Vice President for Enrollment Management

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Dillard University, a private, Historically Black University (HBCU) established in 1869 by the United Methodist Church located in New Orleans, Louisiana, is pleased to announce its search for a Vice President of Enrollment Management (VPEM). Reporting to the President of and serving on the President’s cabinet, the innovative, entrepreneurial, and strategic Vice President will provide vision and leadership for all aspects of Dillard University’s enrollment initiatives. The VPEM will lead a team of professional staff across admissions, marketing, and financial aid as well as various facets of student success and campus life to help advance student retention and progression.

The Vice President is responsible for providing a coherent, effective enrollment management program consistent with the University’s growth goals; identifying areas for improvement and implementing tactics to achieve Dillard’s comprehensive recruitment targets for its undergraduate programs.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Provide vision, leadership, management, and supervision for the Office of Enrollment Management; mentor and inspire a professional team and support the growth and development of staff to retain high-performing individuals.
• Inspire the broader community to develop and implement a comprehensive strategic enrollment plan that meets and exceeds enrollment goals, increases the size and quality of the student body to achieve strategic plan objectives, achieves retention goals, and diversifies enrollment streams.
• Build and enhance relationships with faculty, staff, and administrators across the university, especially at the cabinet level, to create and foster a culture of trust and transparency, to expand their understanding of trends in higher education and aiding in the planning for the future development of the University.
• Develop sustainable relationships with K-12, higher education institutions, community partners, and corporate partners that further enhance the University’s mission, vision, and enrollment goals.
• Establish goals for inquiries, applications, acceptances, campus visits, interviews, and deposits for recruiting purposes and provide reports to the University leadership on progress toward these goals.
• Promote efficiency of all enrollment operations by preparing and managing the admission office department budget.
• Lead the enrollment team in evaluating, implementing, integrating, and leveraging CRM technology to innovate, increase operational efficiency, and meet the expectations of students and families (Jenzabar, Spark151 and Element451 are the current systems).
• Foster a culture of excellence in appropriately leveraging data and sharing of information within the Office of Admissions, including best practices in data collection, analysis, and reporting; provide admission data to the Office of Institutional Research and the Business and Finance Office for federal and state reporting purposes as needed.
• Possess outstanding communication skills, including listening, writing, presentation, and interpersonal relational skills; write for internal and external audiences and facilitate clear and transparent communication between students, parents, employees, and management.
• Represent Dillard, internally and externally, through participation at local, regional, and national events, programs, and panels, and upon request, report directly to the Board of Trustees, President, and Cabinet.
• Strategically leverage financial aid including institutional merit, need-based aid, and funded stackable scholarships to attract and enroll students that are the right fit for Dillard and likely to be retained to graduation. Ensure a seamless recruitment and financial aid awarding strategy and processes while being held accountable to the financial discount, budgets of the university, and net tuition revenue growth.
• Strategically utilize marketing assets and external marketing vendors to generate and ensure proper and memorable recruitment messaging and content are used in publications, digital marketing, social media, and website to support student recruitment goals and other marketing and promotion needs of the university. Develop relevant marketing strategies and materials and maximize Dillard’s brand and direct marketing priorities.
• Provide education and information regarding changing demographics and the highly competitive Louisiana higher education landscape and provide institutional partners with the guidance and training to collaborate on effective recruitment and engagement activities in a way that is productive, proactive, and valued.
• Oversee initiatives to enhance diversity among incoming students by building partnerships with organizations and expanding pathways for international and underrepresented populations (ability to communicate in Spanish desirable, but not required).
• Provide transformative strategic leadership and develop partnerships with school districts, community-based organizations, and other organizations to generate interest that can be leveraged to grow net tuition revenue.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• Master's degree, Doctorate preferred.
• Minimum 7 years of related experience and familiarity with student recruitment strategies, including digital marketing, social media, and CRM systems. 
• Familiarity with diverse student populations and marketing to students from across racial, economic, geographic and academic backgrounds.
• Experience preparing, implementing, and monitoring a departmental budget; ability to analyze effectively with financial acumen.
• Management and supervisory experience.
• An ability to maximize the full potential of enrollment team members while building upon strengths and providing professional growth opportunities.
• Demonstrated experience working with campus constituents including students, staff, faculty, and parents of current students.
• Knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations related to admissions and recruitment in higher education.
• Knowledge of current technology and commitment to using it to enhance recruitment strategies, yield objectives, accurate forecasting, and operational efficiency.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret and utilize data to inform decision-making.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, energy, and focus.
• Ability to excel in administrative tasks, multitasking, prioritizing, organizing, and coordinating diverse units within an organization.
• Commitment to effective team building and collaboration with other University sectors, as well as the ability to work independently.
• High degree of integrity with the ability to handle confidential matters appropriately.
• Willingness to respectfully challenge leadership to consider innovative, researched, and data- driven ideas.
• Genuine passion for higher education and a desire to make a difference in both the Dillard community and the broader New Orleans metropolitan area.
• Commitment to institutional mission, a passionate vision for the future of Dillard, and the willingness to respond with flexibility, adaptability, and enthusiasm to a rapidly changing environment.
• International recruitment experience, a plus.

Job Type: Full-time, Target start date January, 2025 or sooner depending on candidate availability.

Salary: Competitive with related experience and Relocation/Signing Package

Work Location: In person

Benefits:

• 403(b)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discounts
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

For full consideration, applicants should apply by Monday, November 4, 2024. 

Applications must include a Letter of Interest aligning with specific requirements of role, Updated CV, and four Professional References, in one pdf document. Candidates will be notified prior to outreach of listed references. 

Please send inquiries, application materials to Elizabeth Falcone at efalcone@dillard.edu. Please include in subject line VPEM search.