The Truman State University Board of Governors met Saturday, Feb. 5, to discuss new programs and updates to Truman’s admissions for the 2022-2023 school year.
University President Sue Thomas opened the meeting by reporting on the current status of the Greenwood Project. The search for a director for the project is nearing completion, and she hoped the University would be able to make an announcement soon.
She also outlined the plans for Truman to overhaul the Kirk Building and transform it into a student success center. The building would retain its old amenities with the addition of a skills center.
Thomas added that she hoped this center would be able to assist the Kirksville community in addition to Truman.
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Janet Gooch introduced plans for Truman to add three new majors in the fall 2022 semester. The majors proposed included a Bachelor of Science in music business, a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics and a Bachelor of Arts in applied linguistics.
Gooch explained these new majors were to cater to students who wanted to take a different approach to programs that already existed within Truman’s curriculum.
The new majors in linguistics will allow students to pursue linguistic studies with a higher focus on learning foreign languages and teaching English as a second language.
The music business major will open a new path for students interested in music but want to tackle the behind-the-scenes aspects of the music industry, such as working with copyright law and publishing.
The open session concluded with a discussion about Truman’s enrollment numbers.
According to data from last year, enrollment is still down by about 4% in applications being received. However, it was noted that in terms of applications to Truman, the number had risen by 3%.
This number was significant because of the applications that Truman receives from potential freshmen, usually only 80% of them are completed. VP of Enrollment Management Tyana Lange stated during the meeting that the acceptance rate was increasing because of the admissions department attempting to pursue more completed applications during the admissions process.