Increase Enrollment
The College of Arts and Sciences will increase its enrollment in line with the target of the University as a whole, which is to “enroll a minimum of 5,000 new first-year students at the Stillwater campus by the fall of 2026.” To achieve this increase in enrollment, the College will provide students with clear pathways to graduation across our majors and clearly articulate the 21st century skills that are embedded throughout all the degree paths within the college.
Initative 1
Provide students with clear pathways to graduation and articulate the 21st century skills embedded throughout all CAS degree paths
Objective 1: Create career-focused departmental recruitment documents
Outside some career preparation tracks, such as pre-med and pre-law, there is a myth that degrees from CAS do not lead to employment after graduation. This false narrative reduces the number of students attracted to degree offerings in the college. To meet the workforce demands, each department in CAS will prepare a recruitment document that lays out clearly and concisely common employment types for students going straight into the workforce and, in addition, produce a road map through the degree semester by semester indicating why it is necessary to take particular courses, gain specific experiences, and their applicability to the student’s future career success. This document will be used by recruiters and faculty who meet with prospective students and their families to emphasize the value of a CAS degree.
Objective 2: Work with other campuses and institutions to meet needs of nontraditional students
As demographic changes impact the number of students leaving high school, it is vital to meet the needs of nontraditional students. The College will work with the Tulsa and OKC campuses to design and offer new profession-focused degrees appropriate for local and regional demands. In addition, the College will work with the 2-year degree and technical colleges on transfer agreements to create pipelines of suitable students into our degree programs. The College will create at least three new online degrees in the next five years.
Objective 3: Increase enrollment in Cowboy Concurrent program
Students who have positive interactions with an institution, whether through traditional visits or by taking concurrent courses provided by the university while in high school, have a much higher probability of attending the university. We will work to increase the number of students participating in the Cowboy Concurrent program, increasing that critical pipeline for the entire university.
Objective 4: Establish annual K-12 community outreach efforts by each department
As part of the increased level of community engagement (strategic initiative seven), departments will be encouraged to develop annual K-12 programs that reach out to the communities to help provide educational enrichment. Some of these programs will bring students to campus so they can envision themselves at OSU, whereas others will provide educational opportunities to students where they live, especially for rural and under-served communities. In addition to the intended purpose as service to the community, such programs will also act as significant recruiting tools for the institution.
Objective 5: Increase endowed scholarships for CAS students
In line with the university’s development priorities, CAS is aggressively working to increase the number of endowed scholarships available for incoming and continuing students, and scholarships to enhance student experiences while at OSU, such as travel to conferences or study abroad.
Objective 6: Build collaboration between CAS faculty and K-12 educators
The College will encourage CAS faculty to share their research passions with K-12 teachers and collaborate with K-12 teachers to incorporate these research topics into their classrooms across the state to meet their curricular goals and generate student excitement for their future at OSU (also, in section 7 Extension).