In comparison to last year, Murray State had an overall 2.3% enrollment increase, as  discussed at the Friday, Sept. 9 Board of Regents meeting along with curriculum changes, construction timelines and upcoming centennial events. 

In addition to the overall enrollment increase, Renee Fister, executive director for Strategic Enrollment Management reported there was a 5.6% increase in under represented minorities in undergraduate enrollment and a 3.2% increase in graduate enrollment.

“A 2.3% increase is a huge win for Murray State, and for all of the faculty, staff and students who made that happen, especially for the ones who are in enrollment management and are out on the road and continue to be,” Fister said.

Although noting increases in overall enrollment, Fister said the number of new enrollments from Kentucky overall has slightly decreased as a result of fewer high school graduates in the state. 

Murray State will also introduce students to a new curriculum. The Academic Excellence and Scholarly Activities Committee provided an informational session on the change in the amount of University Studies credits required to graduate.

Assistant Provost Ashley Ireland said the decision to shorten the credit hours required for University Studies has been an initiative in the works for several years.

“Before now, the number of credits a student was required to take in this ‘gen ed’ curriculum was anywhere between 37 and as much as 42,” Ireland said. “Now you can complete the University Studies in 32 hours.” 

Ireland followed by saying the change also makes it clearer to students what they are meant to get out of the curriculum.

“In the previous University Studies, there were 29 learning outcomes, and the categories were broad,” Ireland said. “Students weren’t understanding that they were getting a core course. …Depending on how you count, the new University Studies has eight to nine learning outcomes.” 

The learning outcomes will make it easier for transfer students and dual credit students to transfer and apply their credits. 

Among the curriculum changes, residential college seminars are set to make a comeback. The seminars are one credit hour, second half-semester courses taught in the residential colleges.

Provost Tim Todd said the seminars are helpful for students who want to take on more credit hours after dropping a class. 

“Those kinds of classes being taught in residential colleges further emphasize student affairs and academic affairs linkages,” Todd said. “They are also very good retention tools because a student may get in trouble with a math course and need to pick up something else.

Murray State is offering new overall degree paths including civil and sustainability engineering and cybersecurity network management.

For graduate programs, a wildlife and conservation biology master’s program is set to be offered, but is awaiting approval from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. 

Three-year bachelor’s degree programs are also in the works and set to be offered in earth and environmental sciences, nutrition, agricultural sciences and business administration.

Along with the accelerated degree path, new degree specifications are on the horizon. The nursing program is set to offer dental hygienist and paramedic certification, and the agriculture department is set to include agriculture and drone technology programs. 

“We are really proud of all the plans geared toward students and student success,” Todd said. 

Regarding current student programs, the Dean of the College of Education and Human Services David Whaley talked about the Kentucky teacher shortage and how his college plans to approach it. 

 “I sit on the Board of the Western Kentucky Educational Co-op…and probably the most troubling discussion that we get into has to do with the teacher shortages,” Whaley said. “Last year we had 1,800 teaching positions that went unfilled. That’s an amazing shortage.”

Whaley pointed out low wages were a big part of Kentucky’s teacher shortages and how many years of school it takes for students to become teachers. 

In response to the teaching shortage, Whaley is highlighting the nine ways students can get a teaching degree, the newest being the three-year expedited teaching certification made possible by House Bill 277 passed in April 2022. 

“We have partnered with West Kentucky Community and Technical College to develop an [expedited teaching certification program], but this will allow for a three-year program for those individuals who may be paraprofessionals or already work in that school district,” Whaley said. 

Whaley said individuals have already expressed interest in the program.

From academic updates to physical campus updates, Facility Management Director Jason Youngblood and Vice President of Finance Jackie Dudley provided information on campus projects that have already been approved by the board. 

The pair presented a timeline of projects apart of the asset preservation fund, the 2022-2023 academic year, the 2023-2024 academic year and a separate list of projects without a set completion date.

The asset preservation projects address the Oakley Applied Science Building and Mason Hall renovations. Both projects are set for this semester and serve to make the buildings more accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A grand opening is set for Lovett Auditorium as part of Homecoming and the Centennial Celebration. 

Members from the Office of Branding, Marketing and Communication presented further plans to commemorate 100 years of Murray State.

The fall 2022 edition of Murray State Blue & Gold will further highlight the centennial. The Racer Alumni Podcast, “Stories from the Finest Place We Know,” is set to continue after the centennial year. 

The spring donation campaign, “Give Bold,” which commemorated the University’s selection  as a Normal School, raised over $280,000 for programs across campus. Donors were allowed to give to whichever cause they wanted.

The calendar for the rest of Murray State’s centennial year is available at murraystate.edu/centennial.

The Board of Regents will reconvene for their fall 2022 quarterly meeting on Dec. 2. 

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