Colorado Mesa University

Where we are today

Belonging baseline

It's the initial phase of work, spanning the last two to three months.

A funnel diagnostic of historical behavior patterns and a sample of belonging stories, to identify where belonging is forming, where it isn't, and where the opportunities are.

It creates the foundation for the rest of the work to come, which we discuss in Path Forward.

What this is built on

Fall 2024
Fall 2025
Fall 2026

Three past admission cycles

Over 120 hypotheses tested.

All of it comes from CMU's student records in Slate.

Three things to know before you start

  1. Time is measured in 30-day windows.

    Each student's clock starts on their own admission date: days 0 to 29, 30 to 59, 60 to 89, 90 to 119 and 120 to 149. Each window compares only students who were still deciding when it began.

  2. We compare like with like.

    Students who were already more active before admission tend to do more of everything. So we compare groups only among students with the same level of activity before admission.

  3. Findings show what goes with enrolling, not what causes it.

    A difference tells us where to look and what to ask. It doesn't prove that one thing brought about the other.

Key terms

Admitted first-year students
The main group we follow, first-year undergraduates admitted before 15 August who hadn't already committed by the day they were admitted.
Committed
The earliest of a housing deposit, the new student enrollment form, the course confirmation form, or 15 August.
Still deciding
Not yet committed at that point.
Came in person
Attended an event on or off campus, a walk-in, an in-person meeting, or a first campus visit. Virtual sessions don't count.
Two-way conversation
A real exchange between a student and CMU staff, logged by staff or held by text.
CMU-started contact
A staff member reaching out to one student by a logged contact, a text that opens a conversation, or a new email.
Admit call
CMU's call to a newly admitted student, counted separately.
Campaign under a person's name
A message sent to a group that shows a person as the sender.

The student journey

We follow each student from first contact to commitment, and split the journey where CMU's part in it changes.

Admission starts each student's own clock. CMU's admit call is made mostly in the first 30 days, and CMU tries to reach most newly admitted students then. After day 30 it tries to reach far fewer of the students still deciding, so days 30 to 150 are a chapter of their own: the decision months. The commitment steps are where the path leads. Nothing special happens on day 30 itself. The 30-day windows are how we measure time, so each student is compared with others at the same point after their own admission.

Stage 1 of 4. First Contact to Admission

Stage 1 of 4

First Contact to Admission

Before admission

Everything before a student is admitted.

Stage 2 of 4

The First 30 Days After Admission

Days 0 to 29

Each student's clock starts on their own admission date.

  • 0Days 0 to 29

Stage 3 of 4

Days 30 to 150, the Decision Months

Days 30 to 150

The months while a student is still deciding.

  • 30Days 30 to 59
  • 60Days 60 to 89
  • 90Days 90 to 119
  • 120Days 120 to 149

Stage 4 of 4

The Commitment Steps

Commitment steps

The housing deposit, the new student enrollment form and the course confirmation form.

Days since each student's own admission date

Enter

Path Forward

Operationalizing belonging at Colorado Mesa: turning a strategic pillar into daily practice that grows enrollment and retention.

What it takes to build belonging, and what the belonging engine does to get there.

Path Forward