University of Missouri creates committee to review enrollment efforts

The University of Missouri announced Friday the creation of a Strategic Enrollment Management Committee, designed to review and create an enrollment strategy for the future.

The announcement comes as MU faces a drop in enrollment and budget cuts from the state. Undergraduate enrollment dropped by 6.8 percent from the Fall 2015 to Fall 2016 semester.

The committee will be co-chaired by Pelema Morrice, vice provost for enrollment management, and Pat Okker, interim dean of the College of Arts and Science.

“This committee will help us create our strategy for the future in the years to come,” Morrice said. “We continue to expect high-quality, but fewer, first-time college students for the next year or two. We expect this committee to complete its work over the next 12 to 18 months.”

The new committee will review what is offered to prospective students and suggest strategies for strengthening MU’s ability to manage enrollment in the future.

“We will develop strategies to maximize student recruitment and student success efforts, generate good market research, and strengthen our institutional infrastructure,” Okker said. “The overarching goal is to ensure a thriving postsecondary ecosystem for future and current Tigers, as well as alumni. Additionally, this is an opportunity for us to evaluate the optimal class size for Mizzou, which is a subject that we have discussed informally for a long time.”

The committee will also be made up faculty, staff and students.