{"id":474,"date":"2026-08-24T00:13:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T04:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.web.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/?page_id=474"},"modified":"2026-08-24T00:13:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T04:13:41","slug":"planning-context","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/planning-context\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning Context"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover fb-cover-text-box wp-duotone-black-and-white\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-right:0;padding-bottom:0;padding-left:0;min-height:100%;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-content\/themes\/flintblock\/assets\/images\/sidewalk-art.jpg\" style=\"object-position:50% 95%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"50% 95%\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-90 has-background-dim wp-block-cover__gradient-background has-background-gradient has-blue-gradient-gradient-background\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-cover-is-layout-15d3db16 wp-block-cover-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-brand-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-xx-large-font-size wp-elements-b554ecc22d1475d94b9719f738682df2\">Planning Context<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--70)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-0e47273b wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><nav class=\"is-responsive is-vertical is-style-sidebar is-style-sidebar--1 wp-block-navigation is-layout-flex wp-container-core-navigation-is-layout-bd946717 wp-block-navigation-is-layout-flex\" aria-label=\"Sidebar Navigation\" \n\t\t data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-context='{\"overlayOpenedBy\":{\"click\":false,\"hover\":false,\"focus\":false},\"type\":\"overlay\",\"roleAttribute\":\"\",\"ariaLabel\":\"Menu\"}'><button aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Open menu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__responsive-container-open\" 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wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Home<\/span><\/a><\/li><li data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;submenuOpenedBy&quot;: { &quot;click&quot;: false, &quot;hover&quot;: false, &quot;focus&quot;: false }, &quot;type&quot;: &quot;submenu&quot;, &quot;modal&quot;: null, &quot;previousFocus&quot;: null }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-on--focusout=\"actions.handleMenuFocusout\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.openMenuOnHover\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.closeMenuOnHover\" data-wp-watch=\"callbacks.initMenu\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"wp-block-navigation-item has-child open-on-hover-click wp-block-navigation-submenu\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">BLUEprint 2031<\/span><\/a><button data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isMenuOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleMenuOnClick\" aria-label=\"BLUEprint 2031 submenu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-icon wp-block-navigation-submenu__toggle\" ><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" fill=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1.50002 4L6.00002 8L10.5 4\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><ul data-wp-on--focus=\"actions.openMenuOnFocus\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-container wp-block-navigation-submenu\"><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/values\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Organizational Values<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/strategic-priorities\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Strategic Priorities<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/planning-process\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Our Collaborative Planning Process<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/planning-context\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Planning Context<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/blueprint-2031\/timeline\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Timeline<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-wp-context=\"{ &quot;submenuOpenedBy&quot;: { &quot;click&quot;: false, &quot;hover&quot;: false, &quot;focus&quot;: false }, &quot;type&quot;: &quot;submenu&quot;, &quot;modal&quot;: null, &quot;previousFocus&quot;: null }\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/navigation\" data-wp-on--focusout=\"actions.handleMenuFocusout\" data-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.handleMenuKeydown\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.openMenuOnHover\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.closeMenuOnHover\" data-wp-watch=\"callbacks.initMenu\" tabindex=\"-1\" class=\"wp-block-navigation-item has-child open-on-hover-click wp-block-navigation-submenu\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/data-and-input\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Data and Input<\/span><\/a><button data-wp-bind--aria-expanded=\"state.isMenuOpen\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.toggleMenuOnClick\" aria-label=\"Data and Input submenu\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-icon wp-block-navigation-submenu__toggle\" ><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 12 12\" fill=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M1.50002 4L6.00002 8L10.5 4\" stroke-width=\"1.5\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><ul data-wp-on--focus=\"actions.openMenuOnFocus\" class=\"wp-block-navigation__submenu-container wp-block-navigation-submenu\"><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/data-and-input-mission-vision\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Mission, Vision and Values Summary<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/feedback-on-mission-statement\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Feedback on Mission Statement<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/feedback-on-vision-statement\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Feedback on Vision Statement<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"wp-block-navigation-item wp-block-navigation-link\"><a class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__content\"  href=\"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/project-charter\/\"><span class=\"wp-block-navigation-item__label\">Project Charter<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:75%\">\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Enrollment and Market Demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UM-Flint enrollment has rebounded from 5,985 students in Fall 2022 to 7,119 in Fall 2025, though it remains below the Fall 2016 level of 8,044. Growth has been driven by undergraduate transfers, continuing students, graduate enrollment reaching a ten-year high, and rising veteran enrollment. At the college level, the School of Management has surpassed 2016 enrollment, Health Sciences and Nursing are growing, Arts and Sciences has stabilized, and the College of Innovation &amp; Technology is emerging rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michigan and Genesee County have grown overall since 2010, but high school graduate production is projected to decline, especially in Genesee County. Statewide, graduates are expected to decrease 8.1% from 2025 to 2030, while Genesee County is projected to decline 14.9%. College-going rates have also softened, particularly for community colleges. These trends increase the importance of recruiting adult learners, transfer students, degree-completion students, and continuing students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International enrollment has declined sharply, from 371 students in Fall 2016 to 139 in Fall 2025, with projections suggesting further decline by Fall 2026. The loss of