Marquette University unveiled the 2031 “Securing Our Future” plan in March 2024, in which they announced that the university intends to reduce spending by $31 million and reinvest 40% of that back into the university.
The plan is to have all the efforts finalized in time for Marquette’s 150th anniversary in 2031, which has led to 15 programs on and around campus being put under review for restructuring and possible termination. Implementation of the “Securing Our Future” plan is being overseen by a steering committee, which is co–chaired by College of Nursing Dean Jill Guttormson and Adjunct Law School Professor Ralph Weber.
Increasing new student population
The plan is being implemented under the backdrop of an increase in new students entering Marquette. On Aug. 21, 2024, more than 2,100 new students and their families packed the Al McGuire Center for Marquette’s annual new student convocation. The number of new students entering Marquette in the fall 2024 semester was the highest since the pandemic and nearly tied with the record set back in 2017.
The increase in students required the university to take measures to accommodate the influx of students, including reopening O’Donnell Hall. They were also forced to hire more custodial staff and desk receptionists to accommodate the additional dorm space.
In a presentation to the Marquette University Student Government earlier this semester, Vice President for Enrollment Management Brian Troyer conceded that Marquette’s current infrastructure and financial situations require changes to enrollment strategy, saying that new student populations at the levels seen in 2024 are not sustainable.
Some additional goals of the new strategy include increases in rates of student yield and graduation, along with a decrease in size fluctuation between classes from year to year. Marquette’s current yield rate sits at only 14%, meaning that only 14% of students admitted to Marquette choose to enroll.
Expanding geographic diversity
One of the biggest initiatives outlined in the new enrollment plan is an effort to significantly expand the geographic diversity of students on campus. Currently, 70% of Marquette students originate from three U.S. states: Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota.
Troyer highlighted the success of a fly-in program that provides opportunities for prospective students from around the country to visit Marquette. He explained the program and the impact that it has on prospective students.
“The team in Undergraduate Admissions has done a wonderful job making a campus visit a reality for a large number of students,” Troyer said in an email.
Troyer highlighted the fact that campus visits often increase likelihood of students enrolling who would not have enrolled without visiting campus.
For students like Tyler Hegdahl, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, the efforts to expand geographic representation on campus are a welcome sign.
Originally from Portland, Oregon, Hegdahl first heard about Marquette when he saw a table representing the university at a Jesuit college fair near his home. However, he struggled to find his community when he first came to campus in 2023.
“Being from Portland, I came here not knowing really anybody,” Hegdahl said. “When you have more people from all across the country… it definitely brings a more welcoming and more diverse community.”
Using Marquette’s alumni network
Troyer highlighted plans to utilize Marquette’s extensive alumni network to help make the university more known to students in different spots around the country.
“In addition to broadening our reach with marketing, communications and travel to these new markets, we are also tapping into the Marquette connections we have with over 115,000 alumni around the world,” Troyer said in an email.
Troyer added that efforts will be taken to give stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on the new initiatives, something he considers to be a priority.
“It is important to me that efforts to enroll future students are never done in isolation,” Troyer said in an email. “Collaboration across the many groups that are proud to call Marquette home has been incredibly rewarding.”
Troyer said he hopes to have the plans implemented within the next two to three years, in time for Marquette University’s 150th anniversary in 2031.
This story was written by Sahil Gupta. He can be reached at sahil.gupta@marquette.edu.
