26
August
2021
|
12:51 PM
America/Chicago

Enrollment Management News: Enrollment Collaboration and Fall Registration Events

Summary

By Percy Sandel
Coordinator of Enrollment Communications and Client Relationship Management

Historically, the largest enrollment term at UHD and most universities is the fall semester in any given academic year. As such, the lead into the fall semester is always the busiest time for Enrollment Management. Student enrollment is essential to the fiscal health of a university, especially for public universities in Texas considering the state funding formula used by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is tied to enrolled students and their semester credit hours.

The staff, faculty, and administration of UHD is well aware of the impact enrollment has on the operating budget, and UHD is fortunate to have experienced several years of enrollment growth since implementing admissions standards beginning in the fall of 2014. A robust enrollment means UHD can fund programs to support the student experience, their success and retention, as well as maintain a talented pool of faculty and staff to accomplish these goals.

Leading into the Fall 2021 semester, UHD has hosted many targeted registration events to assist new freshman, transfer and returning students alike. Events like Registration Rallies and Gator Registration Days, where teams from Admissions, the Registrar’s Office, Academic Advising, Financial Aid, Student Business Services, and more come together to provide students all the resources and support they need to prepare for the start of classes.

With a focus on retention, several events aimed to assist a cohort of first-time in college students continue their degree progress at UHD. Another event was targeted at students recently placed on academic probation or suspension. These students may have struggled previously, but UHD remains committed to supporting their educational goals. At the event, beyond general enrollment assistance, students were connected with UHD’s robust network of academic support services, providing the necessary resources to empower these students to realize their potential and return to UHD to complete their degree.

Our University Registrar, Ovidio Galvan, though fairly new to UHD, is already demonstrating his dedication to supporting enrollment by spearheading and assisting with many of these registration events. Based on his own experience, he has a special attachment to the UHD student population. He personally knows the value of intentional support when helping students enroll and providing persistent assistance all the way to graduation.

Ovidio shared, “We know that many of our students are first-time in college students who greatly need the guidance and support of our dedicated UHD staff in order to help navigate the complex process of applying, completing their admissions checklist items, applying for financial aid, being advised on their needed course enrollments, and finally enrolling.

“Being a first-time in college student myself, I know that I did not always have the support or clear understanding from my family and close friends to know what I needed to do next as an undergraduate student. They obviously wanted to help me, but college was new to us all. Understanding this, we developed our virtual events at UHD in a manner to serve all of our students, so that they could receive all the support they needed at one event, almost like a one-stop-shop. These events help us to collaboratively work toward ensuring a smooth enrollment process for our students.”

Beyond Enrollment Management, the University’s five colleges always step up to support enrollment before a new semester begins. From the Academic Advising Center for undeclared students to each of the college specific advising centers, staff and faculty across the University are committed to serving our students as they seek to earn their degrees and make a difference for themselves and their families. Academic Advisors in particular, play an integral role in enrolling students, providing them with guidance on course selection and degree progress, as well as further connecting students with support services to help ensure their academic success.

Reyna Romero, the Director of Advising Services in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, commented on the impact of dedicated registration events. “Our registration events assist our students and advising centers in providing direct access to academic advisement and support that lead to successful enrollment and help UHD achieve our goals of retention and graduation. Students are grateful that they are able to resolve issues ranging from financial to academic in a centralized area.”

Though the staff and faculty at UHD have unique roles and purposes, we are all united by our dedication to student success. Supporting student enrollment has always been a University wide effort, and is highlighted by the teamwork present in registration events. Even though Enrollment Management’s primary focus is enrollment, it is this collaboration that enables UHD to serve our students and provide transformative educational opportunities to the diverse city of Houston and beyond.

 

About the University of Houston-Downtown

The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.

U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.