UMKC's vision is to be a model urban research university characterized by signature professional and graduate programs, a dynamic undergraduate population, a highly diverse faculty, staff, and student body, and active engagement with our city and region.

UMKC's mission is to lead in life and health sciences; to deepen and expand strength in the visual and performing arts; to develop a professional workforce and collaborate in urban issues and education; and to create a vibrant learning and campus life experience.

To view UMKC's Strategic Plan 2010-2020, click here.

UMKC is uniquely positioned in Kansas City as the only university to offer undergraduate, graduate, professional, doctoral and specialist certification programs. Kansas City is a vibrant urban center that has wide-ranging ties to the surrounding communities. Two states, 18 counties and 50 communities are encompassed by Kansas City, and UMKC is in the heart of this greater metropolitan area. The demographics of Kansas City, the Midwest region and the nation are projected to shift rapidly. In order to continue being Kansas City's university, UMKC will need to meet the changing needs of our changing community.

In addition to the challenges and opportunities presented by the changing demographics of our prospective students, UMKC has identified other factors that will affect our enrollment management planning:

• Increasing faculty numbers and diversity to meet the needs of a larger and more diverse student body
• Ensuring adequate classroom, lab space and technology to support the teaching and learning needs of the campus
• Exploring alternative methods for course delivery: enhancing online and distance learning; utilizing video streaming; partnering with community colleges to use their facilities and engage their faculties
• Partnering with the Kansas City, Missouri School District and the Metropolitan Community College to create an educational pipeline and early college initiatives
• Implementing strategies to make UMKC a more welcoming and more inviting campus
• Increasing need-based scholarship aid and better leveraging our financial aid packages. This includes securing as much state aid for our students as possible
• New residential facilities -- Oak Place Apartments and Johnson Hall -- will change the dynamics of campus by bringing the total number of residential students to approximately 1,600

• Funding and building a new student union in conjunction with the Miller Nichols Library expansion is imperative to increase student engagement and ownership of the campus experience

• Increasing student credit hours is the only way to increase financial viability--among the Urban 21, UMKC is ranked third-highest in the percentage of part-time students.

These factors will need to be addressed in order to adequately prepare for our future and remain an integral part of our community. In addition, the Academic Unit Enrollment Management Plans address specific challenges and factors that have particular bearing on their unique enrollment situations.

Key strategy 1:

Research and implement new technologies that will enhance the student experience through the recruitment process and that will lead to greater efficiencies and effectiveness. This includes full implementation of PeopleSoft, expanding use to take full advantage of the complexity of this software; explore CRM software for use in the recruitment process; implementing an electronic transcript system; enhancement of Web self-service capabilities; podcasting and other communication means.

Accountable: Jennifer DeHaemers
By when: ongoing through 2011

Key strategy 2:

Continue efforts to maximize University resources through the effective and efficient use of scholarship resources. This would include the full implementation of the Noel-Levitz Financial Aid Leveraging plan, as well as collaborating with academic units to leverage all University scholarship dollars for the most effective recruitment of students. It will also include collaboration with the Division of University Advancement in anyway necessary to assist the University in obtaining additional scholarship dollars.

Accountable: Jan Brandow
By when: ongoing through 2011

Key strategy 3:

Review and revise strategies for recruitment of targeted market segments including under-represented ethnic minority students (African-American, Hispanic-American and Native-American students), non-traditional students, international students, graduate and dual-credit high school students. Continue to enhance recruitment plans for first-time college and transfer students.

Accountable: Jennifer DeHaemers
By when: ongoing through 2011

Key strategy 4:

Develop and implement assessment methods of recruitment strategies and processes to continually work for improvement and effective use of human and financial resources.

Accountable: Jennifer DeHaemers

By when: ongoing through 2011

Key strategy:

Form a Retention Committee whose charge will be to develop a plan for University-wide retention strategies. Upon completion of that work, the Enrollment Management Plan will be updated to reflect the work of the committee and key strategies to be implemented.

In reviewing our current overall ability to retain students, we find that for the 2004 cohort of all first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen, the retention rate is 71 percent. We find, however, that the retention rate for the same cohort of African-American students is 63 percent and for Hispanic students the rate is 73 percent. For the 2003 cohort, the overall retention rate is 74 percent; for African-American students, the retention rate is 75 percent; for Hispanics, 65 percent. For the 2002 cohort, overall retention is 70 percent; for African-Americans, 54 percent; for Hispanics, 72 percent.

Our six-year graduation rates rank among the upper half of our peer institutions. For students who entered as first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen in 1997, 45.1 percent graduated in six years; for those who entered in 1998, 40.8 percent graduated in six years; and for those who entered in 1999, 44.3 percent graduated. Of our minority students who entered as freshmen in 1997, 31.8 percent graduated in six years; for those who entered in 1998, 39.7 percent graduated in six years; and for those who entered in 1999, 36.6 percent graduated. Among the Urban 21 institutions, UMKC ranks third-highest in the percentage of part-time students at 42.3 percent. In order to affect financial viability, UMKC will need to decrease our percentage of part-time students to 25 percent.

 

This committee is specifically charged with developing strategies to:

1. Increase student retention to 80 percent;
2. Increase six-year graduation rates to 50.1 percent;
3. Increase number of students attending full-time to 75 percent; and
4. Increase student satisfaction as measured by the Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE).

Accountable: Mel Tyler, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and the Provost's Office, Division of Academic Affairs

By when: Winter 2008

To view the final report, click here.

Fall 2011 Comprehensive Enrollment Report (PDF)

Fall 2010 Comprehensive Enrollment Report (PDF)

Fall 2009 Comprehensive Enrollment Report (PDF)

Fall 2008 Comprehensive Enrollment Report (PDF)

Fall 2007 Comprehensive Enrollment Report (PDF)

Student Profiles

• 2011-12 (PDF)
• 2010-11 (PDF)
• 2009-10 (PDF)
• 2008-09 (PDF)
• 2007-08 (PDF)
• 2006-07 (PDF)
• 2005-06 (PDF)

Enrollment projections to 2014 are currently under development.

 

This plan contains the collected wisdom of the faculty and staff who serve as the Enrollment Management Committees in the academic units. The University-wide collaboration achieved in the creation of this plan will be the anchor to ensure the continued success of enrollment management and the realization of the enrollment goals for UMKC.

Recruitment and student success strategies are highly individualized per academic unit. The selective admissions criteria and capped class sizes for the professional schools, for example, dictates a more strategic approach to recruiting students with the right fit for the program. Likewise, the College serves a wide range of student populations, which means that their strategies will be equally diverse.

Each unique plan will empower the academic units to achieve their enrollment goals. Implementation and oversight of UMKC's Enrollment Management Plan, including the units' strategies, will be the accountability of the Strategic Enrollment Management Team (SEMT). This team is the driving force behind creating the collaborations to make these strategies successful.

For more information regarding these individual plans, contact either the dean or the enrollment manager of the academic unit.