Fellow Bears,
I am writing to share an update on the university’s strategic enrollment management process and invite you to join me and Vice President Cedric Howard for an informal, small-group discussion to learn more about the work we are doing to support our recruitment, retention, and student success efforts.
Strategic Enrollment Management
Wednesday, April 10, 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
Centennial Hall
Please register here.
One of the vision elements of our Rowing, Not Drifting 2030 strategic plan is Students First, which serves as a reminder to keep students at the center of all we do. In the first phase of implementation, we established a key action focused on developing a plan to ensure UNC is a student-ready university at all academic levels. By the end of Phase I, we had created a Students First Framework to advance strategic efforts related to improving enrollment, retention rates, and graduation rates. I also decided to realign enrollment management under the leadership of Vice President Howard and create a new Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services. These are just some of the many accomplishments completed in the first two years of our strategic plan.
Building on the work completed in Phase I, we entered Phase II with two new key actions: one focused on building on the foundational work to ensure UNC is a Students First university and a second dedicated to designing and implementing a Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) plan. Over the past two years, the key actions and tactics for each have merged into a single, university-wide effort focused on the development of a SEM plan.
Following the preliminary presentation in June 2022 of the SEM process to the Board of Trustees, we established an organizational structure to facilitate broad participation in the development phase of a SEM plan. Under the leadership of Vice President Howard, a SEM Steering Committee composed of representatives from across the university was charged with leading this work.
The focus throughout fall 2022 was on developing broad enrollment goals and identifying Key Enrollment Indicators that will be tracked as we seek to achieve and maintain UNC’s optimal recruitment, retention, persistence, and graduation rates. The enrollment goals and indicators were shared with the campus community across 12 roadshows and two virtual town halls. As a result, the SEM Steering Committee identified seven SEM enrollment goals and a general set of Key Enrollment Indicators. A full account can be found in the Phase I Final Report.
At the start of spring 2023, we transitioned into the second phase of the SEM planning process, which was focused on developing multiple strategies across all the enrollment goals. This work has been led by a Student Retention Subcommittee and a Student Recruitment Subcommittee, each of which focused on working with campus stakeholders on strategy development. As this work concluded, we transitioned over the summer of 2023 into the third and final phase of the SEM plan aimed at integrating the focused enrollment planning work with the overall work of Rowing, Not Drifting 2030. Final SEM goals were shared in December 2023 with the Board of Trustees and will now serve as the roadmap for realizing our enrollment goals.
Central to this work is a commitment to advancing UNC’s mission. The SEM planning process has considered our institutional context to develop enrollment goals and strategies that align with our commitment to being Students First and offer a distinctive educational experience consistent with our vision and values.
With this in mind, we have implemented a number of new strategies to improve our admissions process and increase the number of admitted students, especially among new first-time students. For example, we have enhanced our offerings for high school students and their families to learn and become excited about what it means to be Bear, from Discover UNC visit days for high school students to virtual campus tours. Consistent with our commitment as a Hispanic Serving Institution, our ¡Adelante! initiative was specifically designed to better support Hispanic/Latine students and their families as they consider college options. We are also now timelier and more proactive in our communications with prospective students, and we have implemented such strategies as handwritten letters after each campus visit and personalized correspondence throughout the admissions process.
In fall 2023, we launched the UNC First-Year Admission Guarantee aimed at removing barriers and confusion around applying for admission. This program is specifically designed for resident students in Colorado and has helped make the admissions process more inclusive and reduce the time it takes to make decisions. As a result of these efforts, UNC has seen promising increases in applications and admitted student numbers for fall 2024, particularly among new first-time and graduate student populations.
Additionally, our financial aid optimization work has increased financial aid awards for our most income-limited students and families. Beginning in fall 2024, our new UNC Tuition Promise program will further our commitment to making education affordable and accessible by lessening the financial burden for students with the greatest need.
We have also reimagined the experience for admitted students and their families to help ensure they receive a warm welcome and have a smooth transition to UNC. Our Destination UNC events serve as a pivotal moment in the journey of newly admitted students by providing an opportunity to learn more about the university and interact with current students, faculty, alumni, and staff members. Each session attracts to campus hundreds of students and their families and support people, and participants consistently share that the experience further enhances their excitement about becoming part of Bear Country.
I am proud of all we have achieved together over the past four years in our strategic enrollment management work and confident that the dedication and focus of the many university partners involved will serve as a solid foundation to position UNC for sustained success. As we turn this summer to Phase III of our strategic plan, we will maintain a focus on our commitment to attract and retain a diverse student population. I hope you will join me at next week’s discussion as we talk further about the work we are doing to drive change in our enrollment and student success.
Rowing, Not Drifting,
Andy Feinstein 
President
