Vice President for Enrollment Management

University of St. Thomas•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM) serves as the University of St. Thomas' senior leader for enrollment strategy and retention. Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President's Council, the VPEM provides strategic leadership for Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar, ensuring a coherent, mission-aligned enrollment enterprise that supports the University's academic priorities and long-term sustainability. The VPEM will lead the development and execution of an integrated enrollment strategy that reflects UST's Catholic mission and commitment to forming students for lives that flourish and professions that serve. This leader will approach enrollment as a mission-critical institutional system that integrates recruitment, financial aid strategy, and communications in service of students and responsible stewardship of institutional resources, while partnering with academic leadership to support student retention. In collaboration with Marketing and campus stakeholders, the VPEM will oversee the development of enrollment strategies that are supported by effective, coordinated communications across recruitment, yield, and retention. These efforts will clearly articulate the value of a UST education to prospective and current students and families, with particular attention to personal engagement consistent with the University's mission across all student populations. The VPEM will provide strategic leadership for both undergraduate and graduate enrollment, recognizing the distinct roles these populations play in the University's academic vitality and financial health. This includes stabilizing and strengthening undergraduate enrollment and student quality, increasing the number of undergraduate students recruited from outside of the Houston area, and advancing thoughtful, sustainable growth in graduate and professional programs aligned with institutional strengths and market demand. In collaboration with the Vice President for Finance, the Vice President for Enrollment Management will contribute to multi-year tuition and enrollment projections and support sound financial planning. The VPEM will also leverage data, analytics, and emerging technologies to inform decision-making, improve operational effectiveness, and enhance the scalability and sophistication of enrollment systems and processes. At the same time, this leader will balance data-informed strategy with creativity, judgment, and a deep understanding of the human dimensions of enrollment work, including the cultivation of strong, trust-based relationships with secondary schools, academic partners, and other external stakeholders. Finally, the VPEM will lead, mentor, and develop a talented enrollment staff, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, professional growth, and shared purpose. The successful candidate will be a visible, trusted partner across the University community, working closely with faculty, staff, campus ministry, and students to advance UST's mission and enrollment success.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 10 years of enrollment management experience or a closely related area within higher education, with responsibility for institution-wide strategy and cross-functional leadership.
Demonstrated experience leading integrated enrollment strategies that span recruitment, financial aid, and student persistence/retention outcomes.
Proven ability to collaborate effectively with senior leaders across academics, finance, marketing, and student-facing units to advance institution-wide priorities.
Advanced competency using data, analytics, and performance indicators to inform strategy, evaluate results, and drive continuous improvement.
Experience leading, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams, including a track record of building healthy organizational culture with clear goals and accountability.
Understanding of the mission of a Catholic university, including respect for the religious and intellectual traditions articulated in Ex Corde Ecclesiae.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree and 10 years of enrollment management experience at a college or university setting, with at least 5 years of experience in a senior-level enrollment leadership position.
Demonstrated understanding of Catholic doctrine and the mission of Catholic higher education, and the ability to articulate and advance the University's Catholic mission and identity in an inviting and faithful manner.
Experience leading or significantly advancing graduate and professional enrollment strategies within a comprehensive university or similar institutional context.
Demonstrated experience serving as a visible, external-facing institutional leader, including building trust-based relationships with schools, academic partners, or other key constituencies.

Responsibilities

Engage and galvanize the university community around a shared mission-aligned vision for enrollment and adapting to the highly competitive enrollment landscape; lead the campus community in understanding current trends and enacting creative solutions to combat arising challenges.
Provide executive leadership and oversight for Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar, ensuring coherent policies, processes, and service across the student lifecycle.
Serve as a member of the President's Council and a close strategic partner to the President, providing regular updates and presentations to senior leadership over university-specific enrollment goals and performance measures.
Ensure high-quality, responsive, and mission-consistent first impressions for prospective students and families, working through enrollment management leadership and in partnership with academic stakeholders across all points of engagement.
Partner with academic leadership to advance student retention and lend expertise on the residential housing campaign.
Guide undergraduate enrollment strategy to stabilize and strengthen enrollment, student quality, and mission fit, while advancing graduate and professional enrollment through thoughtful growth aligned with institutional strengths, market demand, and program quality.
Ensure enrollment strategies are supported by effective communications and decision-support insights, leveraging data, analytics, and technology to inform day-to-day planning and continuously improve recruitment, yield, and retention outcomes, in collaboration with campus stakeholders.
Build, develop, and sustain high-performing teams across Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, accountability, and continuous professional development, while strengthening recruitment capacity and student-facing engagement in support of responsible, mission-aligned enrollment strategy.
Represent UST values while participating in both internal and external committees, professional organizations, events, programs, and panels.
Align enrollment strategies with revenue goals, optimize financial aid modeling, and support long-term financial planning through accurate enrollment forecasting and tuition revenue projections.
Maintain budget and allocate resources appropriately to achieve institutional goals, can manage and balance multiple budgets at once.
Develop engaging recruitment and yield campaigns to enhance the reputation of the university and increase reach among talented students nationally and internationally.
Foster and maintain strong relationships with college counselors and other stakeholders in key markets and feeder high schools that are critical to recruitment efforts.
Outstanding communication skills and storytelling, including the ability to persuasively convey academic distinctions and community differentiators to prospective students, families, and college counselors within the marketplace.