Who are U of M's students? What 2022 enrollment says about where they are from, what they study

Students seeking post-graduate degrees continue to bolster enrollment at the University of Memphis, which saw modest growth in overall enrollment this fall despite having fewer undergraduate students this fall compared to last.

U of M's student body has hovered around 21,000 over the last 10 years as leaders seek to grow the school. This year, at an enrollment of 21,917, university data show, the urban institution is just shy of the 22,000 mark, one it has only surpassed in Fall 2020.

Growing enrollment remains an institutional focus under U of M President Bill Hardgrave, who took the reins back in April from M. David Rudd.

Earlier this fall, Hardgrave made a formal motion to the board of trustees to launch an updated strategic plan, which he expects to deliver for review in March after six months of conversations with an 11-member group of faculty, staff, students, alumni and people involved with the U of M foundation.

U of M will look to Probity Business Group to assist in the planning, Hardgrave said. Hardgrave engaged the group for previous strategic plans he crafted while dean and provost at Auburn University.

More:College, trade school enrollment hits five-year low for Shelby County

Speaking on a panel of local higher education leaders recently hosted by the Greater Memphis Chamber, Hardgrave said the U of M, like most of higher education, should do more to focus on outcomes for students as fewer and fewer of high schoolers in Tennessee are seeking college degrees.

"We have to do a better job in higher education of starting with that end goal in mind and then working backwards as to how to get there," Hardgrave said.

Rather than presenting students with a set of options of majors and degrees, U of M should be more specific about how degrees in each field prepare students for the next steps in the workforce or their next degree, Hardgrave said.

He acknowledged, alongside fellow Memphis education leaders David Archer of Christian Brothers University, Vernell Bennett-Fairs of LeMoyne-Owen College and Peter Buckley of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the struggles of collegiate enrollment are not unique to U of M.

While a college degree can be a valuable asset, "it does cost a lot," Hardgrave acknowledged. When students and their families select a college, Hardgrave added, universities should be prepared to help them answer this question: "If I go here, and I major in X, what happens when I finish?”

The new strategic plan will assess enrollment as it determines how U of M continues to fit within Memphis.

The university is closing in on its first year with the top research designation, Carnegie R1, which it believes will continue to facilitate its growth and research accolades.

"It’s interesting because when you look at who we are, we’re really kind of a different animal right now," Hardgrave told The Commercial Appeal after a board meeting in September. "We’re a large, public, urban institution that’s now R1. And so, if you say, ‘We’ll just look at R1s,’ well, we’re not like an Ohio State or something like that, right. But we’re also not a small regional institution either."

As the U of M assesses its strategic plan, it will consider universities it is like and those it hopes to grow toward.

“We will live by our strategic plan," Hardgrave said.

For now, the university continues to serve a student body that hails predominantly from the Memphis area and Tennessee.

And even more students stay in Memphis than come to the U of M from Shelby or nearby counties, Hardgrave said last week. He praised the university's alignment with local business needs by partnerships for internships and co-ops for students.

University data shows the arts & sciences and business colleges remain the largest for undergraduate students, and enrollment has soared in both colleges among graduate students in recent years.

U of M also continues to grow the number of students completing dual enrollment courses, the result of strategic plans to increase access to the university in hopes of students continuing enrollment.

“We're trying to lower every barrier there can be to a kid taking dual enrollment," Hardgrave said last week, listing the benefits of cost savings and earlier graduation.

He's also tasked U of M staff with making "the University of Memphis...the most transfer-friendly university in the country.”

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: U of M enrollment 2022: Where students are from, what they study