Vice President for Enrollment Management

Vice President for Enrollment Management

Catawba College seeks an experienced and strategic leader with a strong record of progressively responsible leadership to serve as the College's Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM). The VPEM will have the opportunity to shape the future of a college that is at a significant moment in its 172-year history. On the heels of two transformational $200 million endowment gifts, with laudable work that positions the College for reaffirmation by SACSCOC and with the pillars of a strategic plan in place, Catawba is poised to take a momentous step forward. At this juncture, Catawba College seeks a strategic leader to work closely with the Executive Vice President, President, and College leadership to preserve and further capitalize on Catawba's unique strengths in order to make the College even better tomorrow than it is today.

Catawba College, with a current enrollment of 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students, is consistently named one of the Top 10 Best Colleges in the South by U.S. News & World Report and is regularly recognized by Colleges of Distinction for its innovative approach to education and its expert blending of the liberal arts with professional programming in business, health sciences, and education. The College's combination of small size, undergraduate focus, and professional programs immersed in the liberal arts has long been the foundation of its success.

The College has embarked on an ambitious commitment to environmental sustainability, with academic programs in environmental science, policy, and green tech, and is aggressively pursuing a goal of being a model of campus sustainability. Catawba College endeavors to be the leading environmental small college in the southeast and a national center of distinction. The College’s Center for the Environment is a nexus of efforts to enhance the sustainability of institutional operations, foster experiential learning opportunities, and improve the long-term health of the environment.

During the past three years, Catawba College received three gifts to the endowment totaling $442 million. With an endowment of more than $580 million, the per-student endowment now approaches $500,000, which is among the highest in the Southeast. One-third of the gifts will provide recurring funding to support and enhance Catawba's well-established programs in environment and sustainability. Two-thirds of the gifts are dedicated to supporting strategic initiatives, strengthening student scholarships, enhancing student success programming, promoting a thriving workplace, and investing in faculty excellence. In 2021, Catawba received gifts totaling $18M to retire the entirety of the College's debt.

Catawba College is committed to providing students an education rich in personal attention that blends the knowledge and competencies of liberal studies with career preparation. Catawba College houses five schools that are home to more than 70 different fields of study. The five schools include the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Education, the School of Health Science and Human Performance, and the School of Performing Arts. The most popular undergraduate programs include Biology, Environment and Sustainability, Nursing, Exercise Science, Business Administration, Sports Management, and Performing Arts.

As a member of the President's Cabinet, the Vice President for Enrollment Management is a critical strategic partner and advisor to the EVP and Provost, Cabinet, and the College's leadership. Reporting to the Executive Vice President and Provost, the VPEM is Catawba's chief enrollment officer, providing leadership for undergraduate admissions, financial aid, and admissions operations. In total, 15 staff and student ambassadors regularly contribute to the VPEM's areas of responsibility.

The next VPEM will have the opportunity to develop and execute a comprehensive and long-range but flexible strategic enrollment plan for the College, including implementing critical process and infrastructure improvements in cooperation with IT and other campus units. With a high percentage of the undergraduate population being student-athletes, the VPEM will be pivotal in working with athletics to optimize roster size while also awarding scholarships to balance institutional goals, such as reducing the tuition discount rate and ensuring compliance with financial aid regulations. The VPEM will be a thoughtful leader who is able to identify team strengths and areas for growth in furthering a high-functioning division. 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. The Vice President will continue to extend the data-dependent enrollment model. The VPEM will encourage sharing 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 also champion efforts to expand the College's audience by promoting a consistent and persuasive message across the College.

For additional details, please download the position profile at:
https://www.dsgco.com/search/20987-catawba-college-vice-president-for-enrollment-management/

The search team at Catawba will begin reviewing materials immediately. Interested candidates should apply using the Talent Profile.

Inquiries and nominations may be sent in confidence to:

Jim Sirianni, Managing Director
Mark Halligan, Senior Associate
Storbeck Search
CatawbaVPEM@storbecksearch.com

For more information, please visit Catawba College's home page at https://catawba.edu

Catawba College is committed to diversity and inclusion. In adherence with applicable laws and as provided by College policies, this institution prohibits discrimination in its employment practices and its educational programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and veteran status. Additionally, Catawba College promotes equal employment opportunity for women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans through its affirmative action program.