all first-year students, providing seamless support for students navigating the complexities of college before they arrive on campus.

The OneStop is an important part of the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) team and reports directly to the associate vice president for SEM, Dr. Carolyn Shaw. OneStop began in 2014 in an effort to support students better and reduce the amount of work it would take students to resolve their nonacademic issues.

Studens in front of Shocker Hall.

Wichita State University provides its students with a webpage that contains information about course designs for classes. The webpage is based on submissions and updates made by faculty.

Students can see how much of their courses are expected to be in-person, what the exam requirements include, and what to do on their first day of class. 

If instructors have not provided information, students can contact them directly. 

Stack of books featuring text "syllabus."

The latest course syllabus template is now available on the Wichita State University Faculty Advancement webpage.

This year, language regarding university policies and student resources is provided in a hyperlink instead of inserted in the body of the document. This allows policy content to be updated regularly without faculty having to change their syllabus or search for the newest template. If you would like to remove these additional pages from your template, just use the following link instead: www.wichita.edu/syllabuspolicies.

Students in front of Shocker Hall.

As we work to return to a more normal campus environment for fall, the COVID Operations group would like to highlight some FAQs related to classroom instruction. Additional questions can be directed to Carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu to be addressed by this operational group.

FAQs Set #6:  Questions about health

  • Can instructors ask students if they have been vaccinated?
    • We cannot ask questions that violate people’s privacy.
  • Can instructors require students to be vaccinated if they want to be in-person?
    • We can encourage people to take advantage of getting a vaccine but cannot require it.
  • How can instructors manage a situation where a student doesn’t feel safe to attend in-person classes?
    • Instructors have been asked to provide information in advance regarding their in-person expectations for classes next semester in order for students to make informed decisions about enrolling. Students can be encouraged to visit with their advisor to see if an online option is available for them. Instructors may consider replicating in-person learning experiences in a remote or online format when their program provides only one section of a course.
    • The emotional, financial and social disruptions caused by COVID-19 uncertainty have created serious challenges for many of our students. It is important that instructors refer students who might need assistance to the WSU CARE Team to learn options for addressing mental health and wellness during COVID-19.
    • If a student believes they have a condition which requires accommodation where they cannot attend in person, they should contact the Office of Disability Services. Instructors will work with ODS to meet these identified accommodations.
    • There may be some classroom management options that will help a student feel more comfortable. For example, suggest that they arrive early and leave last so they do not have to get too close to others as they enter the room.

Additional FAQs about teaching this fall can be found on the COVID-19 university webpage.

Studens in front of Shocker Hall.

As we work to return to a more normal campus environment for fall, the COVID-19 Operations group would like to highlight some FAQs related to classroom instruction. Additional questions can be directed to Carolyn.shaw@wichita.edu to be addressed by this operational group.

FAQs Set #8:  Questions about the Classroom and Campus

  • Can I require in-person attendance?
    • Students are expected to meet the stated requirements for their courses. Students should use the wichita.edu/fall2021webpage to identify courses that work best for their needs. If a student believes they have a condition which requires accommodation where they cannot attend in person, they should contact the Office of Disability Services. Faculty will work with ODS to meet these identified accommodations.
    • However, instructors are encouraged consider ways other than in-person attendance to assess participation and/or engagement. These alternative approaches can help ensure we do not disincentivize people to stay home or quarantine when sick. Instructors should ask students to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and instruct students who feel ill to not attend in-person meetings.
  • Is there standard syllabus language we can use?