A small university thrives in challenging times

The rapid changes in higher education have been difficult for many institutions to navigate. Declining enrollment and rising costs have been particularly difficult for smaller institutions. Yet a small, private, faith-based institution in a rural part of the country has experienced a different trend.

University of the Southwest (USW) in New Mexico, with an enrollment of 1,200 students, has thrived.

Their student costs decreased, enrollment grew and graduation rate doubled. USW leaders credit it all to a culture of innovation, creativity and willingness to rethink traditional practices – which includes their partnership with Cengage.

Ryan Tipton, Interim President at USW, says that the university has had a unique culture of innovation for years. “We have small teams of ‘intrapreneurs’ around campus that we empower with resources to try new ideas and pilot programs,” he stated. “If an idea works well, we scale it across campus. That is what led us to start offering online education options about 15 years ago.”

Tipton says these programs prepared the university for the COVID-19 pandemic. “About 65% of our students are pursuing their degrees online, but our traditional students on campus also have hybrid or flexible online options,” he said. “So, when the pandemic hit, very little changed for us, and it was an easy transition."

The pre-established culture of innovation at University of the Southwest empowered leaders to find ways to make the student experience simpler and more convenient. After researching different options, USW decided to pilot Cengage Unlimited for Institutions in the College of Business. The program was successful, so the university rolled out the platform across campus.

USW now provides students with access to the entire library of Cengage digital textbooks and course materials across 675 course areas for one affordable price. The platform also offers the school, its faculty and students comprehensive online learning services and support, all integrated into their existing learning management systems.

“Cengage Unlimited [for Institutions] helped us create that all-inclusive experience we wanted,” Tipton said. “Now, our students can get everything they need on the first day of classes—tuition, technology, textbooks and course materials—for a single price. Our students will not have to buy a textbook or anything else from the university. And the Cengage digital textbooks are full of interactive features and tools that both our students and faculty find very helpful.”

According to Tipton, USW‘s innovative spirit with initiatives like this creates tangible results. “At a time when many institutions’ enrollments are flat or declining, we have seen enrollment growth over the past three years of 11%, 8% and 6%, and we doubled our graduation rate from 16% to 32% during the same period. Our enrollment is the highest in the history of the school today,” he said.

“This is an exciting time of disruption and innovation in higher education, and we’re looking forward to the future.”

To learn more about Cengage Unlimited for Institutions, visit www.cengage.com/institutions.