Program on Innovation and Financial Sustainability

Educational Innovation and Undergraduate Enrollment

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Educational Innovation and Undergraduate Enrollment

Expanding the number of students who have access to a Brown education offers an opportunity to increase Brown’s reach and opportunity for impact in the world. Given the very large number of overwhelmingly talented students who apply, increasing by a relatively small percentage the number of undergraduate students admitted would not affect the overall quality of admitted students.

Through a more strategic application of enrollment management tools, Brown University can grow its student body to offset the 6% of undergraduates who currently opt to study abroad or engage in other experiential opportunities away from campus. Through this work, the University can accommodate modest enrollment growth without straining other University resources, or affecting the overall sense of community that is central to Brown.

Further, instructional technology and online courses and other offerings provide the opportunity for students studying, interning or volunteering away from campus to remain connected, which may enhance students’ interest in taking advantage of these opportunities during their time at Brown.

Carefully growing the undergraduate student body could also contribute to efforts to cultivate diversity across many dimensions. Increased revenue could be invested to strengthen study away programs and experiences, including enhancing online linkages to campus for students during their time away.

Charge

The Educational Innovation and Undergraduate Enrollment Work Group is charged with implementing changes to grow Brown’s undergraduate population by 5-10% through careful enrollment management and increased participation in study away/experiential learning opportunities. The work group additionally will need to ensure the growth is managed in a way that does not strain existing resources, including student support services and academic and campus life infrastructure.

Initial Planning Efforts

The work group will adapt its scope based on the fall 2021 recommendations from the Education Innovation Committee and focus on the following activities over the 2021-22 academic year:

  • Design pilot programs to increase undergraduate student participation in experiential education. To support this work, the University recently hired a dean for experiential education who will work with colleagues in Global Engagement, the Swearer Center, CareerLAB and the Office of the Dean of the College to promote participation in study away programs, particularly among STEM students and students from historically underrepresented groups.
  • Enhance long-term enrollment management and planning to more effectively manage the flow of undergraduate students who are in residence each semester. Through this work, the University will improve tracking of on-campus housing vacancies so that it can increase enrollments of new undergraduate students without straining University resources, such as residential life and student advising. To support this work, the Office of the Provost hired an associate provost for strategy who will begin revamping the enrollment management process this fall, in partnership with colleagues in Campus Life, Admission and Financial Aid, among other offices.
  • Increase online course offerings and invest in technology and staffing infrastructure to support this work. The technology infrastructure working group, which is a subcommittee of the Education Innovation Committee and composed of faculty, staff and students, is leading a long-term planning effort to ensure that the University has the technology and personnel resources to support its ambitions to increase online education. As part of this work, the committee is working with departments to develop a growth plan for online course offerings to ensure that students who participate in off-campus experiential education opportunities will have access to a robust set of online course offerings that will allow them to stay on track for concentration and graduation requirements. This work involves careful planning in partnership with the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning and the Digital Learning and Design team, as well as with the academic innovation unit.

Membership

Chair

  • Richard M. Locke, Provost

Members

  • TBD