Assistant Vice President for Student Services, Enrollment Management

Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Enrollment Management

Job Closing Date: June 24, 2022

About Arkansas Tech:

Founded in 1909, Arkansas Tech is a state-supported comprehensive institution, maintaining regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and classification as a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) level III institution. It is the third-largest in the state with an enrollment close to 12,000 students. The Russellville campus, located in the scenic Arkansas River Valley between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, is just one hour from the capital city of Little Rock and boasts a charming blend of historic and modern architecture, including beautiful grounds and greenery.  Offering over 100 undergraduate degree programs and more than 25 graduate degree programs across seven academic colleges and two campuses, Arkansas Tech strives to provide a solid educational foundation for life-long learning to a diverse community.  For more information about Arkansas Tech University and the surrounding community, please visit our website at www.atu.edu/hr to find our “Live Here” informational resources.

Position Summary:

As a key member of the Student Affairs Executive Management Team, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Enrollment Management (AVPEM) will report to the Vice President for Student Affairs and serves as the Chief Enrollment Officer with principal responsibility for developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic enrollment management plan focused on retention, recruitment, and admissions consistent with the university's strategic goals and direction.

The AVPEM has direct responsibility for undergraduate, graduate, transfer, and international admissions and retention. Also reporting to the AVPEM are recruiting, one-stop student center, financial aid, retention, and marketing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The following examples of duties and responsibilities illustrate the general range of tasks assigned to the position, but are not intended to define the limits of required duties. Other essential duties may be assigned, consistent with the general scope of the position:

Establishes and implements short-and long-range organizational goals, objectives, strategic plans, policies, and operating procedures; monitors and evaluates programmatic and operational effectiveness, and effects changes required for improvement;

Designs, establishes, and maintains an organizational structure and staffing to effectively accomplish the organization's goals and objectives; recruits, trains, supervises, and evaluates staff;

Directs the development and implementation of progressive recruiting strategies, enrollment, out-of-state practices, policies and initiatives to prepare for shifting state, national, and international trends for undergraduate, graduate, international, transfer and online students on all campuses;

Reduces barriers to enrollment by implementing forward thinking programs and policies that optimize student-institution fit and successful student transition to the university for in-state, out-of-state and international students;

Chair Strategic Enrollment and Retention Committee (SERC) committee with responsibility of reporting to the university campus on progress toward recruitment, retention, and marketing goals;

Organize periodic student retention-and-success workshops and reports for the university community;

Develops, manages, and adheres to annual department budgets for the organization and performs periodic cost and productivity analyses;

Lead marketing and communication efforts that result in positive brand awareness to attract prospective students and engage with alumni, donors, and other key stakeholders in an effort to raise the university prestige/reputation;

Providing strategic direction on university marketing and communication initiatives including the university advertising, the university website, university comprehensive campaigns, university content strategy, etc.;

Creates, disseminates and collects student surveys aimed at providing feedback on program and/or students' needs;

Utilizes data to guide interventions and monitors effectiveness and student progress;

Works with the Institutional Research Department personnel in compiling data to assist in proposals and grant writing;

Assists faculty and staff in identifying, and monitoring, trends and researching best practices in student retention;

Works with the Institutional Research Department to compile data to assist in retention proposals and retention reports and recommends adjustments based on data.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Evaluation: Conducts on-going evaluation of services. This accountability includes such essential tasks as:

• Creates, disseminates and collects student surveys aimed at providing feedback on program and/or students' needs;
• Utilizes data to guide interventions and monitors effectiveness and student progress;
• Works with the Institutional Research Department personnel in compiling data to assist in proposals and grant writing;

Assists faculty and staff in identifying trends and researching best practices in student retention.

Identifies gaps in services based on best practices in retention and creates programs to improve student success.

​Identifies specific cohort groups with targeted interventions. 

Utilizes data to guide interventions and monitors effectiveness and student progress. 

Works with the Institutional Research Department to compile data to assist in retention proposals and retention reports (to department heads, or other retention programs). 

Required Qualifications:

Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.

Significant progressive administrative experience in mid- to upper-level management in higher education or comparable industry responsibility, including at least five (5) years in enrollment management at a college or university.

A significant, proven record of leading successful, high-performance teams in the field of enrollment management in higher education.

Extensive knowledge of best practices and current trends in the enrollment field.

Knowledge of national and international trends and developments in recruitment and admissions for the purpose of modeling and strategic planning.

Success in employing strategies to increase out-of-state and/or international and/or online enrollment.

Understanding of student information systems and financial management processes in optimizing financial aid leveraging and packaging at the institutional level (experience with oversight of financial aid operations preferred).

Exceptional ability to work collaboratively with administrators, academic leadership, faculty, staff, students, community leadership, public officials, funding agencies, k-12 administrators and staff, and members of the community at large.

Experience in managing annual and long-range budgets, aligned with the university strategic plan.

Experience in and proven commitment to advancing diversity from historically underrepresented groups with a record of fostering an inclusive environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

Visionary and strategic thinker with the complementary experience in balancing the implementation of both short-term and long-range enrollment plans.

Experience with implementing successful major change initiatives.

Demonstrated expertise with market segmentation, positioning, and messaging; traditional and digital marketing and advertising; and data collection and analytics.

Ability to take initiative, exercise sound judgment, and handle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Strong quantitative aptitude and experience with predictive modeling and financial aid leveraging.

Advanced analytical, evaluative and objective critical thinking skills.

Strong strategic planning and performance measurement skills.

Demonstrated success in fostering a cooperative work environment built on solid organizational planning, structuring, staffing, development, and performance management processes.

Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to present effectively to both small and large groups.

Conditions of Employment:

Employees in this position are subject to the terms and conditions of an employment contract. Employment contracts are typically subject to review and renewal on an annual basis.

What to Submit: 

Applications must include a cover letter, resume, and contact information for five (5) references.

Questions regarding the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Enrollment Management vacancy may be emailed to knichols@atu.edu.

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To be considered for the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Enrollment Management position, all applications and materials must be received and processed through our applicant tracking system, Cornerstone, by June 24, 2022, by 6:00 pm Central time.

Please go to https://atu.csod.com/ats/careersite/search.aspx?site=1&c=atu to apply now.

This position is subject to a pre-employment criminal background check.  A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position.  Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Arkansas Tech University is an AA/EOE employer committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.