September 26, 2024

Campus community,

At yesterday’s Leadership Assembly meeting, several important topics were presented by university leadership, and I would like to share this information with all of you.  

Employee Engagement
Presenters: Laura Oster-Aaland, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Institutional Equity, and Carrie Anne Platt, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

The Employee Engagement Initiative begins with a brief and confidential, 17-question survey developed by Gallup. This is a well-tested instrument able to provide data showing the degree of engagement among employees. How we feel about our work and our experiences at NDSU is directly correlated to wellbeing – a priority of our community and NDSU Transform. We strongly encourage all faculty and staff to complete the survey. 

The survey will open on Oct. 14 and will close on Nov. 1. Results will inform action planning that is expected of each department supervisor who will work with their team in planning. All department/unit members will take part in this initiative.

Survey results will be confidential so that answers will not be linked to a specific individual. Additionally, identifiers like demographic questions will not be asked. Survey data will be stored and accessed by Gallup and only group-level information will be shared with NDSU.

Visit the President’s Council for Campus Well-Being website to learn more.

Strategic Enrollment Management: Lessons Learned and Strategies Moving Forward
Presenter: Seinquis Leinen, Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management

Enrollment and retention are top priorities of NDSU Transform. We reviewed official enrollment numbers showing that NDSU is stabilizing enrollment with 11,952 students – the same headcount from last year. This is a significant accomplishment as we worked through unprecedented challenges and innovated to meet the access mission of NDSU.

A preliminary snapshot of shifting characteristics of the student body profile was also shared. Strategic Enrollment Planning colleagues will be analyzing Fall 24 enrollment data to learn more about incoming and current students and refine recruitment and other efforts to attract and retain students. 

Current trends show that our recruitment efforts, professional advising, faculty connections and early alerts make a positive impact on student enrollment and retention. Thank you to all of our colleagues who make NDSU a welcoming campus community and provide the support our students need for their success.  Everyone plays a part in attracting and retaining students. We will continue to find new ways to coordinate efforts and strengthen our impact in these and other areas.

Website Rebuild Update
Presenters: Kathryn Kloby, Vice President for Communications and Marketing, and Marc Wallman, Vice President for Information Technology

The NDSU website is a key marketing and communication tool for attracting and retaining students, and building community around the excellence of the university. The website rebuild is an initiative of University Relations and Information Technology. Structure and support was discussed as the care and attention to the website for the rebuild will continue long after the launch of the new site. Members of the NDSU Web Team are available to update units on rebuild progress upon request.

For more implementation details and updates on the progress of the website rebuild, visit ndsu.edu/internal/web/.

This is all important work, and it takes all of us to make it happen. If you have any questions or would like additional details on any of these topics, please don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the presenters or me.

Thank you for your continued dedication to making NDSU an exceptional institution.

Best regards,

David Cook