elmsnews

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend last week’s Town Hall meeting which provided an opportunity for us to celebrate the successes that we have achieved as a result of cross-unit and cross-campus collaborative work. It also gave us a shared space to speak transparently and candidly about our challenges- present and potential- for us at Elms College specifically and also across the entire higher education sector. 

I provided extensive general updates on the College and members of the President's Cabinet shared area-specific information. For those who were not able to make it, I am including in this issue of the Newsletter a quick summary of key information that we shared with the campus community. As I indicated in my remarks at the Town Hall, in these times more than ever, it is critical that we foster an open and seamless flow of communication so that we all remain aware of the College's priorities, challenges, and successes.

• A rapid stream of executive orders, agency guidelines, and court decisions have created a significant amount of uncertainty about what is happening in higher education and what rules institutions should follow. To ensure that the College remains on top of all applicable guidelines and regulations, I have set the President's Cabinet as our Federal Response Team and asked Dr. Joyce Hampton to coordinate that effort. We track the latest available information, solicit additional information as appropriate from associations to which the College belongs, seek legal counsel as needed, and decide on follow-up actions, including communications to the campus community.  Our strategy, which was endorsed by the Board of Trustees, is to ensure that we remain consistent with our mission and core values and adhere to all applicable laws. 

• Enrollment remains one of the College's top priorities. As evidenced by enrollment trends of peer NECHE institutions, it also continues to constitute a significant challenge. Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Devon McMurray provided an update on Enrollment Management and Marketing efforts. The current funnel report for first-time freshmen, in particular, indicates that a lot of work is still ahead to turn admitted students into fall 2025 incoming students. The Enrollment Management and Marketing team shared several aspects of the marketing and communication efforts that are currently under way. As usual, recruiting new students and retaining current students  remain a campus-wide effort. 

• The impact of the staff turnover in Finance during the past year was significant. Under Brett Carroll's leadership as the new VP of Finance and Administration, the Finance team has worked tirelessly to complete the fiscal year 2024 audit. I would like to recognize the efforts of the entire finance team and of the new Controller, Sarah Simard. Although fiscal year 2024 results are overall positive, they demonstrate an increased tightening of the College's fiscal reality. For the current fiscal year (2025), spring enrollment fell short of the budget, especially for full-time and graduate students, resulting in a projected enrollment and budget shortfall. Vice Presidents will provide guidelines to their units in the next weeks about managing expenditures as much as possible in order to help mitigate the budget shortfall. 

• Several strategies are being considered and implemented to face the enrollment decline. VP of Academic Affairs, Dr. Joyce Hampton, presented new academic programs that are aimed to have a positive impact on enrollment. including the Master of Social Work, B.A. in Finance, Bookkeeping Certificate program, M.Ed. in Educational Leadership, and MAT in Moderate Disabilities.

• Fundraising has been a bright spot for the College, providing funds to support the unrestricted budget, grow the endowment, and launch initiatives such as the Center for Ethics, Religion, and Culture, the Center for Equity in Urban Education, the Haiti Nursing Continuing Education program, Experiential Learning, and the D'Amour Center for Faculty Teaching Excellence. These initiatives are all aimed to impact recruitment of new students and retention of existing students. VP of Institutional Advancement, Bernadette Nowakowski, shared the final results of the Building Bridges Campaign, which raised $26.1 million, far exceeding the campaign goal of $20 million. She also shared the results of the Blazer Blitz 2025 Day of Giving, in which 612 donors contributed $207,319; also exceeded the goals for both donors and dollars raised ($125K). Kudos to the IA Team for their hard work, energy, and ingenuity!

• Providing our students with a rich, engaged, vibrant, and supportive learning and co-curricular experience remains our top focus. VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Andrew Coston, presented the more than 200 programs, events, and activities that have taken place so far this year, including mission trips to Jamaica and Iceland, the University of Kochi student-exchange partnership, and (believe it or not!) Countdown to Commencement and Senior Week events. 

• Ensuring that Elms College remains a desirable place to work for everyone through communication, social activities, and effective supervision remains an ongoing area of focus. In that regard, as soon as possible we will re-evaluate and relaunch activities such as the Pulse Survey and the Elms Leadership Academy. A multi-year enrollment plan serving as the foundation for a multi-year financial plan are new areas of focus. Stemming from the PRISM strategic plan, these efforts will be instrumental in helping the College chart our course.  

In these unusual times for higher education, I continue to be grateful for the contributions and sacrifices that each and every one of you makes. In times of such uncertainty, it is our commitment to community, love, kindness, and fortitude that binds us together so we can collectively continue to advance the work and the mission of Elms College. 

Time will certainly fly as we head into the final stretch of the spring semester. As I know we will all be working indefatigably during this time, remember to take a breath and to check in with one another. Words cannot express my appreciation for all that you do for our students and for each another.

Harry E. Dumay, Ph.D., MBA

President