Colleagues,
Last week, we held a constructive meeting with The University of Tulsa Board of Trustees where I shared our direction and progress to date. My vision for TU is to be ranked in the top 75 among national universities and to welcome 1,000 freshmen with a net tuition revenue above $20,000. Our journey to success is clear: It starts with flawless execution of the strategic plan and is sustained with innovation, collaboration, and dedication to excellence in all that we do.
Since July 1, we have seen impressive results.
- As of Nov. 12, applications for first-year enrollment have increased 73% relative to this time last year.
- The number of admitted students has increased 128% relative to this time last year.
- Our marketing campaigns are underway with ads launching across social media, in apps, and on web browsers.
- The ‘CaneCareers Job Placement Guarantee attracted significant attention from news media and has garnered more than 2,300 pageviews.
- We restarted our international recruiting efforts with targeted outreach in Oman and China.
- We achieved a $5 million operating budget reduction that we estimate will put us in the strongest financial position of the past eight years.
- More than 40 personal visits have occurred with area CEOs, leaders of philanthropic foundations and governmental agencies, and notable donors and prospects.
- We have more than $30 million in requests pending decision and have brought $4.7 million cash in the door.
Our urgency is two-fold. First, financial sustainability will allow us to address retirement and compensation and selective growth. Second, other schools are progressing every day; we must do it better and faster.
There is a lot going on at TU, and I am grateful for our partnership. I have added a SharePoint presentation that I encourage you to discuss within your departments. It summarizes the goals and the connection to the strategic plan. I welcome your questions and feedback.
Brad