MANKATO — At Minnesota State University’s annual convocation Monday President Edward Inch lauded enrollment and fundraising gains and said the university’s Destination 2030 goals are on track.
Inch’s convocation speech, the annual kick-off event for the 2025-26 academic year, took place in a Centennial Student Union Ballroom full of mostly university faculty and staff, and a few students. Fall semester classes begin Aug. 25.
When that comes, the campus will likely be a bit fuller than last year, and more of those students will be graduate and transfer students. Graduate student enrollment is up 9% and and transfer enrollment is up 6%.
While he didn’t give a number for undergraduate enrollment — the university typically waits several weeks into fall semester to issue enrollment numbers — he did say the university’s overall enrollment number will be up “just under 3%.”
Inch noted MSU’s “expanding reach and impact” and said the university now serves more than 18,000 degree-seeking students and provides professional development to an additional 6,000.
In an effort to bolster its transfer enrollment, the university has partnered with a handful of two-year colleges to flatten some of the administrative hurdles students face when transferring.
Another area where the university saw success was fundraising — Inch said they had a record year.
In just five years the MSU endowment has grown from less than $70 million to over $100 million this year, with most of those funds going toward scholarships and programs to give more students access, more students opportunity and more student aid.
“That is an incredible achievement,” he said, “and it is a testament to what we do every single day.”
One of the president’s priorities is executing an initiative launched in 2023 called Destination 2030, a plan he called “a dynamic framework that is designed to help us adapt, innovate and lead with steady resolve.”
The plan is broken down into four “pillars.”
— The first calls on MSU to be a “lifelong provider of accessible and equitable education.”
“It is more than simply a document sitting on a shelf,” Inch said of Destination 2030. “It is a commitment to being flexible, student focused and developing strategies that center on our mission, our institutional goals that quickly adapt to the changing landscape of higher education and the state. It is designed to secure long-term sustainability for our university.”
One key item under this pillar is the university’s new tuition payment model. In the past, students enrolled for 12-18 credits had were under the so-called “banded tuition” model. Starting this year, however, the model is changing to a “13-plus” structure.
“Students will pay a flat tuition rate starting at 13 credits, with any additional credits being available with no additional cost,” Inch said. “This change is designed to promote academic momentum and support student success. By averaging 15 credits per semester, undergraduate students are more likely to graduate in four years, saving both time and money and reducing their overall debt.”
— The second pillar of destination 2030 is MSU’s pledge to be a leader in transformational learning that inspires action and equips students to make an immediate impact in their communities and careers.
As evidence for the university’s progress on pillar two, Inch pointed to the new School of Applied Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
“This school is already building global partnerships and fostering innovative collaborations and working closely with the Region Nine Development Commission,” he said. “We’re connecting students with leaders in the agriculture industry, ensuring that the next generation of professionals is prepared to lead with knowledge and purpose.”
— The third pillar calls for MSU to be a community of care “founded on inclusion and belonging and mutual respect.” More than simply a statement of principle, Inch said, it is a call to action that impacts every part of the campus community.
— The final pillar is the university’s dedication to being a flexible and innovative steward of resources. “This involves more than just managing budgets,” Inch said. “It requires rethinking how we invest in our mission to create new opportunities and sustain the work that matters most.”
Inch thanked lawmakers for securing funding to repair the roof of MSU’s Taylor Center.
“That is a heavily used signature building for this campus. Having the new roof — and not having leaks — is huge for us,” said Inch, a remark followed by laughter from the room.
And speaking of buildings, Inch said the university remains committed to getting funding for the replacement of Armstrong Hall, the largest academic building in the Minnesota State system and the one that houses 40% of all MSU courses. The project has repeatedly been part of the the state bonding bill but has not received the funding.
Provost David Hood followed Inch and spoke of the importance of easing the path for students transferring to MSU from two-year colleges.
“In April we hosted our first transfer Summit, where 125 faculty, staff and administrators from South Central College and Riverland Community College engaged in enriching dialogue and exchanged best practices to better serve our transfer population,” he said. “And these efforts are having an impact. For the second consecutive year, transfer enrollment is improving with a 6% year over year increase with 993 new first-time transfer students enrolled for this fall semester.”