Rocket Nation Recovery #22 – If you were a trustee preparing for the September 27th board meeting, would you expect a discussion about how UToledo’s Fall 2023 Enrollment results compared to other urban universities?
Would you start the conversation by establishing a baseline for comparison and discussion? Would you consider any of the following as a baseline?
1. At the time of the UToledo/Medical College of Ohio merger in 2006 UCincinnati had 35,527 students and UToledo had approx. 21,000. Today UC reports 50,921 students and UToledo 15,013. What decisions did UC leaders make that led to a 30% (15,394) increase in enrollment since 2006? How were they able to buck the trend?https://lnkd.in/g8FWvJBR
2. In the 2017 5-year plan (and facilities master plan) UToledo leaders and trustees forecast that 2024 enrollment would be 22,790. What caused them to miss this forecast by 45% (over 7,000 students)? What decisions caused this collapse? What steps are being taken in October, November and December 2023 to change course? Who should be held accountable?
3. The historic enrollment trend line in this post shows UToledo enrollment consistently over 20,000 students since 1982. Would you want to know what that trend line looks like from 2006 to 2023? Would expect a forecast trend line for the next 5-years and a plan to hold UToledo leaders and trustees accountable?
As a trustee, with year four underway, how confident are you that UToledo leaders are looking at the right data and making the right decisions to address the enrollment, financial, and morale crisis? How confident are you that they can adapt fast enough in October, November and December to stop an enrollment decline in Fall 2024?
It’s ok to feel uncomfortable in a crisis. Please pray for thoughtful, compassionate accountability and urgent actions to revitalize The Rocket Nation.
