Richard Muma, professor and chair of the department of public health sciences, was recently appointed to a new position for the 2016-2017 school year. His new title is senior associate vice president for strategic enrollment management.

“I’m responsible for coordinating all activities across the campus related to undergraduate recruitment and retention,” Muma said. “(My job) is assuring students are successful, ultimately graduate and enter the workforce.”

Muma has been working at Wichita State for 20 years working in the department of public health sciences. Muma will continue to serve the role of his previous title, while holding the additional title in enrollment. 

Muma has previously been responsible for various areas involving enrollment including: assessment, accreditation, curriculum, student success, online learning, continuing education, OneStop and the Media Resources Center. 

“All of those areas involve enrollment and retention,” Muma said. “I’ll be able to leverage those resources with a much broader focus of coordinating enrollment activities for the entire campus.” 

Enrollment for WSU has decreased in the past year by 3.6 percent. Muma explained how different demographic changes affect enrollment numbers in a negative way. 

“Enrollment is down for various reasons such as changing demographics,” Muma said.

These reasons include: decreased numbers of high school students electing to go to college, competition from surrounding schools, options for online learning and increased cost of education, Muma said.  

Muma said there are many changes going on with enrollment that can attempt to raise enrollment numbers for the years ahead. Separate from adding Muma to enrollment, WSU has expanded in-state tuition to surrounding states. Innovation Campus is also projected to increase enrollment.

“It’s probably too early to tell how successful Innovation Campus will be, as it is just now taking shape,” Muma said. “But since its development is tied to WSU’s strategic plan, it will be a great recruitment tool in attracting students who want real-world experiences.” 

Muma hopes to offer his past experience and knowledge to help enrollment numbers increase. 

“Up until now, there hasn’t been a coordinated effort across all divisions of the university to affect enrollment,” Muma said. 

“I believe my experience in this space already, coupled with my academic experience as a professor, will help bridge some of the gaps we have experienced at WSU.”