Strategic Planning Committee Minutes, February 15, 2002

Strategic Planning (SPC) Committee Minutes
February 15, 2002

Members Present:: Bruce Morton, Bill Brown, Jaynee Groseth, Betsy Centa, Greg Johnson, Mark Sheehan, Michelle McLendon, John Carlsten

Members Absent:: Kay Chafey, Jon Wraith, Mary Noll

Others Present::Terry Dysart, Ben Sharp, Ronda Russell, Diane Donnelly, Kathy Attebury

The meeting was convened by the Chair, Bruce Morton

Procedural Matters

• Joann Amend will provide secretarial support for the committee.
  
• Minutes will be posted to the committee's web site.
  
• Generally, Friday meetings will be used to provide background for the committee. Data will be provided for specific topics, with written or web material, or by individuals working in the specified area. Monday meetings will be used for discussion.
  
• The February 18 meeting will be used for a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis, using UPBAC's Fall Semester discussions as background. The goal is to convey to UPBAC three things from each SWOT category that should be considered as strategic background in developing the FY03 budget.

• It appears that since the renaming of institutions within the Montana University System and the alignment of two MUS "families" (MSU and UM), MSU-Bozeman's student recruitment efforts have been negatively affected.
  
• Because Billings is the largest city in the state and MSU-Billings is listed before MSU-Bozeman in telephone books and other directories, many out-of-state students assume that MSU-Billings is the lead MSU institution.
  
• If potential students consider MSU-Billings first, thinking it is the main institution, they may assume MSU has little to offer and visit public institutions in other states without even looking at MSU-Bozeman.
  
• Since a degree is the same whether it's from MSU-Bozeman or MSU-Billings, there may be some reasoning that attending MSU-Billings, which is in a less-expensive area and which may have a less-rigorous curriculum, makes sense.
  
• There appears to be a feeling in Eastern Montana that if students go to school in Billings or North Dakota, they tend to stay in Montana when they graduate and that students who attend MSU-Bozeman tend to leave the state.
  
• Data showing the per cent of graduating Montana high school students attending each unit of the system may be helpful.
  
• Might a solution to the issue of mistaking MSU- Billings as the main institution be a name change from MSU-Bozeman to MSU? This would be consistent with other state university systems.
  
• Transfer student numbers have been relatively flat over the last four years. Again, MSU-Bozeman is an expensive place for transferring, and there are academic gates in many curricula.
  
• Projected demographics for Montana high school students indicate that recruitment potential from this group will not increase.
  
• There has been a relatively flat number of international students entering MSU and a decline in students from Canada, India, and China. However, at it's best, the per cent of international students has been small.
  
• There has been a decline in students over traditional age (SOTA) over the past 5 years. It is not known if this is tied to the conversion to two university "systems". SOTA's are looking for evening classes and on-line classes, and unless MSU invests more money in these areas, increasing the number of SOTA's may not be feasible.
  
• As a way to enhance the recruiting effort, one of the best college search groups has been hired to assist recruiting in parts of the country where the potential pool of students is increasing.
  
• Upper-middle-class non-resident areas are targeted. A direct- and e-mail campaign is developed. Because the group begins its searches and recruitment efforts at the high school sophomore level, it will take time to see the true impact of the effort. However, early indications are that the return on investment will be very good.
  
• It was unclear to SPC what the real cost of this recruiting effort has been during the past year. UPBAC allocated $240,000 in the FY02 budget. Bruce will seek clarification of the use of the $240,000.
  
• It appears that targeting specific non-resident areas may give MSU-Bozeman it's best return for its investment, if potential students understand MSU-Bozeman is the land-grant university and the lead institution in the MSU system.
  
• Along with investing in recruitment of non-resident students, the capacity of MSU-Bozeman and the mission of MSU to serve Montanans must be considered.
  
• A serious recruitment issue for MSU is the scholarship competition by other public institutions. Surrounding states are recruiting many of Montana's best students because they are able to provide substantial and renewable scholarships. Being able to offer competitive scholarships to Montana's best students is critical to MSU's success in recruiting these students.
  
• During discussion of MSU and UM comparisons, it was agreed data showing comparative advantages and disadvantages of the two institutions would be helpful.

• The SPC will need to build a common understanding of strategic concepts as well as of institutional and external data before it can move toward strategic planning. Because MSU is already into the FY03 budget-building cycle, SPC's major impact will first be in the FY04 budget cycle.
  
• At the February 18 meeting, what was produced on February 11 (SWOTs) will be reviewed and overlaid on UPBAC's November discussion. The most important three items in each category will be derived and conveyed to UPBAC.