91传媒

From the President 鈥� October 30, 2024

From the President 鈥� October 30, 2024

Dear 91传媒 Community,

The last few weeks were anxious ones, with me checking our numbers hoping the good news would hold in this strange new era of higher education. And they did! I鈥檓 pleased to share with you that our headcount now sits at 2,954, an increase of 2.7% over last year; this is the second year in a row we saw growth in our headcount. Our enrollment gains are powered by growth in the number of new freshmen (20%), increased retention rates, and our continuing graduate students year over year. We鈥檝e also grown in student credit hours and FTE, and the number of on campus students grew by 98. 

Such good news is hard won, especially in an environment in which national signs show a at universities like ours. Congratulations to our admissions and advising teams, as well as development and financial aid for working hard to make a tough year better. Each of you plays a role in making 91传媒 an attractive place to learn – thank you!

Powering all these numbers was our increased retention rates. Our overall retention rate for new freshmen and transfers stands at 70.6%, showing growth in both categories. These numbers are so important to what we do. It鈥檚 hopefully the first sign that we鈥檙e headed towards graduating more students and growing the number of degree recipients in our region. (That performance funding would be a nice bonus, too!)

As I shared at convocation, these numbers represent our shared progress and commitment to student success and an engaged university. I sense that our momentum continues to grow.

There鈥檚 always loads to be proud of at 91传媒:

• The Chemistry Club at 91传媒 is making headlines again! They achieved national recognition receiving an Outstanding American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Communities Award for the . 
• You may have read in The Observer, OnlineU recognized 91传媒 as one of the nation鈥檚 best schools for an online bachelor鈥檚 in fire science degree. OnlineU includes affordability and student satisfaction in determining their rankings. 
• We are excited for Dr. Tiara Good, Assistant Professor of Communication, whose new book has just been released. I encourage you to check it out! 
• Last week was the first meeting for the 18 faculty and staff who volunteered to be part of IMPACT Equity Training. An additional 16 students are participating in the student programming entitled 鈥淚DEAL Leadership Training Program for Students and Student Leaders,鈥� with two of these being online students. These free professional development programs provide opportunities in which individuals will both learn and develop projects to better 91传媒. I’m so proud of these cohorts!

As always, I鈥檝e been keeping my busy schedule. Last week, 91传媒 hosted the Northeast Oregon Regional Solutions Advisory Committee Meeting. The governor established this committee to focus on our region鈥檚 economic development priorities, and I was honored to be chosen as the convener. I also had visits with some local city leadership and a wonderful meeting with Art Center East (with some amazing cake!). I launched the President鈥檚 Commission on Student Success and Belonging; this student group will deliver to me some suggestions on increasing student success and engagement, while also taking a leadership role in tackling peer-to-peer solutions around bias incidents. It was a wonderful first meeting of sharing and learning about each other.

Of course, there鈥檚 always more to share. University Council and senior leadership met with Modern Think, who delivers the Great Colleges to Work For Survey to discuss 91传媒鈥檚 results and how to improve. Look out for more on this in the coming weeks and months as we share our plans. 

Out of respect for each of you, I鈥檒l stop there. Have a wonderful week!

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Ryan, Ph.D.