KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Western Michigan University President Edward Montgomery announced his plans for the university's future in a State of the University Address on Wednesday.
His speech focused on three key themes— breaking barriers in education, improving graduation rates, and creating better opportunities for students on campus.
"Today, we stand in the middle of the pack amongst public universities. But I'd like to challenge us to move up to number three," he said.
The plan is hoped to be achieved over the next decade, focusing on improving retention and graduation rates.
"Let's aim to achieve a 62% six-year graduation rate by [2027], [2028]. That's now just four years away and halfway through the strategic plan," Montgomery said.
To reach that goal, they need to improve by 1.5% each year, but based on the university's steady climb— the president said the goal is reachable. To make sure the university meets that goal, they want to surpass their 80% retention rate to 84% by 2027-2028.
The hope is to increase graduation rates across the board, specifically for underrepresented groups on campus.
"We must commit to increasing our graduation rates amongst our Black and African American students by eight percentage points, and [2027], [2028], and another nine percentage points by [2030] to [2033]," he said. For the Latino communities, he wants to see an improvement of 6% by 2032-2033.
Montgomery also announced two new grants that aim to improve student success financially. The Experience Driven Learning Accelerator Grants will award 10 grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. The opportunity will allow well-established programs to "scale up their impact on students and their success."
The Experience-Driven Incubator Grants will offer new programs on campus up to $25,000.
"As we break through our own version of the sound barrier, we can refine our boundaries and demonstrate that our credo so that all may learn. It's not just a possibility at Western. It's a promise, " the president concluded.
Montgomery said he knows the plan is audacious, but the university wants to be proactive in making sure WMU is a campus where everyone can succeed.
