Grow the Morrison Family College of Health

1. Achieve a 20 percent increase in Exercise Science, Public Health, and Bachelor of Social Work degrees awarded by Morrison Family College of Health (MCOH).
2. Achieve a level of at least 30 percent of MCOH students admitted to graduate programs in Professional Psychology, Social Work, and Nursing will be from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds and at least 30 percent of new faculty and staff will be from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds.
3. Enroll at least 400 net new nursing students to St. Thomas.
4. All MCOH programs will have at least one community partner engaged in activities and initiatives that substantively advance MCOH strategic priorities.
5. All MCOH programs will meaningfully integrate the MCOH guiding principles into required coursework for majors.
6. Three new alternative pathways will be identified and implemented that enable student access into MCOH of students from diverse and traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
7. Fall-to-fall retention for students from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds will match retention of majority students, closing the current gap.
8. At least 90 percent of MCOH graduates are gainfully employed or participating in a graduate program within one year of graduation.
9. Achieve five-year fundraising goal of an additional $29.2 million for operations. In addition, make progress toward a $40 million longer-term goal for MCOH facilities.

The St. Thomas 2025 Strategic Plan debuted in February 2021. We continually track and report on our progress; here are key developments from the past year, as of February 2024:

Dr. Annette Hines was hired as Executive Director of the School of Nursing and began her role on January 1, 2024. The admitted inaugural cohort in fall of 2023 was 52 BSN students and the total number of students this year in the School of Nursing is 144. Overall enrollment in the Morrison Family College of Health (MFCOH) is up 9.2% from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023. We expect a formal letter granting initial accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in early May 2024.

We are seeing growth in all undergraduate programs within the college, particularly in Exercise Science (EXSC). The growth of EXSC is due, at least in part, to the partnership between MFCOH and Athletics to support the Sport Science Institute (SSI), a program that allows undergrads to work directly with Division I athletes to address issues of performance, strength, and conditioning.

While the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program continues to grow, enrollment is short of projected enrollment, with smaller application pools than anticipated. A proposal to move to direct admissions to the nursing program for prospective St. Thomas students is now under consideration by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and will make our BSN program more competitive in the current market.

The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program has seen an increase in their application pool's quality and quantity. We anticipate another strong MSN cohort (cohort #3) at maximum capacity. Programs in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology (GSPP) also continue to grow, more quickly than anticipated.

We are currently evaluating the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) program in light of an emerging, highly competitive market. In recent years we have seen the applicant pool for this program shrink in terms of both quality and quantity.

The MFCOH is currently exploring opportunities to build new, mission-oriented programs that meet workforce and community needs in healthcare. Consultants have been secured to assist us with envisioning Physician's Assistant and Physical Therapy programs in the MFCOH. Additionally, a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition program will begin in Fall 2024.

• MayKao Hang, VP and Dean of the Morrison Family College of Health (Primary)
• Martha Scheckel, Founding Director, School of Nursing