Vice President for Enrollment Management

Randolph-Macon College, a private, coeducational liberal arts college in Ashland, Virginia, seeks a collaborative and an experienced admissions and financial aid administrator to serve as Vice President for Enrollment Management. Reporting to the President, the Vice President oversees planning, strategy, priorities, goals, needs, and efficient operation of the College’s Admissions and Financial Aid offices. While the start date is negotiable, the preference is January 2023.

 

For complete information, see the Search Profile at

https://myersmcrae.com/skins/userfiles/files/R-MC-VP-EM.pdf

About the College

 

Located 30 minutes north of Richmond, Virginia, Randolph-Macon College (https://www.rmc.edu) (R-MC) has a steadily growing enrollment, strong freshman-to-sophomore retention rate, rigorous academic programs, and a beautiful 125-acre campus with new and recently renovated buildings. Robert R. Lindgren has served as president since 2006. During his tenure, he has focused on increasing enrollment, revitalizing R-MC’s campus, helping to create new academic and co-curricular programs, and increasing private support of the College.

 

    Nearly 1,500 undergraduate students pursue their academic paths in more than 55 areas of study, including majors, minors, pre-professional programs, and other areas. With a focus on a Four-Year Degree Guarantee, 95 percent of R-MC students who graduate do so in four years or fewer.

 

     The College is committed to preparing students to build their own extraordinary futures through a rigorous academic program that exposes students to most areas of artistic and scientific inquiry as well as through mentoring from highly engaged professors, who are exceptional scholars in their fields. Approximately 97 percent of full-time faculty hold a Ph.D. or other terminal degree. With a 10-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, the average class size is 16. The small classes, which are always taught by professors, enable students to be challenged to maximize their potential.

 

     Known for giving students an “edge” in the careers they seek, R-MC integrates its outstanding liberal arts education and success strategies taught by remarkable faculty mentors with a four-year career preparation program called the EDGE, whose career services programming is currently ranked No. 15 by The Princeton Review. Dedicated staff in the EDGE Career Center, in concert with faculty, work with students to develop a personalized Career Roadmap. This collaboration provides students with professional skills, internship opportunities, and connections to a global alumni network that results in a competitive advantage with their careers and when applying to graduate school.

 

     Randolph-Macon also offers robust undergraduate research, study-abroad, and internship programs. The College’s unique January Term provides students the opportunity to concentrate on one course, study abroad, immerse themselves in another culture, or gain valuable career experience through an internship.

 

     The College attracts academically strong students from diverse backgrounds and social-economic backgrounds. The current student enrollment offers the most diversity in the College’s 193-year history. Twenty-eight states and 31 nations are represented in the student body. R-MC’s 12 residence halls help create a close-knit campus community resulting in many friendships that continue long after graduation. 

 

     Each class of students continues R-MC’s strong tradition of sociability and public service. The College maintains a healthy Greek life system and provides 100+ student organizations and clubs from which to choose. Most students are actively engaged in community service and outreach programs. Collectively, the Yellow Jackets raise thousands of dollars for local and national organizations and provide more than 25,000 volunteer and community service hours a year.

 

     Athletics is an integral part of R-MC life with approximately one-third of the student population participating in a varsity sport. A member of the NCAA Division III and Old Dominion Athletic Conference, the College sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports. Many of the Yellow Jacket teams are nationally ranked. Last year, the College won both a team championship in men’s basketball and an individual national championship in Equestrian.

 

     Alumni have a long history of giving back to R-MC so that new students of all financial backgrounds can afford the Randolph-Macon experience. Alumni are generous and R-MC has placed in the Top 25 nationally in terms of participation percentage during the last eight years. As a result, the College offers numerous financial aid options to students, including scholarships.

