A unique enrollment model is making news in higher education circles and, if successful, it may increase UF access to up to 2,000 more undergraduate students annually.Named the Innovation Academy (IA), the spring/summer enrollment pilot program will admit a cohort of students who will take UF courses on campus in the spring and summer terms only. Each fall semester, students will engage in activities away from the UF campus (i.e., study abroad programs, internships), enroll elsewhere, or take online courses through UF. Students will sign a contract agreeing to not take campus-based courses at UF during the fall semester.
According to the Office of Enrollment Management, the goal of this bold new strategy is to increase UF access and maximize capacity during spring and summer. The model will increase the number of enrolled students without having a negative impact on class size or student/faculty ratios. At a university which receives nearly 30,000 applications per year to fill a freshman class of 6,400, thousands of very capable students are turned away due to capacity issues. Those willing to take a flexible approach to their degree may now find access where none existed before.
Colleges are currently determining which of their majors will ‘opt in’ to the spring/summer plan as well as their preferred mix of freshmen and transfers. The Office of Admissions hopes to enroll its first cohort of approximately 500-800 IA students in Spring 2013. To make that happen, an admission application will be launched with the pilot program as an option and recruiters will begin describing the plan to prospective students in their travels to college fairs and high schools this fall.
Colleges are currently determining which of their majors will ‘opt in’ to the spring/summer plan as well as their preferred mix of freshmen and transfers. The Office of Admissions hopes to enroll its first cohort of approximately 500-800 IA students in Spring 2013. To make that happen, an admission application will be launched with the pilot program as an option and recruiters will begin describing the plan to prospective students in their travels to college fairs and high schools this fall.
Certainly, this proposal will require us to rethink the traditional academic calendar and, at this early stage, it is natural for many of us to have more questions than answers. UF’s advising community has a unique opportunity to lend its knowledge and creativity to developing strategies around the many academic and developmental ripples that this plan will have. Such issues may include:
· Redesigning degree plans to fit course requirements during spring and summer terms.
· Configuring Universal Tracking to treat fall as an optional ‘catch-up’ term.
· Determining whether UF’s online course offerings or transient coursework through other institutions during the fall is in the best interest of these students.
· Identifying meaningful and developmentally appropriate extra-curricular activities in the fall, in or away from Gainesville.
· Developing strategies to deliver advising services at a distance for students who are away from Gainesville during the fall.
· Supporting the Dean of Students Office in its expanded Preview offerings targeted to these students.
“UF’s advising community is looking forward to partnering with administration in the implementation of this innovative new admissions model,” stated Deb Mayhew, UAC Chair. We will keep our membership informed of developments as the University Advising Council learns more about the spring/summer enrollment program.
· Configuring Universal Tracking to treat fall as an optional ‘catch-up’ term.
· Determining whether UF’s online course offerings or transient coursework through other institutions during the fall is in the best interest of these students.
· Identifying meaningful and developmentally appropriate extra-curricular activities in the fall, in or away from Gainesville.
· Developing strategies to deliver advising services at a distance for students who are away from Gainesville during the fall.
· Supporting the Dean of Students Office in its expanded Preview offerings targeted to these students.
“UF’s advising community is looking forward to partnering with administration in the implementation of this innovative new admissions model,” stated Deb Mayhew, UAC Chair. We will keep our membership informed of developments as the University Advising Council learns more about the spring/summer enrollment program.
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