Strategic Working Group #2

Bryn Mawr has already exceeded the optimal enrollment target of 1355 set by a 2006 task force. Since then, the enrollment target grew to 1370.  The AY23 undergraduate enrollment of 1409 and shifts in students’ academic interests and backgrounds have put pressure on course availability and enrollment (particularly in certain departments), on residential capacity (housing is not available for all students who wish to live on campus), on some academic and student services (e.g., Access Services), and on select campus facilities.  While some of these changes are transitory (e.g., overall undergraduate enrollment), others are not.  The transitory enrollment increase has flagged a variety of issues that the College would need to address in any intentional plan for enrollment growth.

The task force set its optimal undergraduate enrollment target based on faculty size, capacity of key academic facilities (e.g., science laboratories), capacity of key non-academic facilities (e.g., dormitories, dining halls, athletics and fitness facilities), financial models (including revenue and financial aid projections), and the size and nature of the then-existing applicant pool.

Current enrollment levels impact student experience and impede building a sense of belonging and connection for some community members.  Current enrollment levels also impact the experience of connection and community for many faculty and staff. 

In response to this learning, OEWG shifted its core questions to focus on optimizing student experience inside and outside the classroom, student success and persistence (including optimal retention), and enrollment composition given both changing demographics and institutional commitments to enhancing need-based financial aid and to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  An optimal student experience demands attention to all three elements, which together can deliver on the promise of a Bryn Mawr education and must be the foundation of any consideration of future growth.

In the spring semester, OEWG continued its on-campus investigation through meetings with College administrative leaders, focus groups with students, discussion groups with faculty, and a survey for all staff members. These findings reinforced themes, and together, offered valuable framing and data to inform the recommendations.

While student, faculty, and staff participation was not robust, the conversations were generative, and observations aligned with quantitative data gathering.

The College’s decisions about optimal enrollment must be influenced by changing demographics.

• The number of high school graduates in the Northeastern U.S. (where BMC has historically drawn a large percentage of students) has been declining since 2007.  This decline is increasingly national, and there will be a dramatic drop in the number of traditional college-age students beginning in 2026 and lasting for at least 10 years.  While Bryn Mawr is currently in a competitive admissions position, all but the most selective institutions will feel some effects.
• Sixty percent of Bryn Mawr’s current transfers are from four-year institutions, and the number of transfers matriculating has remained relatively steady over the years.  Bryn Mawr’s vision is “to attract, provide access for, and graduate a diverse undergraduate student body of women with strong academic potential and a purposeful vision for their lives.”  Minority, first-generation students, and those with family incomes categorized as low SES are more likely to attend 2-year institutions. Nationally, increasing numbers of low- to moderate income students are beginning their undergraduate education at community colleges.  Approximately one-third of those students transfer to 4-year schools. 
• Bryn Mawr persistently lags its peers in first- to second-year retention (and subsequently in 4- and 6-year graduation rates), including among its women’s college peers.  The College aspires to a 95% first-year retention rate (e.g., vs. the Class of ’25 retention rate of 91%).  The much-to-be-desired goal would increase overall enrollment by approximately 45 students without any increase in entering class size.

In focus group discussions, students described their relationships with faculty as one of the most important and valuable aspects of their Bryn Mawr experience.

Current students face a number of challenges accessing the courses that they wish/need to take.  While this problem is more acute in some departments and programs than others, it is nonetheless widespread.

