UM System curators look for ways to avoid coming enrollment cliff
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The University of Missouri Board of Curators discussed Thursday a loose plan of action ahead of a suspected peak of high school graduates around 2026 and the subsequent forecast drop in students that will come after it.
The curators met in Columbia with an agenda that includes a five-year financial plan. One of the major forces facing the system and the Columbia campus is a coming drop in college-age people.
An aggressive marketing and advertising plan will be implemented to try and pull students back to the four universities that fall under the UM System, system leaders said.
"We're going to hit our peak of high school graduates around 2026," Mun Choi, the UM System President said. "So we're preparing for that shift in the demographics."
A focus will be placed on communicating to high school graduates why a college education is important. The system also wants to stress affordability and accessibility to in-state students.
"We have to continue to demonstrate that we provide, the four universities provide high-quality affordable education so that students can be successful after they graduate," Choi said.
According to Choi, all four universities have high job placement rates.
"These signify we are providing that degree that is in demand, and students are successful," Choi said.
Choi said the placement rate at the University of Missouri is 95%.
"We're going to continue to prospective students and their parents the value of an education at the University of Missouri System," Choi said.
Choi said many students at MU come from Illinois. More specifically, the Chicagoland area.
Marketing will continue there heavily. Areas with increased numbers of high school graduates will be targeted for recruitment.
"We're also looking at markets in which there will be an increase of high school graduates including Texas and Florida," Choi said.
The board also approved five new projects focusing on agriculture, health sciences and autism treatment. Four will be built in Columbia and one in Kansas City, where the Health Care Innovation and Delivery building is being constructed.
The other projects are at the National Swine Resource and Research Center, the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment and an addition to the Next Gen research center for influenza research. These projects are set to be finished in 2025.