Saudi Arabian students was a major factor. India remains a consistent source of international enrollment, while current sending countries include India, Canada, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ghana, and Nigeria. International enrollment is especially important to the College of Innovation &amp; Technology and the School of Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Access, Affordability, and Financial Sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Institutional aid has increased through the Go Blue Guarantee, transfer merit scholarships, expanded freshman merit awards, and broader affordability initiatives. Private, foundation, and philanthropic support remain steady and are concentrated in student support, scholarships, and priority programs. State investment, including the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, has also expanded affordability and helped position UM-Flint among Michigan\u2019s least expensive public universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, higher education faces rising published costs, limited state budget growth, and major federal student aid changes, including the end of Grad PLUS loans and new undergraduate loan limits beginning in 2026. These shifts reinforce the need to balance affordability, access, enrollment growth, and long-term financial sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Student Experience, Support, and Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UM-Flint\u2019s overall student satisfaction is 64%, above the average among four-year public universities and reflecting improvement from the 58% in 2017. Areas needing continued attention include quality of instruction, registration conflicts, campus safety, course content, and course scheduling.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International learning remains a valuable student experience option, with an average of 78 students per year participating in faculty-led short-term programs or traditional reciprocal exchange study abroad opportunities. However, exchange activity is imbalanced, with far more inbound than outbound exchange credits.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Student support service use has rebounded strongly since the pandemic, rising from 2,760 engagements in 2020\u201321 to 7,464 in 2024\u201325. Continued enrollment growth will require scalable staffing, resources, and service models.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many student success indicators have improved. Second-fall retention rose from 68.37% in 2015 to 78.85% in 2024. Graduation rates have also strengthened, recovering from a 2015 low of 35.54% to 46.45% for the 2016 cohort, with recent rates remaining above 40%. Time to degree has declined for many student groups, especially transfer students and students ages 20\u201324.&nbsp; In contrast, employment outcomes require renewed focus. In the 2025 First Destination Survey, 67% of graduates were employed and 3% were continuing education, down from 80% employed and 7% continuing education in 2022. Strengthening career readiness, employer engagement, experiential learning, and outcomes tracking will be important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Academic Delivery and Learning Environment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enrollment has shifted significantly toward online learning. Fully online courses now account for more than half of registrations, compared with a 69% in-person majority in 2017. In Fall 2025, 36.3% of courses were fully online, 4.3% mixed-mode, and 4.8% HyFlex. Online courses also had higher fill rates than fully in-person courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Undergraduate enrollment patterns show strong demand for flexible delivery, with students distributed across online, hybrid, and on-campus formats. Graduate enrollment is similarly spread across modalities. UM-Flint leads Michigan public universities in the proportion of undergraduates enrolled fully online or at a distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Facilities planning focuses on right-sizing the campus, addressing underused or misaligned spaces, reducing deferred maintenance, improving energy efficiency, and limiting long-term operating costs. With the Innovation and Technology Complex complete, future priorities should emphasize sustainable renovation, student experience, and technology-rich teaching and learning spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Workforce Alignment and Regional Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regional labor market demand is strongest in customer service, healthcare, and business\/finance. Many postings require a bachelor\u2019s degree, and high-demand roles include software developers, health services managers, and operations managers. UM-Flint\u2019s academic portfolio and career preparation efforts should continue aligning with these workforce needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UM-Flint has twice received the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, reflecting its strong anchor-institution role. Although the 2026 reclassification application was unsuccessful, reviewers recognized UM-Flint\u2019s community commitment and identified opportunities to strengthen coordination, define campus-wide engagement more clearly, and develop a dedicated engagement unit.&nbsp; Addressing these gaps will support the development of a more coordinated, institution-wide strategy to focus and amplify UM-Flint\u2019s regional partnerships, connections and contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Institutional Capacity and Operations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UM-Flint employment declined from 1,260 employees in 2017 to 985 in 2021, reflecting financial, operational, and pandemic-related pressures. By early 2026, the workforce had grown to 1,090 but remained below 2017 levels.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of the University of Michigan system, UM-Flint benefits from shared purchasing power, institutional resources, technology platforms, cost savings, reputation, and operational support. Challenges include limited flexibility for Flint-specific customization and competition for talent with the Ann Arbor campus and broader labor market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-x-large-font-size\">Research, Innovation, and Scholarly Activity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research activity has grown significantly. Externally-funded research expenditures reached $2.08 million in 2025, exceeding internal research spending for the first time. These research expenditures represent almost 20% of the total sponsored project expenditures. The College of Innovation &amp; Technology has been a major driver of research expenditures, with $402,079 in internal expenditures and $1.4 million in external expenditures in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past decade, the UM-Flint Office of Research awarded $1.26 million to 82 internal projects, while graduate programs spent $3.2 million supporting Graduate Student Research Assistants. Research strengthens student engagement, experiential learning, innovation, faculty development, external funding, and institutional reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Enrollment and Market Demand UM-Flint enrollment has rebounded from 5,985 students in Fall 2022 to 7,119 in Fall 2025, though it remains below the Fall 2016 level of 8,044. Growth has been driven by undergraduate transfers, continuing students, graduate enrollment reaching a ten-year high, and rising veteran enrollment. At the college level, the School of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"parent":448,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-474","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":476,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/474\/revisions\/476"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.umflint.edu\/strategic-planning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}