Strategic Enrolment Management Plan 2024-29

Foundation of SEM at VIU

Data-informed decision making has been the catalyst for the creation of all VIU’s institutional plans.

The creation of these plans has chartered the course for VIU. VIU’s Strategic Plan and its accompanying Foundation Plans provide the overall direction of the institution. Defined below, the Plans were used in the creation of the SEM Plan.

Environmental analysis/scan

The StrongerBC: Future Ready Plan published by the Government of British Columbia in 2023 states that “over the next ten years, BC will need to fill more than one million job openings. Eighty per cent of these jobs will require workers to have some kind of post-secondary education and training” (p.2). This is a bold statement, and one that post-secondary institutions must pay close attention to when identifying how to support the educational requirements of all learners. The Plan further identifies five priority areas:

1. making post-secondary more affordable, accessible and relevant
2. providing the innovation and skills needed to fill the jobs of tomorrow faster
3. breaking down barriers so everyone can find a job that works for them
4. addressing Indigenous People’s workforce priorities, and
5. making it easier for people new to Canada to find a job in the field in which they are trained.

It is imperative that VIU’s planning continues to align with the goals of the StrongerBC: Future Ready Plan. The goals of SEM Plan, articulated below, demonstrate that alignment.

As the educational landscape in Canada continues to change, VIU will be required to shift accordingly to keep pace. VIU will need to become more efficient and agile to meet the needs and expectations of stakeholders in response to:

• increased competition for students
• negative population growth
• increasing student diversity
• generational differences in learning
• the use of technology

VIU will have to look internally at the programming offered and assess relevance to today’s economy while increasingly looking to external sources of funding, partnerships and resource sharing to grow.

Despite the best planning undertaken, the post-secondary environment is always susceptible to external factors that impact enrolment and program planning. Of significant note in the Canadian post-secondary institutional context is the recent announcement by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to impose an intake cap on international study permit applications for two years. This will result in a 35% decrease in study permits from 2023.  International students contribute significantly to the University community. While staying in Canada, they enhance the labour market and bring opportunities for Canadian students to learn about other cultures and customs. The cap to international permits will have a significant impact on VIU, Vancouver Island and Canada as a whole. Directly, by having a cap, the enrolment projections for international recruitment at VIU may fluctuate greatly.

A decline in domestic student enrolment is being felt by post-secondary institutions across Canada. In the mid-island region, the percentage of high school graduates that immediately transitioned to post-secondary decreased from 48% in 2016-17 to 40% in 2020-21 (Student Transitions Project: Transitions of BC High School Graduates into BC Public Post-Secondary Education, 2023). Over the last 10 years (2013-14 to 2023-24), VIU has seen a student headcount decline of 26%. Our biggest competitors such as University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria are responding to the situation with strategies such as lowering their entrance GPA requirements to attract more students. So the competition for students will continue to grow. VIU must continue to implement a robust recruitment plan to attract more students and deploy strategic retention strategies to ensure they stay at VIU until they reach their desired goal.

SEM Goals and Strategies

The following SEM goals and strategies will guide university recruitment, retention and student success actions for the next five years (2024-29).

Plan implementation

Key to the implementation of the SEM Plan is the establishment of an accountability structure that includes

• clear expectations
• regular reporting
• assigned responsibility

At the highest level, the goals and strategies in this plan align with VIU’s Strategic Plan, People, Place, Potential, and have been approved by the Senior Management Team, signaling the commitment of the university’s leadership to this endeavor. The next step is the development of tactics and action plans for each strategy, including:

• assigned responsibility
• completion dates
• assessment measures

In Spring 2024, the implementation process will begin with a reshaping of the SEM Committee into an oversight council with three subcommittees charged with carrying forward aspects of the plan (Appendix 4).

The SEM Council Chair will work with the Chairs of three SEM subcommittees (Appendix 4) to

• identify tactics that advance the stated goals and strategies
• identify who will execute the tactics
• determine critical deadlines to ensure that we are able to achieve these goals

These expectations will be articulated in an accountability plan and will be shared with the community by Fall 2024. The Plan will balance the need for clear expectations against the need for flexibility to learn from our efforts and to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Success in implementation will require not only organization and accountability. It also will require commitment and effort. Each SEM subcommittee will produce and submit an annual report to the SEM Council detailing their progress.

The entire campus community’s support and involvement is needed. To facilitate campus involvement and support in advancing the plan, a SEM Dialogue will be held annually. The SEM Dialogue will include an update to the campus community on our implementation and will engage the community in conversations regarding advancing the plan and prioritizing actions.

