UWM Officials Brainstorm Retention Rate Efforts

Student enrollment and birth rates are decreasing, student loans are increasing, and UW-Milwaukee is losing seniors and transfer students. These factors are prompting adjustments of how UWM officials discuss retention efforts and their planning for a successful future.

UWM’s chancellor Mark Mone brought in a hand-picked team to brainstorm ideas of how to combat retention issues and plan for the future. The committee formally known as the 2030+ Think Tank, sat down Monday morning to discuss UWM’s plan for success in decades to come.

“We know we’ve lost students at the senior level, and we know we’ve lost transfer students, but we don’t know why,” said University Committee Chair Kathleen Dolan. “We need data to understand a solution.”

According to data provided by UWM’s Office of Assessment and Institutional Research, UWM’s transfer student enrollment dropped 9.2% this year and continuing student enrollment has dropped 2.9%. Keeping these numbers in mind, the committee brainstormed solutions for retention.

“I think it’s really critical that we don’t just think internally,” said Jackie Fredrick, retired CEO of Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin. “We need to spend time with experts outside of the university.” 

Fredrick suggested that the committee reach out to students and their parents. She said that UWM has its own unique “urban issues” and that it would be best to hear outside opinions of the university.  

Other members of the committee agreed and added that there has to be internal reflection along with external resources. They agreed that a solution to the problem the university is having will take outside opinions and data combined with internal research. 

“We need to do both; we need to know what’s going on out there, and we need to see internally where we’re at,” said Associate Vice Chancellor of Global Inclusion and Engagement Chia Vang. “We need to identify problems and balance that externally and internally. It’s all overwhelming in a sense for me.”

And with such a big task, the committee agreed that there has to be some thinking outside of the box if they want plan for a successful future.

“We need to be creative,” Academic Staff Committee Chair Leigh Wallace said. “We have to think aspirational about whom we need to be as a university.”

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Jennifer Doering said that in order to understand the retention problems, UWM has to adjust its approach to helping students succeed. Doering said that UWM is creating “citizens of the future” and, in order to meet their needs, the university has to take a hard look at the skills and different major topics that are being offered. The university should consider if it’s offering majors that students are interested in. She also said that UWM has to look at its advising practices- what advice is being given to students, and if students are even going to get the advising they need.

A conversation about university staff and instructors brought up concerns for students and their feelings towards faculty. Senior Academic Advisor Alejandra Lopez said that some students are afraid of going to their instructors about problems they might be having in their classes, and that UWM needs to offer better solutions to help make advising more welcoming to discouraged students.

“During their first two years, students spend more time with teaching assistants than they do with professors,” said Margaret Noodin, American Indian studies professor. “As a faculty we need to look harder at we do, the way we do teaching, and the way we assess ourselves.”  

Noodin also said that because there is a disconnection with students who are in their first two year at UWM, the experience could be off-putting, and they may not want to return. 

“Dropping out is not a lacking of money; it’s a lack of hope,” Noodin said,

Other possible major issues UWM is facing, according to the committee, is UWM’s image. There are high application rates but low enrollment. UWM isn’t listed as a “destination campus” according to the committee.

Possible solutions discussed was a change in branding. Is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee the best name for the university? The committee brought up whether a hyphenated name is the best or if there should be a name change all together.

Although the answer may not be as clear as they’d like it be, the 2030+ Think Tank said they have until April 15, 2020 to figure out a solution and plan.

“If this is a big issue and we’ve been asked to think big, then there has to be a direction,” said Dolan.