I am in Cape Girardeau today and tomorrow for meetings with the Council on Public Higher Education (COPHE) and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE). That means I will miss the university-wide ice cream social scheduled for 2 p.m. tomorrow in the Plaster Student Union food court. 

 I hope you will plan to attend the ice cream social and enjoy leaving work early (remember, the university will be closed from 3 to 5 p.m.). You can find additional details about the event and university closure in last week’s Clif’s Notes.

Developing a plan

The end of the spring semester marks the beginning of the university’s planning processes for next year. The first major planning event for the 2019-20 academic year is a day-long retreat scheduled for July 11. At this retreat, academic and administrative leadership will meet to develop an action plan for next year. 

As I have mentioned previously, we anticipate an enrollment decline in the fall. We expect this decline to reduce the university’s revenue by $4.7 million. Indicators project that we could face another enrollment decline a year from now. 

Accordingly, next year’s action plan will focus on enrollment. The plan will include strategies to expand high demand programs, reduce enrollment barriers, enhance student recruitment and reinvigorate retention efforts. 

The enrollment concerns are not only for university leadership to work on. The enrollment decline will impact all members of our campus community, so it makes sense that we all come to the table with ideas and input. 

If you have ideas on enrollment (or any other matter) that you’d like leadership to consider as we develop next year’s action plan, please email them to me at president@missouristate.edu. 

Thanks for all you do for Missouri State!