UM Strategy

The project

Strengthen current student and parent/family communications

Project Leads:  Devin Carpenter and Claudine Cellier
Executive Sponsor:  Leslie Webb

What we’re trying to accomplish

The project aims to create a coordinated student communication strategy that delivers timely, relevant, and engaging information through the right channels at the right moments in the student experience. By improving clarity, reducing noise, and aligning campus messaging, it seeks to help students navigate university life more confidently while strengthening trust in the institution and fostering a sense of belonging. The overarching goal is to support student retention and deepen students’ overall engagement with the University.

Why it matters

Coordinated, student-centered communications build trust, support student success, help create a sense of belonging for students and strengthen their engagement with the University.

Progress

The project has launched a pilot student newsletter through StudentESP, established an initial content and delivery process, and begun building campus awareness and buy-in. Early insights have clarified the need to broaden audiences, simplify messaging, and focus on coordination among key campus units which communicate most often with students. A need for student input has prompted a series of focus group sessions this month. Consensus on the need for improved coordination is the focus of partner work sessions and an audit of current communication tools and practices.

The project

Drive the design and implementation of an undergraduate advising model that responds to current and future student needs and expectations

Project Leads:  Nathan Domitrovich and Rick Anderson
Executive Sponsor:  Leslie Webb and Brian Reed

What we’re trying to accomplish

This project is developing a clear, student-centered mission and strategic plan for academic advising at UM by assessing current advising structures, workloads, practices, and outcomes. The goal is to create a more effective, consistent, and sustainable advising model that better supports student success.

Why it matters

Academic advising is a critical driver of student persistence, retention, and timely graduation, and current caseloads and structures limit its effectiveness. Strengthening advising will improve the student experience, support advisors in their work, and help UM better meet institutional goals for student success.

Progress

The project has engaged a broad group of stakeholders through facilitated focus groups, producing rich qualitative insights into advising strengths and challenges. A draft mission, vision, and values statement has been developed and shared, and quantitative workload and appointment data has been analyzed, revealing significant variation across units. The project is now transitioning from assessment into strategic planning for a more coordinated advising model.

From the project leads

This project isn't about fixing something we believe is broken, but maximizing the good work already occurring and offering our advising community additional tools, training, and support to accelerate their efforts and create even greater consistency across the advising community in subscribing to campus-wide expectations and national best practices.

The project

Enhance Native American student access and success through culturally informed support

Project Leads:  Karla Bird, Michelle Guzman, and Kristina Lucero
Executive Sponsor:

What we’re trying to accomplish

This project is developing a Tribal Sovereignty Framework – in partnership with Tribal communities and Native students, faculty and staff – to guide UM faculty and staff in designing practices, policies, and processes that better support Native students and honor Tribal sovereignty. The framework will increase awareness, provide practical guidance, and inform professional development across campus.

Why it matters

Honoring Tribal sovereignty and building respectful, reciprocal partnerships with Tribal Nations is not only a matter of legal compliance or ethics but also a benefit to all Montanans:  by honoring Tribal sovereignty, UM enriches the educational environment for everyone and strengthens its relationships with the Tribal Nations of the region.

Progress

The project has secured IRB approval, engaged Native employees, students and community members through work sessions, collected and coded data in collaboration with participants, and identified core themes that will be developed into tenets that can serve as a framework for honoring Tribal Sovereignty across UM. Community and campus engagement goals for fall have been met, and the project is now preparing to develop a draft for the UM community to consider. The project has also secured campus support for developing professional development and NeoED training modules.

More from the project leads

Rooted in treaty responsibilities, Indian Education for All was created to ensure education for all Indigenous students, and that extends beyond the K-12 into higher education. Public universities in Montana inherit this obligation to honor and include Indigenous perspectives. Tribes are not just another constituency for the university – they are sovereign governments with legal rights and authorities, which means the university has specific responsibilities to act respectfully and lawfully in all dealings with Indigenous communities.  

The project

Cultivating excellence in teaching, learning, and assessment through evidence-based practices in gateway math and writing courses

Project Leads:  Amy Ratto Parks and Lauren Fern
Executive Sponsor:  Adrea Lawrence

What we’re trying to accomplish

The project aims to improve student success and retention by strengthening teaching, learning, and assessment in gateway math and writing courses using evidence-based practices and shared assessment frameworks.

Why it matters

Because gateway math and writing courses strongly influence student persistence and completion, this work helps UM reduce DFW rates, improve educational quality, and better support students most at risk of falling behind.

Progress

The project has established strong partnerships with gateway course coordinators and the Registrar’s Office, created and deployed a rolling student attrition survey, and begun collecting disaggregated DFW and completion data. Early results have provided valuable insight into student 
experiences and reasons for attrition, while instructor-provided qualitative data is adding important context. These findings are now informing adjustments for spring and the initial development of shared assessment frameworks.

The project

Refine the strategic approach to graduate enrollment

Project Leads:  Paul Lukacs
Executive Sponsor:  Scott Whittenburg

What we’re trying to accomplish

This project is building a clearer, more coordinated approach to graduate and professional student recruitment and enrollment by assessing current practices, capacity, and tools across all programs. Its goal is to strengthen enrollment management, improve program sustainability, and lay the groundwork for targeted recruitment and retention strategies.

Why it matters

Graduate and professional students make up more than a quarter of UM’s total enrollment, yet recruitment and enrollment efforts have historically been fragmented. A more strategic, university-level approach will help stabilize and grow graduate enrollment, improve time to degree, and ensure UM can effectively support graduate students academically and financially.

Progress

The project has engaged leadership from nearly all graduate programs to understand recruitment practices and capacity, analyzed enrollment trends and financial data, and made strategic adjustments to graduate assistantships (GA), Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP), and fellowship allocations. Graduate Fair has been redesigned with increased participation, social media outreach has expanded, and early benchmarking with peer institutions is underway, positioning the project to move from assessment toward implementation.

From the project lead

Graduate student recruitment continues to become more challenging following broader national changes. Leveraging all our available options and opportunities will be key to long-term success. Making a concerted effort to review, evaluate, and improve our graduate recruitment strategy and tactics will benefit the entire university.

Project story

Adapting to a Changing Graduate Landscape

The project

Develop integrated and effective student financial services functions

Project Leads:  Stacey Eve and Drew Riley
Executive Sponsor:  Leslie Webb

What we’re trying to accomplish

This project is restructuring Student Financial Services into clear functional units and modernizing systems, policies, and processes to simplify the student financial journey from inquiry through post-graduation. The goal is to create more efficient, transparent, and student-centered financial services that reduce confusion and administrative burden.

Why it matters

Financial complexity is a major barrier to enrollment, persistence, and completion, and inefficient systems disproportionately affect students most at risk of stopping out. Improving Student Financial Services strengthens trust, supports timely completion of financial aid requirements, and directly contributes to improved retention and graduation outcomes at UM.

Progress

Student Financial Services has launched a new scholarship portal, Scholarship Universe, revised work-study processes, and advanced planning for a comprehensive FAFSA completion campaign. Work is underway to document compliance and reporting processes and to rebuild the Banner AR collections module, laying the foundation for more consistent, transparent, and scalable financial operations.

From the project leads

We are working on significant website improvements that should make navigating aid and payment clearer for students and families. We are making significant changes to business processes to expedite aid processing and facilitate accurate and timely bills. And we are planning a complete audit of financial aid policies and procedures so that we are ready to not only comply with updated federal regulations, but also to provide clear and timely guidance for students, faculty, and staff.