President Kennedy outlines enrollment gains, corporate partnerships and strategic plan progress

President Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy used the board meeting on April 23 to frame recent progress on Missouri Western’s 2025–2030 strategic plan and recruitment efforts. She cited external recognition—U.S. News & World Report named the university number one in social mobility in the state—and described new corporate education partnerships that provide a 20% tuition discount for employees, spouses and dependents.

Kennedy highlighted early partners including Triumph Foods, the St. Joseph School District and the St. Joseph Catholic Academy, and said the initiative had produced 27 inquiries with 15 employees and eight dependents completing the corporate‑partner application form. She also credited workforce development work at the Hurlbut Center, noting more than 20 organizational partners engaged and roughly $85,000 in new revenue from short‑term workforce training initiatives.

On enrollment, university enrollment and marketing leaders reported progress across metrics: a rebound from pandemic declines, a reported 33.4% increase in first‑time, first‑year commits in recent comparisons, a 39% increase in high‑school visits and a 114% increase in inquiries generated by visits. Dr. Andy Auto later detailed net commit improvements—net commits up roughly 33% and gross commits near 696 as of April reporting—saying yield and retention improvements are driving stronger revenue forecasts for summer and fall.

Kennedy cautioned that financial pressures persist, including flat state appropriation guidance from Jefferson City and broader threats to higher education funding; she said those pressures reinforce the need to diversify revenue and focus on career‑driven programming. The president closed by thanking faculty, staff and administrators for progress on strategic initiatives and invited questions from governors.