Ursinus College seeks an experienced, entrepreneurial, and collaborative leader with a strong record of progressively responsible leadership to serve as the College’s Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM). The VPEM will join Ursinus during an exciting and transformative period where meaningful and productive experimentation is welcomed. Reporting to the President and working closely with College leadership, the VPEM will embrace the power of the applied liberal arts in driving enrollment to the college, including in adding new markets such as graduate programming, hybrid learning, etc.
ABOUT URSINUS COLLEGE
One of the nation’s "Colleges that Change Lives," Ursinus College integrates academics with hands-on, real-world learning, and career preparation through APEX, a learning ecosystem that prepares nimble professionals who emerge ready to thrive in their first job and in every job after. A top 100 national liberal arts college, Ursinus is noted in rankings for its return on investment, social mobility, and graduate success. Nestled on a picturesque, tree-lined, 170-acre campus just 25 miles from Philadelphia, Ursinus College offers an inspiring environment for experiential and global learning, personal growth, and career readiness.
THE ROLE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
As a direct report to President Graml, the new Vice President for Enrollment Management will be pleased to discover a strong sense of positive momentum both on the senior leadership team and across the campus as a whole. The VPEM’s primary charge will be to continue with the noticeable momentum of implementing a College-wide enrollment management philosophy and model, as well as to design a forward-looking strategic enrollment plan for the College, supporting the division’s staff in executing it by providing mentorship, resources, and hands-on assistance as required. The VPEM manages a budget of approximately $1.1 million and a staff of 13 admissions and financial aid professionals.
The Vice President for Enrollment Management will play a critical role in addressing the following opportunities and challenges:
- Developing and executing a comprehensive enrollment management plan appropriate to Ursinus’s mission and strategic direction. The Vice President will develop and lead the execution of a comprehensive and long-range but flexible strategic enrollment plan for the College that will effectively integrate best practices in recruitment efforts to continue strong branding efforts at the College, increasing enrollment of traditional students while identifying new opportunities to recruit non-traditional and transfer students. The plan will support the College’s overall mission and goals, inclusive of building new markets and focusing on the entire student life cycle. The Vice President also will collaborate closely with the Vice Provost/Chief Student Affairs Officer and Dean of Students to develop and expand initiatives that increase retention and persistence. Serving as a valued partner with units across the College in support of recruitment, retention, and student success efforts will be critical.
- Supporting the College’s enrollment and retention strategies through data-informed decision making: The Vice President will continue and extend College’s use of a data-dependent enrollment model. The VPEM will lead the division in optimizing the capabilities of tools that already exist, such as Slate and Oracle, and consider other tools, ensuring the College engages with prospective students in the most effective way, personalizing the experience, and meeting students where they are on their educational path. The VPEM will encourage the sharing of data and information across the Enrollment Management unit and the broader College and clearly communicate how the data can inform and achieve enrollment and retention goals to maximize opportunities for student success. The VPEM will lead efforts to evaluate financial aid awarding and implement an informed campus-wide model aimed to maximize return on investment. Enrollment strategy will be driven by consistent, robust data and thorough analysis of all available information, as well as collaboration with all stakeholders.
- Recruiting, mentoring, and retaining the division’s talented and dedicated staff: The VPEM will be a thoughtful leader able to identify team strengths and areas for growth in the furthering of a high-functioning division. The Vice President will listen carefully and offer transparent and engaged communication to advance the team in achieving the larger goals of the institution. This includes fostering a culture of collaboration so that team members work seamlessly with leaders in student engagement, athletics, advancement, marketing and communications, and academic affairs. As the higher education environment continues to shift, the VPEM will offer open and stable leadership that can manage change and assess and realign resources and operations as necessary to lead the College into the future. In addition, the Vice President will work to ensure that the staff reflects the demographic diversity of the prospective students with whom they work.
- Communicating the mission and value of an Ursinus College education to a wide range of constituents: Working closely and collaboratively with the Vice President for External Relations and Strategic Initiatives and other colleagues across campus, the VPEM will serve as a champion and advocate for Ursinus’s mission and vision objectives. The VPEM will be skilled at connecting with audiences ranging from prospective students and parents, local and national organizations, the College’s faculty, staff, and students, alumni, and many others. The VPEM will embrace a spirit of collaboration and will recognize the importance of listening as a critical aspect of communication.
Evaluation of candidate materials will begin immediately and continue until a new Vice President for Enrollment Management is named. Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter confidentiality via our Talent Profile.