December 20, 2005

Colleagues,

With full implementation of our Environmental Science and Resource Management (ESRM) undergraduate major, we have a wonderful opportunity to increase the size of our undergraduate enrollment by aggressively developing and pursuing a recruitment program. We expect this effort to lead to an increased undergraduate enrollment in the ESRM major. A similar effort is already underway for the Paper Science and Engineering major with the assistance of the Washington Pulp and Paper Foundation.

One of the College's three-year goals is to, "recruit, mentor, and retain the highest quality staff, students, and faculty" and a specific objective is to, "design and implement a comprehensive recruitment plan for undergraduate and graduate students with metrics for success." To help achieve this goal and objective, I wish to form an Ad Hoc ESRM Undergraduate Recruitment Committee.

Although the ESRM curriculum is attracting lower division students at a higher rate than our former curricula, we need to make ESRM a more visible option campus-wide. Our expectation is that the ESRM Committee outline a draft strategy during the winter quarter and, after faculty and administrative review, begin its implementation in the spring quarter.

We anticipate that the ad hoc Committee's final report will accomplish the following:

  • Provide the recruitment strategy rationale;
  • Provide a comprehensive recruitment plan, including on- and off-campus activities;
  • Reflect consultations with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, the Undergraduate Gateway Center, and environmentally-oriented advising offices campus-wide;
  • Consolidate ongoing activities with new recruitment efforts;
  • Produce a calendar of recruitment activities and merge these with ongoing activities of the Student Services Office;
  • Describe suggested administrative arrangements and provide for periodic review of recruitment activities and their performance, and
  • Identify additional resources that may be required of short- and long-term recruitment activities.

    I have asked the following faculty and staff to serve on this important ad hoc Committee. All are willing to serve:

  • Gordon Bradley, Vice-chair and Professor
  • Robert Harrison, Professor
  • Cecilia Paul, Communications Director
  • Sarah Reichard, Professor
  • Debra Salas-Hayes, Undergraduate Counseling Services Coordinator
  • Michelle Trudeau, Director, Student & Academic Services
  • Stephen West, Committee Chair

    At Committee discretion, we will add a student member or incorporate student input via a series of meetings with student groups. We expect the Committee to meet in early winter quarter to begin this process.

    B. Bruce Bare, Dean

    To Return to:Prof Bare's Page, Dean's Office, College of Forest Resources