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Challenges to Growing & Managing Graduate Enrolments

Jasbir S. Dhaliwal, PhDPapasan Professor of Information Systems

Interim Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & Dean of Graduate SchoolDirector - Systems Testing Excellence Program

University of Memphis

Observations of New DeanWe have grown graduate enrolments to be close to one-

fifth of our student population but our infrastructure and budget allocations have not caught up with this new reality.

Impact of Tennessee Promise: Focus shifts to attracting strong undergraduate students – who tend to favor schools with strong graduate programs.

There is a spillover effect of marketing graduate programs to the undergraduate level.

Getting our community to appreciate and value graduate education. What if we inject 1000 PhD students into your community?

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Challenges as OpportunitiesCoping with the diffusion of graduate programs across campus -

managing through others. Governance can stifle innovation & quality. Formal versus informal mechanisms of governance of graduate

programs. Competencies of local “graduate program leaders” is key e.g. do they

understand strategic enrolment management? Mandatory certification.Decentralization versus centralization of graduate school functions e.g.

graduate student budgets. Changing the “Memphis State” mentality to focus on the

“metropolitan research university” conceptualization.

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Current ConsiderationsKeeping graduate enrolments stable by replacing declining

education enrolments with growth in business, social work, nursing and others.

Week by week monitoring/ management of applications and readmits is critical given diversity of programs.

Personalization and accountability in our graduate admissions unit – “we are not a back-end processing unit but a proactive strategic enrolment support system”.

Strategic messaging at every level to emphasize graduate programs. Health insurance for graduate students and professional

development beyond academics for them.

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