Abstract:
Universities have entered a period of rapid change and upheaval
due to an external environment beyond their control which includes
shifting demographic patterns, accelerating technology, funding
shortages, and keener competition for students. Strategic planning, a
comprehensive vision which challenges universities to take bold and
creative measures to meet the threats and opportunities of the future, is
an institutional imperative in the 1980's.
This paper examines freshman student feedback in an effort to
incorporate this important element into a strategic plan for Brock
University, a small, predominantly liberal arts university in St.
Catharines, Ontario. The study was designed to provide information on
the characteristics of the 1985-86 pool of freshman registrants: their
attitudes towards Brock's recruitment measures, their general
university priorities, and their influences in regard to university
selection (along with other demographical and attitudinal data).
A survey involving fixed-alternative questions of a subjective and
objective nature was administered in two large freshman classes at
Brock in which a broad cross-section of academic programs was
anticipated. Computer analysis of the data for the 357 respondents
included total raw frequencies and rounded percentages, as well as subgroup
cross-tabulation by geographic home area of respondent,
academic major, and high school graduating average.
The four directional hypotheses put forward were all
substantiatied by the survey data, indicating that 1) the university's
current recruitment program had been a positive influence during their university search 2) parents were the most influential group in the
students' decisions related to university 3) respondents viewed
institutional reputation as less of a priority than an enjoyable university
lifestyle in a personal learning atmosphere 4) students had a decided
preference for co-operative study and internship programs.
Strategic planning recommendations included a reduction in the
faculty/student ratio through faculty hirings to restore the close rapport
between professors and students, increased recruitment presentations
in Ontario high schools to enlarge the applicant pool, creation of an
Office of Co-operative Study and Internship Programs, institutional
emphasis on a "customer orientation", and an extension of research
into student demographics and attitudinal data.
