President's Listening Tour 2022-23

For those colleagues and friends that have provided valuable feedback at one of our Listening Tour sessions or online, thank you so much for taking the opportunity to offer your perspectives.  While all of the feedback will be helpful during our future planning and assessment, some of the feedback is being acted upon as quickly as we can to improve services and programs right now. Below is a small sample of what we've heard so far and will be updated regularly.

What are some of greatest challenges facing our students?

• Need better data and analytic systems and use them to make decisions and guide actions.
• With all the retirements and departures, we have lost strong knowledge and some continuity, particularly some of the best practices that left along with the great people. We need to determine what we used to do successfully and how we can reinstitute those that were working well.
• Increase student workers' pay or benefits;  some units trains great students and they often leave for higher paying jobs on campus or elsewhere.
• Affordability - housing cost increases in recent years have outpaced tuition increases, what can we do to reduce the burden on students for room/board. 
• Services for off-campus students and commuter students are not adequate to make them feel connected or valued. The lack of dedicated spaces for them to study, and places for them to eat are two key examples. 
• Onboarding of students and their parents can be improved to give them a better road map from the time they select Millersville; especially for late admits and spring admits.
• Improve transfer advising and onboarding which is sometimes perceived as inconsistent and not comprehensive.
• More students forgoing/delaying college because of "pull" into labor market given attractive pay levels at retail and other entry jobs; we must provide convincing argument for long term benefits of higher education.
• There is currently mixed messaging on the relevancy and benefit of pursuing higher education coming from state government offices outside of Millersville University. The value of higher education must be clearly communicated to prospective students at all levels.
• Scholarship money to offer students - our awards are not large enough and we are often later in the time period for awarding scholarship dollars than other institutions.
• First year students need more options and some degree of self-selection; they need to be more invested and empowered.
• Cohort of current students coming into the university are not as ready for university level work, particularly due to pandemic preparation — may need more remediation.
• Faculty are exhausted and do not have time or motivation to use CAE resources.
• Some of our students can’t seem to find the courses they need to graduate on time, so some are going over to HACC to pick up credits to stay on track.
• Some students are not dropping classes when they are in danger of failing a course, even if they are advised to do so, because they need to keep their financial aid status.
• Admitting more students who are not academically prepared, not in term of intellectual ability, but rather in terms of work habits and discipline.
• Starfish is a good tool, but it not a tool to motivate students who are otherwise not engaged and not showing up to classes and appointments. Some students are getting angry with faculty for submitting academic warnings in Starfish. 

What opportunities exist to help recruit, retain, and graduate our students and support their success?

• Find new ways to obtain feedback from students, particularly the commuter and off campus students. Commuters are sometimes left out of important campus surveys and feedback loops.
• Better marketing of all our services and opportunities to prospective students. We have many things to offer but some prospects don’t know how much we have to offer.
• Help new employees on campus be ready to support students quickly by providing them with similar information that an incoming student and their family receives.
• More direct access pathways for high school students to attend Millersville University.
• A wider availability of online learning opportunities for undergraduate students; greater focus on working adult learners.
• Be clear and consistent with all employees that "recruitment and retention" is everyone's responsibility; help to make better connections with how to make that a reality.
• Increase scholarship funds, with guidance from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
• Facilitate collaboration between divisions, departments, and colleges on campus to support student recruitment and retention.
• Advertise in our backyard (Spooky Nook, Penn Manor, McCaskey, local libraries, local billboards, etc.) instead of taking recruitment from local high schools and our community for granted.
• Reevaluate arts offerings at the Ware & Winter Centers and the relevancy of our academic curriculum for a new generation. 
• Increase promotion of services and alternative learning opportunities, such as internships. Our second-year students especially need to be made aware of these opportunities.
• Leverage student employees and GAs as ambassadors to our students and the community. 
• Extend bussing/shuttle hours so students have more opportunities to do things in downtown Lancaster and the surrounding area, including First Fridays.
• Advertise our class sizes and the fact that all classes are taught by professors, not GAs. 
• Better advertise shared spaces (library, SMC, etc.) available on campus for commuter students who are spending time between classes in their cars and other students looking for places to go during their downtime.
• Faculty should be more empowered to be refreshing the curriculum and courses with new things that the students are interested in.
• More face to face interaction with advisees and between students and financial aid office and other critical student offices.
• Students need to learn how to take online classes; first year students should not be taking online courses. Supporting online learning means supporting the students to be online learners.
• Teacher preparation is historically a strong program with a great reputation. How to leverage this reputation to grow enrollments in teacher education majors to fill workforce shortages.
• New or enhanced facilities in Pucillo Gym for the wellness and sports management programs to highlight the program quality and assist in competing with other campuses.

What are your hopes for Millersville University in the next five years?

• Increase in the retention rate for Millersville University.
• Foster a campus environment where people treat others in the way they wish to be treated; build a stronger sense of belonging for everyone - students, employees and guests.
• Better connection opportunities and resources for young alumni, particularly in connecting them to our undergraduate student who desire mentoring.
• Enhanced resources for employees with daycare and childcare needs. 
• Greater focus on employee retention, particularly in hard to fill positions in the trades and facilities areas; foster a more "fun" and "enjoyable" environment for employees.
• We currently have several vacant or deteriorating small houses on campus; improve the visual appeal of campus by upgrading or demolishing these structures. 
• Students are excited to be attending MU and are actively recruiting other prospective students.
• There is a sense of belonging, identity, and tradition that unifies the student population. Faculty and staff facilitate this university culture and empower students to take ownership of their higher education experience.
• Solidify a recognizable brand.
• Millersville University is involved in the community, and the community rallies around the university. Our sporting events are attended by community members. Community-based experiential learning opportunities are part of the Gen Ed requirements for undergraduates, and our students are an integral part of the local community. The “townies vs. students” mentality is a thing of the past. 

Financial aid can be challenging to navigate. Can the university provide greater support for students and families to understand financial aid processes?

• Under the direction of Emi Alvarez, Director of Financial Aid, the staff recently developed a series of nine videos with the videography and editing assistance from UCM. Transforming the student aid experience and revamping the financial aid website has been one of the FA offices priorities this year.

For students, faculty and staff in Roddy/Caputo and McComsey Hall, accessing food and drinks between class can be challenging.  Can the university provide a solution?

• During the 2022-23 academic year, new self-serve grab-and-go food options have been created in visible and accessible locations.  These 24/7 self-service vending areas are managed by Canteen Vending Services and includes a self-service coffee station, various candy and salty snacks; and refrigerated areas that hold everything from fresh sandwiches and yogurt to juices and frozen meals that are microwaveable.