It's The People That Move The Flywheel

Good Monday morning, Student Affairs!

Well, here we are at week six of the Fall 2024 semester and Homecoming Week has begun!?

Way back in August, we talked about how important the first seven weeks of the semester are for student retention.? That’s when our students, especially first-year students, typically decide whether they will stay at a University.? After an incredible Convocation, lively Welcome Week, and so many great programs in these first weeks, I’d say we’re going to make an impact!? Huge thanks to all of you who have supported student programming, ensuring each Roadrunner is able to connect to the communities and resources they need to thrive. ??This is the work that will keep our momentum moving forward, building off of our stellar new student recruiting cycle and 1.5% retention gains this year!

Remember to FUEL THE FLYWHEEL!? And one of the ways that we keep that flywheel moving is supporting the most important part of student success:? YOU.? The Student Affairs Huddle recently had the opportunity to meet with Carlos Alcala, PHR , senior HR partner, to dig into our recent human resources metrics – both who we are now and what sort of turnover we experienced in 2023-2024.

?

?

?

There are a lot of metrics to be proud of in this slide.? First, over half of our team members identify as people of color.? Given our role as a federally-recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution and as a minority-serving institution, we know that students look for folks who share their experiences in and out of the classroom to support their academic journey.? I’m proud of the work you’ve accomplished since launching our Equitable Hiring Initiative in 2019.?

Second, note that almost half of all new hires were internal promotions – including student employees who moved into full-time roles.? This directly speaks to the feedback MSU Denver has heard for years that we need more career advancement opportunities and our own strategic plan goal of concretizing career progression inside our branch.?

Finally, I am so grateful for the 96 of you who participated in Leadership programs through Human Resources last year.? This investment in your own professional development is significant and a testament to how seriously you take your role as a student advocate.?

But there is also work to be done.? The Huddle and I will be working closely with Human Resources to ensure vacancies are filled more efficiently as we move forward.? Each time there is a vacancy in our branch, someone else is pulling extra duties.? As we move forward, we want to minimize the impact of vacancies on all of you and ensure we are filling critical roles as quickly as possible.

?

?

?

I was particularly excited to see the data on turnover in our branch.? In FY 24, we experienced almost 18% voluntary turnover.? When comparing this to the Great Resignation where some departments were down 40 to 50% of their workforce, this feels like a breath of fresh air.?

But the data also holds some caution.? While we know that the structure of Student Affairs means there are large numbers of entry-level positions, it was troubling to note that we are losing those folks in larger numbers.? Our hope is that our continued focus through the Student Affairs Strategic Plan on career pathways, supervision,? and innovative strategies like the Spanish Language Compensation plan will bolster the experience of our new professionals and those in entry-level roles.?

I hope this time next year to be telling an even better story about what it means to work in Student Affairs at MSU Denver.? I hope you will share any strategies you have in mind with your leaders so that we can continue this work together.

Happy Homecoming and #GetRowdy!

Will