Acknowledgements

In September 2023, the Provost and Vice-President Academic called a committee together to draft VIU’s first Strategic Enrolment Management Plan. The SEM Committee reviewed the extensive work undertaken by the university in 2019-22 to support the development of a strategic enrolment management plan and consulted with the Provost, Deans and key leaders in the university community on the development of the goals and strategies of this plan. The insights, experiences and perspectives of all those who contributed to developing this plan are acknowledged and appreciated. Notably, the following SEM Committee members are acknowledged for their contributions.

SEM Committee Members:

• Carolyn Russell, Vice President, Students (Chair)
• Irlanda Gonzalez Price, Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs (co-Chair)
• Dr. Ross MacKay, Associate Vice-President, Academic Planning
• Fred Jacklin, University Registrar
• Dr. Eve Stringham, Dean, Faculty of Science and Technology
• Dr. Rachel Moll, Acting Dean, Faculty of Education

Appendix

Appendix 1

Strategic Retention Model Summary Report

Appendix 2

Strategic Retention Model Strategies

Appendix 3

Retention Baseline Report

Appendix 4

Strategic Enrolment Management Committee Membership

Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Council

The SEM Council will discuss, monitor and evaluate all aspects of the SEM Plan. The Council assists the University in establishing, achieving, and maintaining enrolment goals in collaboration with Faculties and Administrative Units by supporting, assisting, and facilitating effective enrolment management activities across the institution and by fostering a campus-wide SEM culture. The primary functions of the Council are to monitor the implementation of the SEM Plan, receive reports from the subcommittees and report on progress to achieve the plan.  

Membership:

• Vice President, Students (Chair)
• Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs
• University Registrar
• Associate Vice-President, Academic
• 2 Deans, appointed by the Provost
• Director, Office of Future Students

Student Recruitment Subcommittee

The Recruitment subcommittee will be a standing subcommittee of the SEM Council responsible for establishing and revising the strategies, tactics, and actions primarily for Goals 1, 2, and reporting out to the SEM Council.

Chaired by the Director, Future Students, the Student Recruitment Subcommittee is responsible for:

• drafting tactics and action plans that support achieving the strategies with timelines, accountabilities, and budgets; 
• determining gaps between best practices and the university’s student recruitment activities;
• reviewing research and data regarding the enrolment funnel from prospects to enrolled students and making recommendations to improve applications/admits/registered students; and 
• providing regular reports to SEM Council on Subcommittee activities. 

Membership:

• Director, Office of Future Students (Chair)
• Director, Brand and Marketing
• Director, Graduate Studies and Student Research
• Associate Registrar, Admissions and Registration
• Associate Registrar, International
• Domestic Recruitment representative
• International Recruitment representative
• Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement representative
• Manager, Financial Aid Access, Awards and Resources
• 1 Dean or Associate Dean, appointed by the Provost
• 1 Faculty Member, appointed by the Provost

Student Retention Subcommittee

The Retention subcommittee will be a standing subcommittee of the SEM Council responsible for establishing and revising the strategies, tactics, and actions primarily for Goals 3, 4, and reporting out to the SEM Council.

Chaired by the AVP Student Affairs, the Student Retention Subcommittee will be responsible for:

• drafting tactics and action plans that support achieving the strategies with timelines, accountabilities, and budgets
• determining gaps between best practices and the university’s student retention activities
• considering the variety of needs of associated with our diverse student community and make recommendations on how to meet these, and 
• providing regular reports to SEM Council on Subcommittee activities

Membership:

• Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs (Chair)
• Associate Vice-President, Academic
• Director, Student Services
• Director, Centre for Experiential Learning and Student Engagement
• Director, Graduate Studies and Student Research
• Director, VIU International
• Manager, Academic Advising                               
• Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement representative
• 1 Dean or Associate Dean, appointed by the Provost
• 1 Faculty member, appointed by the Provost

Data Analysis Subcommittee

The Data Analysis subcommittee will be a standing committee of the SEM Council responsible for preparing enrolment models that support the SEM Plan, supporting research to inform SEM Plan implementation, and providing data to SEM Council and Subcommittees as needed.

Chaired by the University Registrar, the Data Analysis Subcommittee will be responsible for:

• preparing enrolment models that support the SEM Plan
• supporting research to inform SEM Plan implementation, and 
• providing data to SEM Council and Subcommittees as needed

Membership:

• University Registrar (Chair)
• Director, Strategic Planning and Initiatives
• Associate Registrar, Records and Registration Systems
• IT Enterprise Systems representative
• 1 Dean or Associate Dean, appointed by the Provost
• 1 Faculty member, appointed by the Provost