• Example: Over the past three semesters, 12.3%-18.9% of courses have been overenrolled.  Data on spring 2023 enrollment provided by the Registrar shows dramatic over-enrollment above ordinary course caps in 47 courses across 16 departments.  These courses, which have a collective enrollment cap of 1152, actually enrolled 2034 students this spring (77% above caps).  In spring 2022, 75 courses were overenrolled (52% above collective caps) and in spring 2020, 49 courses were overenrolled by a collective 47%. Over-enrollment in courses and majors impacts faculty as well as students.
• Pressure is most acute in departments that are contributing key courses to new interdisciplinary programs while simultaneously seeing strong student interest in their disciplinary major.  Psychology, biology, and computer science are examples of such departments.
• Cross-registration and cross-majoring is uneven between Bryn Mawr and Haverford, with more Haverford students enrolling in Bryn Mawr classes than vice versa.
• Current course scheduling practices at Bryn Mawr (and Haverford) do not use the entire weekday calendar or all available class times.  As many courses within and across departments are offered at the same time, students are forced to make hard choices and may miss or be delayed in enrolling in some courses they need or want to take.
• In discussion group sessions, faculty spoke of their interest in interdisciplinary/ multidisciplinary connections with other faculty and in teaching contexts and hoped for additional time and support to form those connections.

The College’s current academic advising structure shows signs of strain.  Students and faculty report a desire for coordinated advising, and students expressed the importance of faculty connection to a positive experience at the College.

• Advising deans provide both academic and non-academic advising to all first- and second-year students, and the three full-time advising deans have additional administrative duties (two other advising deans do not currently carry full advising loads).  Those seeking the most support are first-year students and students in crisis.  Advising deans would like to ensure that all students, and especially those who are first-generation or from historically underrepresented groups, feel they have full access to advising.
• The number of students seeking guidance and accommodations via Access Services continues to grow while the office is currently staffed by one part-time professional.  In AY23, 375 students (undergraduate, graduate, post-bac) had accommodations, primarily responding to psycho-social issues, ADHD, and medical needs.  The office hopes to move to two full-time professional staff as of AY24.
• Student-athletes cannot participate fully in co-curricular programming because these activities are often scheduled during reserved practice hours.
• Faculty discussion group participants spoke of the value/potential for better connections with programs offered by the Center for Career and Civic Engagement.  Student and faculty groups commented that the internship and career advising could be better integrated and more seamless for students.

Recent increases in enrollment and the Admissions Office’s plan to develop a stronger transfer student program have created pressure on dormitory capacity, student life systems, and Dining Services.  These stresses impact our educational model as a residential liberal arts college.

• Housing in AY23 is stretched to capacity, even with 140 students living off-campus.  The College has already maximized use of spaces in dormitories. The College was only able to offer housing to two transfer students in AY23.  Off-campus living near campus is limited and expensive.
• Bryn Mawr’s current residence hall configuration has strengths and weaknesses in meeting the interest of many of our students in privacy as well as having opportunities for engagement. For example, students like singles but express an even greater preference for living in suites with single bedrooms but shared living space.  Some students would like independent living options (e.g., apartments).
• Residential Life is experiencing shifts in student expectations and needs.  Hall Advisors and other student Dorm Leadership Team members are struggling to support their peers. Professional staff include two FT, 12-month positions, two 10-month residential coordinators and an administrative assistant.  Residence Life depends heavily on student Dorm Leadership Teams, especially 40 Hall Advisors; this residence staffing model is very unusual among BMC’S peer institutions.  Most have more professional residential staff who live in or near halls, and who provide more proactive support and evening/ weekend programming.
• The College made a significant increase in student life staffing in FY23 (now 3 professional FTE, a graduate assistant, and an administrative assistant), with positive results still being realized.  For example, this was the first year in which the College offered first-year experience programming through the entire academic year. Bryn Mawr’s culture/model of relying on students to run their residential and extracurricular lives is aligned with neither current student expectations, nor in line with student development best practices.  Covid accelerated an existing trend in which students desire more programming created for them and seek more support engaging with others.
• Dining facilities are at capacity during peak meal periods, increasing the need for students to dine outside or use take-out meals.
• Students have consistently requested alternative meal plans.
• Food production/service and dining layouts have considerable limitations, particularly given increased requests for dietary offerings to accommodate allergies.
• As is the case nationwide, Bryn Mawr has experienced increases in student requests for Counseling Services over several years.  The College was able to fill staff vacancies in late fall and has implemented group as well as individual sessions to help meet this ongoing, increased need.  Counseling also has contracted with virtual counseling services such as MySSP.  Evening hours are needed by students with busy class and/ or work schedules.     
• Students highly value opportunities for community building that are created through on-campus jobs and extra-curricular activities.

