President's Town Hall Meeting summary, October 30, 2007
Below are highlights from President Stockhausen’s Town Hall meeting, Oct. 30.
Enrollment
Enrollment for the combined three Summer 2007 terms ran a bit ahead of summer 2006, but slightly behind summer 2005.
- The Fall 2007 overall total enrollment of 5,723 represents a 4% increase over Fall 2006. It signifies the largest total headcount in six years and our greatest year-to-year increase since consolidation.
- Our FTE (Fulltime Equivalent) enrollment of 4,532 is the largest FTE enrollment in nine years.
- The overall full-time student count of 3,700 is the largest number of total full-time students in 15 years and up 33% since Fall 2001.
- Full-time students represent 65% of the total population, representing the highest percentage since consolidation.
- The full-time undergraduate enrollment of 2,179 is the most in 15 years.
- Professional School population of 1,099 represents our largest overall and full-time (927) Professional School enrollment in 13 years.
- Graduate enrollment of 1,370 represents an 8% increase over last fall Our full- time graduate population of 594 is our highest since consolidation.
- The total new student number of 1,741 is the largest number of total new students in 12 years.
- This fall, we enrolled the highest number of new full-time students (1,318) since consolidation.
- We enrolled our largest freshman class since consolidation (530 total, of which 528 are full time). The average ACT Composite score was a record 22.9.
- Our 742 resident students represent a 4% increase over last fall.
- Freshman retention from Fall 2006 to Fall 2007 is 77.9%, up from 75.3% last year. It is our best freshman year-to-year retention in eight years.
Freshman applications for Fall 2008 are currently running 53% ahead of last year's record pace, and acceptances are up 39% over this time last year.
Finances
UDM received another clean audit for FY 07. Both unrestricted net assets and operating cash were better than budget for the year. The good enrollment news for this fall means that we will meet our budgets this year.
Academic Affairs
Last week the Core Curriculum Task Force presented its draft proposal for the undergraduate core. Changing the core curriculum is one of the most important decisions a school makes.
Vice Presidents Michael Joseph and Pamela Zarkowski visited Regis University in Denver recently to explore ways in which UDM could partner with Regis to offer some of its graduate programs in a distance learning format. A delegation from Regis will visit UDM in December to continue the dialogue.
A recent moot court ranking lists UDM School of Law as17th in the U.S. Of this fall's entering class, 45% are from outside Michigan, and the number of national law firms interviewing at UDM keeps growing.
UDM is providing a job setting this year for four Loyola High School students to share a position working with John Daniels in the Leadership Development Institute. As part of their education, Loyola juniors and seniors work one day a week sharing a job in an office setting. This arrangement provides valuable experience to the students and a source of income to Loyola High School.
Athletics
UDM is the sponsoring institution for the NCAA men's basketball Final Four in 2009 and the Midwest Regional next March. But did you know that UDM is also the sponsoring institution for the NCAA women's Bowling championship?
The NCAA has recognized four Titan athletic teams for having Academic Progress Rates in the top ten of all squads in their respective sport. They are men's basketball, women's golf, and men's and women's fencing.
The inaugural Dave DeBusschere Scholarship Dinner was held in October, and the Fr. Norb Huetter, S.J. Award was given to Tom McNamara, a long-time supporter of Titan Athletics and many charity events throughout the Detroit area.
UDM softball player and Horizon League Player of the Year Kaleigh Rafter will play on the Canadian softball team at the Beijing Olympics next summer.
It is basketball season already! The graduation rate for the men's basketball players who were freshmen from 1997 to 2000 and graduated within six years is 87%. That compares to a national average of 77%, and is well above the graduation rates at the other Division I programs in Michigan.
UDM has recently announced that it will field three new intercollegiate athletic teams next year: men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, and men's tennis. The lacrosse teams will be coached by Matt Holtz, previously men's lacrosse coach from Michigan State University, and Mary Ann Meltzer, previously women's lacrosse coach from the University of Michigan.
Capital projects
The Dental School project is still on time and on budget for classes to begin in January at the new location. The first stage of the move will begin in November. Dedication ceremonies are scheduled for April 18 as part of the Dental School Alumni Weekend, which also celebrates the School’s 75th Anniversary.
Design work and construction documents for Phase I (new construction) of the Riverfront Campus project should be finished by December. The project will then be ready to begin as soon as the first round of fund raising is complete.
On the McNichols Campus, the field and track are finished and getting plenty of use by our soccer teams, track teams, intramural athletics, and members of the UDM community getting in their daily walk. The next stage of this project will be south of Calihan Hall, where tennis courts and a grass athletic field will be installed next summer, thanks to a number of gifts from former tennis players, parents of tennis players, and others.
Design work for Phase I of the Chemistry Building renovation is completed, and fund raising is well under way. Last summer we installed new windows and upgraded the electricity in Holden Hall; we also renovated the bathrooms in Shiple Hall. Next summer we will install new windows in Shiple Hall. This will improve safety, comfort, energy conservation, and aesthetics.
Many other small projects are happening across the University. And, of course, there is the investment in the Banner enterprise software system. As this system is implemented it will also move us to a new server environment that will have much more robust redundancy than our current system. This means that a fatal error in one piece of equipment should no longer be able to take down the whole system.
The water main break at the Livernois Entrance is finally being addressed. I want to publicly thank City Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel who contacted the appropriate office to correct the problem.
Gifts
UDM has received a number of major gifts in the last few months. The largest is a $2 million gift from Golden-Misch with $1.5 million designated to the Dental School project and $500,000 to the Chemistry Building renovation. Other gifts include:
- $250,000 from the Detroit Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy for the College of Health Professions
- $100,000 to endow a nursing scholarship
- $100,000 from Warren Loranger for a classroom renovation in the Warren Loranger Architecture Building
- $60,000 from an anonymous donor for a project in the Detroit Collaborative Design Center in the School of Architecture
- $150,000 gift from the Delta Dental Foundation for the Dental School project
- $85,000 in two gifts for the tennis complex
The Fund for UDM, our annual fund, is up 15% over this time last year.
University Commons
The first UCO newsletter (volume one, number one) has just come out. For a list of organizational members and a map of the area, reports on past and upcoming events, and a list of all the businesses on Livernois from Eight Mile Road to the Lodge to, go to the University Commons web page. Work continues on several façade upgrades and streetscape improvements, including trees planted in the median and hanging flower baskets. Finally, Mike's Market has opened in the former Farmer Jack building at Seven Mile and Livernois.
Strategic planning
During the past several years, the University has been developing and refining its strategic plan. The goal was a plan aimed primarily at enrollment; a plan that that would pull together decisions and initiatives already in place; and a plan that would keep those goals in a larger context of University activity. The decisions already in place were
- Focus on full-time students, especially full-time undergraduate students
- Fiscal discipline and efficient use of resources
- Capital projects and facilities master plan
- Comprehensive fund-raising campaign
The plan needs to focus on enrollment. We need to ask how we can build on the momentum we are experiencing so UDM can continue to grow. One of the areas we have identified for growth is intercollegiate athletics. However we attract new students, they have to be in some academic program, so the question is how we grow our existing programs and develop new programs that they will find attractive.
The draft Strategic Plan is about developing academics, student life, and facilities that will make UDM strong and attractive.