 

The Opportunity

 

As the chief admissions and financial aid officer of Randolph-Macon College, the Vice President for Enrollment Management works in close consultation with the President, the Board of Trustees, and the Cabinet to provide overall leadership and direction for the Admissions and Financial Aid programs.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

 

• Serves on the President’s Cabinet, the primary management team at the College. Advises the President concerning Admissions and Financial Aid matters through service on the President’s Cabinet. Serves on strategic college committees. Sets enrollment goals for new students that are consistent with the enrollment requirements of the College and its philosophy and purpose. Plans, implements, and evaluates the effectiveness of the overall admissions marketing plan in collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Office to include production of major recruitment publications, College website and out-bound recruitment communication. Establishes, maintains, and monitors budget expenditures of the Admissions and Financial
  Aid offices. Provides direct oversight of the Director of Admissions, the Director of Enrollment Operations, and the Director of Financial Aid to assure that they have the necessary support, staff, training, and professional development opportunities, information, funds, time, equipment, and facilities to do their jobs effectively. Serves as the staff liaison for the Board of Trustees Committee on Enrollment. Maintains communications with faculty through briefings, newsletters, and workshops. Develops and manages comprehensive recruitment programs that encourage involvement of alumni, faculty, and parents of current students. Participates centrally in college retention efforts. Develops and maintains an admission data system that enhances planning, recruiting, and retention efforts. Conducts market research, using a variety of sources, to strengthen the efforts of the Admissions and Financial Aid offices to position the College competitively to recruit and retain high-quality students. Assures opportunities for training and professional development for all admissions and financial aid employees. Performs other duties as assigned by the President.

Qualifications Requirements

 

Education and Experience

 

• Master’s degree required Five years of Admissions experience

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

 

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, training, and experience required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

• Experience, knowledge, and abilities to perform the duties of the job successfully Leadership talent Strong organizational skills Excellent interpersonal and communication abilities Commitment to private liberal arts education Ability to use and interpret data

Ashland-Richmond Area

 

Just 90 miles south of Washington, D.C., and a short trip from Richmond, Randolph-Macon College is ideally located in the scenic town of Ashland, Virginia. Ashland has an Amtrak intercity train station that serves northeast regional trains bound for Richmond, Newport News, and Norfolk as well as other northern cities.

 

     Major and local retailers and restaurants, along with a multi-screen movie theatre and popular farmers market, provide shopping, dining, and entertainment options. The athletically inclined enjoy mountain biking,  hiking, and biking.

 

     Only 30 minutes away, Richmond has been named the best river town in America by Outside magazine. With a metropolitan population of more than 1.2 million, Richmond is a regional center for business and commerce, including several Fortune 500 companies. The city offers a lively dining culture, with independent restaurants, food trucks, and farmers markets as well as national chain restaurants. The area has a thriving arts scene with theaters, galleries, concert venues, and nationally recognized museums.

 

 

 

Application & Nomination Process

 

Confidential inquiries are welcomed, and nominations are invited.

 

Applications

 

Application packet must include the following: a) Cover letter, limited to two pages, that describes strengths, skills, and knowledge that will benefit this position, b) Current résumé, and c) At least four work-related references with full contact and e-mail information

 

Additional information will be requested upon submission of an application packet.

 

Submit application packet to R-MC-VPEM22@myersmcrae.com (preferably as PDFs) by November 1, 2022,
for best consideration. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

 

Nominations

 

Submit nominations to R-MC-VPEM22-nominate@myersmcrae.com with contact and e-mail information on the individual being nominated.

 

Consultants

 

Emily Parker Myers, CEO of Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting, is conducting this search with Jessica Thompson, Assistant Vice President and Executive Search Coordinator, assisting. Request a conversation by emailing JessicaThompson@myersmcrae.com.

 

In compliance with Title IX of the Education Act Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other federal, state, and local equal opportunity laws, Randolph-Macon College does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, disability, age, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation, in any phase of its admissions, financial aid, educational, athletic, or other programs or activities, or in any phase of its employment practices. The Provost of the College is the individual designated by the College to coordinate its efforts to comply with equal opportunity regulations and laws.

 

 

 

Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting

 

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