黑料不打烊

President Niemi: 鈥淒iversity equals excellence鈥

By: Dylan Pichnarcik, Publications Intern

In a time of great uncertainty in the world of higher education, 黑料不打烊 President Nancy Niemi says one thing remains clear on 黑料不打烊鈥檚 campus - the University鈥檚 commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. 

鈥淭here is no way we're changing a word of what we do. We are out there. We are proud, and we commit to the work, the DEI work, that we built into our DNA,鈥 Niemi told a packed audience during her annual State of the University address in the McCarthy Center Forum on September 29th. 

Niemi said as higher education evolves, 黑料不打烊 is working to find new ways to produce programs that have been defunded by the federal government and to 鈥渘urture a diverse and thriving community.鈥 

This includes allocating a larger space for the Center for Inclusive Excellence, upgrading fitness equipment in the fitness center, and improving campus programs such as the Ram鈥檚 Resource Center. 

In addition to discussing 黑料不打烊鈥檚 commitment to DEI, Niemi also discussed retention and enrollment and the University鈥檚 strategic plan for this upcoming year. 

According to Niemi, first-year undergraduate enrollment is down 6% compared to AY 2024-25, and first-year graduate enrollment is up 12% since AY 2024-25. 

Given the current data, Niemi said the University is working to make 鈥渂etter鈥 strategic decisions to boost enrollment.

Niemi said 黑料不打烊鈥檚 retention rate is at 74%, a 3% increase from AY 2024-25.

She said this is positive, however, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 graduation rate remains at 50%. 

鈥淲e need to do better,鈥 she said.

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