Recognizing our Strength to Grow our Programs Recognizing

Recognizing our Strength to Grow our Programs

Recognizing our Strength In order to attract majors potential students need to feel that they could be successful in our courses and in life. • Program strength would therefore include anything that might aide student success within a program and or industry. • What advantages does your program have? • What advantages does your institution have? • What do you do better than anyone else? • What unique or lowest-cost resources can you draw upon that others can’t?

Recognizing our Weakness We all want our programs to grow and be successful. This might require changing some aspects of the program. Try to consider this from an internal and external perspective: Do other people seem to perceive weaknesses that you don't see? Are other programs doing any better than you? It's best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible. • What could you improve? • What might students see as weaknesses? • Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes, and so on.

Recognizing Opportunity Often when we think about increasing enrollment we turn inward and focus on on how to attract majors from the current student body. Things to consider: • • Enrollment is predicted to decrease for the next 5 years. • Students in other majors may not have the coursework required to graduate “on-time” • NY Excelsior Program Geology Astronomy Physics Chemistry Biology Business Humanities Opportunities are those things that could allow us to attract new student groups, provide new educational opportunities, or unique experiences • Specific community concerns? • Changes in government policy related to your field. • Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes, and so on. Outside communities

Recognizing Threats Developing successful recruitment strategies may attract majors and grow programs but will you be able to maintain the program? • How is enrollment within your department? • What are competing programs doing? • What obstacles do you face? • Is changing technology threatening your program? • Do you have any budgetary constraints?

Growing your Program