The College’s campus is clearly a strength for building community but also poses constraints.

• Township zoning and impervious surface regulations severely limit addition of built space on campus. 
• There is no opportunity to add rooms in existing dormitories.
• While there is pressure on various types of classroom spaces during typical class times, some pressure could be alleviated by changes to the course schedule.  Some current classroom stock is not accessible (e.g., Taylor).
• There are few spaces available for mid- to large size gatherings, whether for student, department, or College use, and there is great competition for those that do exist (e.g., Great Hall, Dalton 300, Quita Woodward).
• Spaces that allow for student “ownership” of programs can have strong, positive social/ community impact (e.g., The Lusty Cup). 
• Although OEWG did not interview the Director of Athletics, we note that the Athletics and Fitness programs are pressed for space for some functions.
• Although OEWG did not interview the Director of Libraries and Chief Information Officer, we note that an anticipated renovation of Canaday Library to include a learning commons would support student academic engagement and group projects that in turn contribute to the experience of academic community.

• Expand Bryn Mawr's pipelines to attract top prospective community college transfer students
• Enhance targeted recruitment strategies to attract more limited- and middle-income students
• Ensure that new retention-focused initiatives support changing student demographics
• In the event of a SCOTUS decision that erases race-conscious admissions, review and invest in adequate resources in the resulting new recruitment landscape. 

• Optimize scheduling of classes to make full use of the calendar week
• Identify areas for increased faculty staffing by CAP and departments making use of multi-year institutional data and analysis of impact of interdisciplinary programs on department course enrollments.

• Encourage earlier faculty-student connection through informal or formal mentoring or advising
• Provide resources to support curricular enhancement (e.g., off-campus experiences aligned with courses)
• Provide resources for additional faculty/student scholarly projects in addition to programs like the Summer Science Research Program
• Provide structure and resources to foster interdisciplinary conversations and connections among faculty and among faculty and students.

• Reimagine academic advising, supporting and building on the work of the incoming Dean of the Undergraduate College
• Develop an integrated set of advising, experiences, and programming targeted to each class year

• Assess and continue development of existing and new first-year student programming
• Strengthen (or create as needed) year-long programming appropriate to the interests and needs of sophomores, juniors, and seniors respectively, drawing on the resources of relevant offices (e.g., Advising, Residence Life, Study Away, Career and Civic Engagement, Academic Success, etc.)

• Create transition pathways and programming to support belonging and success for transfer students
• Based on evidence and assessment, enhance support for academic success initiatives to enable all students to have access to and benefit from the full range of opportunities and resources at the College.

• Better align resources and needs in key student support areas (e.g., Access Services and Counseling) to meet student needs more effectively; needs may be met through realignment rather than additional staffing
• Hire additional professional residential life staff to live on or near campus to help meet the changing needs of students living in residence halls
• In assessing the new student information system options to replace Bionic, examine and attempt to prioritize systems that facilitate communication and coordination between faculty and advisors in support of students
• Optimize scheduling to create common hours for community activities
• Include in Residential Life programming discussions of extra-curricular activities.

• Investigate options to add off-campus housing that will increase residential capacity through acquiring a local apartment building.  Such an option would bring “off-campus” students closer to residential student resources and experiences; bring this rental income to the College rather than private landlords as is the case now; and offer an option with appeal to the larger proportion of transfer students that we anticipate
• Study options to create spaces to accommodate medium to larger co-curricular and social gatherings, possibly in a renovated Campus Center.  Consider adding a space of this sort intended for more academic gatherings in the Canaday renovation plan
• Study options for changes to current dining services structures and experience to take better advantage of the way that shared meals can promote community and connection and to help alleviate pressure of service delivery, whether through new meal plan options or facilities renovations/additions. Consider upgrading dedicated dining space for students with food allergies.