Vice President for Strategic Enrollment

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Provost and serving as a member of the President’s cabinet, the Vice President for Strategic Enrollment (VPSE) serves as Methodist University’s enrollment strategy officer, responsible for providing vision and leadership in the development and execution of enrollment strategies and enrollment operations for recruitment and retention, including the leveraging of financial aid optimization to maximize net tuition revenue, while increasing the quality and diversity of the undergraduate student body in campus and fully online programs. In addition to guiding the strategic shaping of undergraduate enrollment (domestic, international, transfer, military-affiliated, campus/online), the VPSE provides thought leadership for enrollment strategy and supports coordinated admissions operations for Methodist University graduate programs.

VPSE Primary Responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with university leadership to implement strategic initiatives and goals, fostering a culture of data-informed and solution-oriented decision-making that inspires best practices regarding marketing, recruitment, admissions, financial aid, enrollment, student success, and retention.
• Collaborate deeply with campus stakeholders to support implementation of a new institutional SIS/ERP and CRM, serving as campus lead for the enrollment team.
• Lead ongoing and iterative development and implementation of comprehensive enrollment plans to achieve MU’s short- and long-term enrollment targets, including traditional, transfer, international, online, and military-affiliated student populations.
• Provide thought leadership and coordinate operational support for graduate program enrollment.
• Partner with the Provost and CFO to develop multi-year net tuition projections and strategize regarding tuition and fee rates to maintain competitive advantage while communicating the value proposition of a Methodist University education to prospective students and their parents.
• Partner with the CFO to regularly review financial aid optimization models and strategies that maximize net tuition revenue and optimize student success outcomes, including retention, persistence, and graduation rates.
• Assess the organizational systems, processes, and procedures across enrollment management to improve efficiency and effectiveness while evaluating peer strategies to remain competitive.
• Collaborate closely with the Director of Marketing Communication to develop, coordinate, and implement strategic, data-driven enrollment marketing/branding strategies, collaborating with a wide range of offices and constituencies across the university to create and disseminate a clear and compelling message to prospective students and their parents about value proposition of a Methodist University education.
• Engage faculty, staff, senior leadership, alumni, and students in the recruitment process, galvanizing the many constituencies of the University to join in helping realize enrollment goals.
• Provide thought leadership and guidance for campus recruiting events.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred. Suggested fields include: Higher Education Administration, MBA, Finance, Marketing, Management, or Communications.
• Must have and maintain a valid driver’s license.
• Professional and manager-level experience in four-year college or university working in enrollment management and/or related functions/departments, including one or more of the following:
  • Minimum of 5 years experience in leading recruitment and/or enrollment marketing and operations/systems in college/university admissions, including the recruitment of traditional, nontraditional, transfer, international, and/or online student populations
  • Minimum of 5- years experience working with/leveraging/managing institutional scholarships and other student awards to meet institutional enrollment and student success goals
  • Evidence of understanding and use of ERP/SIS/CRM systems, enrollment software, and data-driven planning, delivery, and evaluation of programs and services (experience implementing a system preferred)
  • Evidence of progressively increasing levels of responsibility in college/university administration of enrollment management offices/functions
  • Evidence of successful collaboration with campus leaders (provosts, deans, vice presidents, directors, etc.) to lead recruitment and enrollment initiatives that support university goals.

Required Knowledge and Abilities:

• Knowledge of current trends and best practices in recruitment of traditional and other student populations (nontraditional, transfer, international, online, military-affiliated), strategic enrollment management, financial aid administration, and scholarship leveraging
• Ability to work with large data sets, perform statistical analyses, and use data to inform decision making and planning
• Knowledge of the strategic use of technology and social media in student marketing, recruitment, and engagement
• Ability to recruit, lead, engage, and direct a large and diverse staff in a matrixed reporting environment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including making public presentations and interacting with prospective students and families