ENMU regents take steps toward enrollment plan

Jun. 7—Eastern New Mexico University regents Saturday got a first look at a plan to increase enrollment at the university's main campus in Portales, as well as campuses in Roswell and Ruidoso.

ENMU Chancellor Patrice Caldwell presented a draft of the plan to address declining enrollments, which will be submitted to the New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED) by June 15. HED is seeking "enrollment management plans" from all state-sponsored schools as part of its efforts to reverse declining enrollments at all state colleges and universities.

The draft plan notes that ENMU's enrollment has declined in first-time-in-college students, transfer, graduate students and international students.

Strategies to reverse the decline include building strong relationships with counselors in high schools and community colleges, recruiting dual enrollment students who take college classes while in high school, and increasing recruitment through social media participation and advertising.

ENMU also intends to streamline its application process and enhance "2+2" programs that coordinate course offerings at community colleges in order to assure credits will transfer to ENMU, the plan noted.

Causes for the decline include pandemic-related issues, including uncertainty about opening the campus, vaccination and masking mandates. Other issues included reduced numbers of high school graduates in the state, birth-rate declines and increased competition among higher-education institutions for students.

In 2019, the plan noted, 2,482 potential incoming freshmen applied for admission, but in fall 2021, only 1,422 applied. There was a 37.8 percent decline in enrolled freshmen between fall 201 and fall 2021, from 553 to 344 students.

Further, the plan notes, online high school classes limited opportunities for contact between students and counselors, and students transferred to Texas schools that had less stringent COVID-19 restrictions. Others decided to take a year off rather than attend more classes online, the draft plan stated.

Transfer student populations shrunk by 5%, affected by COVID-related job losses, layoffs or family obligations, and some were unable to return to ENMU, even with financial incentives from the federal CARES act and other assistance, the plan noted.

The graduate student population actually grew 1.1%, the plan noted. Some students chose to enter graduate school rather than face the COVID-19-affected job market. Graduates already enrolled stayed with the program, but graduate school admissions declined.

The regents on Saturday also approved five-year Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plans (ICIP) for all three campuses. ICIPs are submitted annually and are used in allocating capital outlay funds in New Mexico Legislature sessions, as well as for grant applications and other government funding requests.

The top few priorities in the ICIP form the basis of annual capital outlay requests from the Legislature.

For the ENMU Portales campus, the top three ICIP projects for 2024 are demolition of Harding Hall and hazardous material abatement, $1 million; installation of electronic locks to replace physical keys throughout the campus, $1 million; and cost overruns due to inflation in the renovation of the Roosevelt Science Center, $5 million.

The regents on Saturday approved the science center project, whose total cost is estimated at $22.4 million. The $5 million capital outlay request would cover the increase in estimated cost from the original estimate in 2018 of $17 million, Tony Major, ENMU's system controller, told the board.

The science center houses science faculty and research laboratories primarily used by graduate students, and two teaching museums. Improvements will include mechanical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning enhancements, Major said. Construction is expected to start in August and be completed by fall 2023.

No contractor has been chosen for the project yet, Major said.

The regents also on Saturday:

— Approved research and public service projects to be submitted for possible funding from the HED that include support for student athletes, including equipment and grants-in-aid, nearly $3 million requested; KENW pubic broadcasting services, including public television, educational programs and hands-on opportunities for students, $1.1 million requested; as well as student advising, intervention, extra instruction, tutoring and career counseling for students, expansion of nursing and allied health programs, Blackwater Draw research and scholarship aid for teaching education students.

— Awarded a contract to develop a five-year master plan for ENMU's Portales and Ruidoso campuses for $257,060 to Parkhill, an Albuquerque architectural firm. Major said Parkhill's plan is to gather information over the summer, work with stakeholder groups in the fall, and develop the plan in time for submission to HED late in the year. "It will be a seven or eight-month process," Major said.

— Received an update on the search for candidates to replace Caldwell, who is retiring, from Wynn Goering, a higher education search specialist with EFL. Goering said the firm plans to recruit candidates for two months, then present a narrowed list for review by campus and community groups. Final interviews, he said, should take place in September or October before the regents make a final choice. Caldwell will retire after her replacement is named, she said.

— Heard an appeal from Paul Weir, ENMU's athletic director, for a facilities master plan for the college's sports venues, including Greyhound Stadium and Greyhound Arena, to improve maintenance and avoid major breakdowns. Weir also updated regents on summer camps for high school athletes, which several regents praised as student recruitment opportunities, and progress toward building a soccer team at ENMU, including recruitment at camps sponsored by professional teams. Weir said he hopes for strong recruitment for New Mexico soccer athletes.

Regents mentioned possible additional sports teams, including golf and esports — competitive video gaming — and whether high school teams should continue to use ENMU athletic fields free of charge.

— Heard from Dr. Rebecca Davis, associate dean of ENMU's Education and Technology Department, about ENMU's resident teacher progam, an alternative teacher licensing program that allows persons with bachelor's degrees who want education careers to spend a year of paid work in a classroom with a master teacher while they complete coursework over the course of a year to earn teaching licenses. Davis said such programs may help fill teaching positions as teachers leave the profession. The fatal shooting of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24 has already resulted in many teachers retiring or abandoning their teaching careers, Davis said, but programs that accelerate the licensing process can help fill the gap.