In late September 2001 the Provost issued a directive forming the Task Force on Enrollment Planning. Its first meeting was held on October 10. The formation of the task force was a reflection of the importance assigned to enrollment planning by the Executive Council. It also coincided with the careful assessment and planning that was being undertaken regarding the positioning of enrollment services within the organizational structure of UTB/TSC. The specific charge given to the Task Force was
To assess current activities and formulate recommendations to improve the university’s enrollment planning processes and outcomes in four key areas: customer service, programs and courses, recruitment, and retention. The work of the Task Force, including the submission of a final report, should be concluded by December 17, 2001.
To carry out this charge faculty and staff members were recruited from across campus. Important consideration was given to insuring that the membership of the Task Force was representative of the campus community, since all Divisions have an important role to play in enrollment planning. The names of the Task Force members appear in the body of the report and in the Appendices. The university owes each of these individuals considerable thanks. Despite busy schedules, to the woman and man each responded positively to the call to participate. And participate they did! Their commitment, dedication, enthusiasm, and drive were apparent to all who observed them in action. All working groups met at least weekly from the beginning to the end of their assignment. They have produced a meaningful, substantive, and thoughtful report. Our sincere and heartfelt thanks goes out to them.
The Task Force on Enrollment Planning was comprised of four Working Groups. The titles of the Working Groups and the purpose of each are listed below:
Our report is organized in the following manner. The Executive Summary describes the highlights of the report, including a synopsis of its recommendations. Following this introduction is the main body of the report, which consists of the findings from each of the four Working Groups. The reports are followed by the conclusion and appendix.
The formats of those reports are similar but not identical. The four groups worked independently of each other. Each group arrived at its recommendations by consensus. The recommendations of our group are not necessarily endorsed by another, since there was not an attempt to reach consensus across groups. The Chairs met on a bi-weekly basis for coordination purposes. The groups were advised to not be concerned about overlap in their recommendations or to be constrained by budgetary concerns. Their charge was to assess current activities and propose what they consider to be the best improvements possible.