Spring Break
New year presents new challenges
Alexia Lang
Issue date: 12/1/08 Section: News
Offering staff and faculty a year in review and hopes for the future, the School of Arts and Sciences held a Town Hall meeting Nov. 19.
Karen Vorst, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, presented statistics for enrollment, staffing and marketing and some insight into steps to be taken in the future before opening up the floor for questions.
"It would behoove all of our units to keep track of what is going out - watching numbers and student enrollment," she said about managing during the current economic situation.
Vorst reported that 11 full-time professors have been hired giving the college 174 regular faculty to accommodate the increase in enrollment which went from 3,286 undergraduate students in the spring to 3,724 this semester.
"We have 200 new students and we hope to replicate that next semester."
Vorst said one problem the university has been facing is retention of students.
"We do look at retention as being important," she said. "We do a really good job at recruiting, we just need to work on retainment."
The Arts and Sciences budget has increased by 4.8 percent this year making it $20,406,885 for the 2008-09 school year.
The school has also seen a 55 percent increase in gifts, receiving $1,450,000 during 2008.
Vorst said she is hopeful to reach the number in 2009, but is concerned because of the state of the economy.
Opportunities presented for the future include the High School Partnership and PACE/CE programs and increasing scholarships. The college currently has 80 endowed scholarships.
Vorst said moving forward, priorities will be marketing the college more efficiently and building a better sense of unity within the college.
"We have got a lot of things going for us and we have got to get the information out there," she said. "We are working very hard in an effort of everyone thinking of us as a college. What we really want to do is to provide a more collegial environment. I think if we work together in a collegial way, we can go a long way."
The complete presentation can be found at http://cas.umkc.edu/TownHall1108.htm.
alang@unews.com
Karen Vorst, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, presented statistics for enrollment, staffing and marketing and some insight into steps to be taken in the future before opening up the floor for questions.
"It would behoove all of our units to keep track of what is going out - watching numbers and student enrollment," she said about managing during the current economic situation.
Vorst reported that 11 full-time professors have been hired giving the college 174 regular faculty to accommodate the increase in enrollment which went from 3,286 undergraduate students in the spring to 3,724 this semester.
"We have 200 new students and we hope to replicate that next semester."
Vorst said one problem the university has been facing is retention of students.
"We do look at retention as being important," she said. "We do a really good job at recruiting, we just need to work on retainment."
The Arts and Sciences budget has increased by 4.8 percent this year making it $20,406,885 for the 2008-09 school year.
The school has also seen a 55 percent increase in gifts, receiving $1,450,000 during 2008.
Vorst said she is hopeful to reach the number in 2009, but is concerned because of the state of the economy.
Opportunities presented for the future include the High School Partnership and PACE/CE programs and increasing scholarships. The college currently has 80 endowed scholarships.
Vorst said moving forward, priorities will be marketing the college more efficiently and building a better sense of unity within the college.
"We have got a lot of things going for us and we have got to get the information out there," she said. "We are working very hard in an effort of everyone thinking of us as a college. What we really want to do is to provide a more collegial environment. I think if we work together in a collegial way, we can go a long way."
The complete presentation can be found at http://cas.umkc.edu/TownHall1108.htm.
alang@unews.com
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