Earlier this month, Stevens administration released the Year 9 Report of Stevens’ 10-year strategic plan. According to the report, Year 9, which coincides with Fall 2021 enrollment statistics, saw “remarkable progress toward a number of goals.”
Upon its definition in 2012, the 10-year Strategic Plan was described as a “road map of key actions and steps that must be taken for Stevens to ascend in quality, value and impact throughout the next decade.” The plan represents a concerted effort by administrative and academic leadership, headed by President Farvardin, to bolster the reputation and prestige of Stevens. It called for large changes, including curriculum overhauls and expansions, administrative and departmental reshuffles, and major upgrades to physical and virtual infrastructure.
With several of the 10-year goals already met, the administration considers Stevens to be in a “very strong position” as the final year of the plan begins, despite falling well below targets in certain key areas such as diversity. Stevens is in the midst of developing the next 10-year plan, which will help determine the trajectory of the university from 2022 to 2032.
The report addresses progress made in undergraduate studies, graduate studies, research and scholarship, culture and governance, internal bridges, and external bridges. Internal bridges refers to Stevens’ internal structure and finances, while external bridges refers to its relationship with other organizations and the community, as well as its wider reputation.
The “internal bridges” section of the report summarizes the progress of which many undergraduates are likely to be most familiar with. Despite fiscal stress caused by the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant organizational, technological, and physical improvements to the university have been made in the past year: a new Division of University Relations, which aims to improve university communication and marketing; a major overhaul to the Division of Information Technology (IT), which students have seen reflected in new security services like Okta Single Sign-On; and rapid physical infrastructure development, most prominently represented on campus by the new University Center Complex, which is on target for completion in May 2022.
Key undergraduate statistics largely continued to follow the positive trends of the past decade. Total undergraduate enrollment in 2021 rose 7.2% to surpass 4,000 students for the first time in Stevens’ history, meeting the goal set in 2012 one year early. The incoming class, with 1,140 students compared to Fall 2020’s 985 students, is the first to top 1,000 and the largest ever. Applications rose by nearly 1,000, to 11,320, and the middle 50% SAT score range rose from 1320-1480 to 1370-1510, exceeding that target as well. The six-year graduation rate dropped slightly from last year’s 88% to 87%, which equals the 10-year target.For comparison, in the Fall 2011 semester, undergraduate enrollment was 2,427, and the middle 50 percent SAT score range for incoming undergraduates was 1190-1390. In Fall 2007, the six-year graduation rate was 79%.
More undergraduate statistics which have already surpassed the targets set for 2022 include major enrollment balance (engineering major enrollment fell to 51% of all majors from 72% in Fall 2011, significantly surpassing the 60% target and further diversifying student majors) and the proportion of undergraduates who are underrepresented minorities (17.8% from 12% in Fall 2011, above the 15% target).
Other statistics remain below the 2022 targets. Women make up 33% of the freshman class and 30% of the whole undergraduate cohort, above the 25% starting point but short of the 35% goal. Out-of-state undergraduates make up 34% of the cohort, only a slight improvement from 32% in Fall 2011 and far short of the 48% goal for next year.
2.4% of undergraduates are international students, less than half of Fall 2011’s 5% and increasingly distant from the 8% goal. The decrease in international students compared to 2011 predates the COVID-19 pandemic, with a reported statistic of 2.9% in Fall 2019.Graduate full-time equivalent enrollment increased by almost 25% to 3,268, while Ph.D. enrollment fell from 126 to 98, which Stevens attributes to a loss of international students due to the pandemic. Both numbers remain significantly above 2022 targets.
Another aim of the Strategic Plan was to dramatically increase Stevens’ research activity. Award money and submissions reached record highs this year at $50.6 million and 355, respectively. In addition, new “faculty clusters” for “research, technology development and commercialization” were established to increase the quality and competitiveness of research at Stevens.
25 new faculty members were hired this year, including the new Provost, Jianmin Qu. Eight of the 25 are women, while the proportion of all Stevens full-time faculty who are women remained steady at 27%.
The full report, including detailed statistics in each of the domains, can be found on the Stevens website. Announcing the release of the report, President Farvardin emphasized the approaching end of the Strategic Plan’s timeline and the university’s increased focus on the next ten years. “With your continued engagement, we will aim even higher in the next decade.”
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