Student Union Endeavour Room | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
On Jan. 23, the Wright State University Faculty Senate met for the first time this year to discuss enrollment, the higher learning commission, new policies among other business.
Enrollment
President Susan Edwards announced that the number one reason students do not attend Wright State is because of funding. Despite this hindrance, Edwards explained a personal belief in both education and the opportunities at WSU.
“Education, in my mind, is a fundamental human right,” Edwards said. “I do believe we have the opportunity to have a great impact on students who have the capability, because guess who our number one competitor is? Nothing.”
Susan Schaurer, vice president for enrollment management and student success, presented an update on Wright State’s enrollment. Schaurer explained that, of the 1,407 students not enrolled in spring 2023, the undergraduate population is 852 students, or 61%, with graduate students making up 15% and College Credit Plus at 25%.
Schaurer explained another potential reason that students may not come back to WSU is because of grades.
“[Undergraduate students’ average] GPA was a 2.0, so we know that [there are] probably some academic barriers or hurdles for students that may have been the reason they chose not to come back in the spring,” Schaurer detailed.
Schaurer shared the efforts of WSU’s enrollment through new financial aid initiatives, such as Take Flight, President’s and Deans’ Scholars and revised Merit Awards, as well as partnerships with Amazon’s Career Choice, AU-ABC and local school districts.
Other efforts are in engagements, such as the Raider Open Houses, with the next one being Jan. 28 and Admitted Student Night on April 5.
Meeting overview
Bruce Mackh, vice provost for assessments chief accreditation officer, updated the committee on the Higher Learning Commission, which will have a first draft of the Focused Visit Report out by the first week of February for public review and comment.
HLC evaluates and accredits based on its Criteria for Accreditation, which are a set of criteria that institutions must meet to have an accredited status.
“[The goal is to] advance the common good through quality assurance of higher education as the leader in equitable, transformative and trusted accreditation in the service of students and member institutions,” the official HLC website reads. “Institutional accreditation validates the quality of an institution’s academic programs at all degree levels, whether delivered on-site, online or otherwise.”
Other items
The committee also approved three new policies: Faculty Workload (Policy 2020), English Proficiency (Policy 5070.3) and Graduate Micro-Credentials (New Policy Proposed #5830).
The Policy Review Committee is working to amend eight other university policies. The committee is accepting student, staff and faculty feedback on these policies with the deadline to submit feedback on Feb. 17, 2023.
The next Faculty Senate meeting will be on Feb. 13 at 2:30 p.m. in the Student Union Endeavor room.
