Vice President for Enrollment

Hendrix College - Conway, AR

Full-time - Executive

Conway, AR

Educational Services

About the position

Hendrix College invites applications and nominations for its next Vice President for Enrollment. A nationally recognized independent liberal arts institution, Hendrix College seeks an experienced, courageous, and adept enrollment leader. The Vice President for Enrollment will lead and inspire a staff of thirteen admission and financial aid professionals and guide the Hendrix community in meeting revenue, enrollment, and retention goals. Reporting to President Karen Petersen, the vice president will join a newly formed leadership team committed to Hendrix's residential liberal arts education, the promise of bringing initiatives and innovation to realization, and invested in fostering the bright future of Hendrix. The Vice President will oversee the enrollment staff which consists of professionals in admission, admission operations, financial aid, and enrollment marketing. They will partner across the college in the community's work on retention, marketing, communication, strategic planning, and implementation of strategic initiatives. The Vice President will provide vision, leadership, and expertise to the greater Hendrix community in building enrollments, navigating a challenging marketplace, and meeting the needs and interests of prospective students and families. The Vice President will address barriers to enrollment, attend to enrollment pipelines, and expand and enhance the reputation of Hendrix College regionally and nationally. A champion for the Hendrix community, the Vice President for Enrollment will be a positive, visible, and engaged leader on campus, in the greater Conway community, and in higher education.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership in the areas of enrollment planning, student recruitment, enrollment marketing, admission, and financial aid.
• Work with the Board of Trustees, particularly the Enrollment Committee, to ensure trustees are educated on enrollment management and able to provide appropriate oversight of institutional strategy.
• Serve as a thought partner to the President on issues affecting higher education generally and the College specifically.
• Develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive, data driven enrollment management plan to support the financial and enrollment goals of the College.
• Optimize aid to meet institutional revenue and enrollment goals.
• Support the development and implementation of an institutional strategic plan including the realization of initiatives and evaluation of outcomes.
• Establish, articulate, and make decisions based on clear and measurable goals, benchmarks and key performance indicators.
• Identify and aggressively address current and emerging issues that are impacting the enrollment of potential students.
• Oversee enrollment marketing and communications to reach unique student populations and articulate the value of a Hendrix education.
• Aggressively seek out and enroll prospective students with interest and affinity for Hendrix's features and benefits.
• Advise the President, fellow members of the Senior Leadership Team, and community members on enrollment trends and opportunities.
• Foster a culture of mentorship, staff development, critical thinking, collaboration, leadership, accountability, and empowerment within the division.
• Provide strategic oversight in admission, financial aid, enrollment marketing, and communications.
• Establish goals, motivate and manage staff, and monitor progress of core functional units.
• Accelerate the College's successful recruitment of students from diverse populations.
• Facilitate the collection, analysis, and reporting of data related to enrollment, financial aid, recruiting, marketing, and retention.
• Assure programs and processes within enrollment meet the highest standards, reflect best practices, and evolve with changing needs and technology.
• Ensure technology solutions such as Slate CRM are maximized, improve the efficiency of systems, and facilitate business practices across the College.
• Oversee the office of financial aid in serving both current and prospective students.
• Provide an experienced, contemporary approach to talent-based awards and need-based financial aid.
• Oversee strategies for modeling and leveraging financial aid with the ability to forecast enrollment, discount, and net tuition revenue.
• Counsel collaborative decision makers in understanding the impact of pricing on individual student populations.
• Manage and monitor all components of the budget for the enrollment management division.
• Design, implement, and evaluate comprehensive enrollment marketing communication plans.
• Enhance and lead a sophisticated enrollment marketing function.
• Partner with coaches, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, donors, and community organizations to develop a robust and diverse pipeline of students.
• Foster a culture that values the contributions of alumni in enhancing the reputation of the college.
• Foster open communication and transparent decision-making with internal and external constituencies.
• Facilitate the recruitment of student athletes by working closely with the coaches and athletic department personnel.

Requirements

• A minimum of a bachelor's degree is required, with preference given to individuals with a degree in a liberal arts field.
• An advanced degree is strongly preferred.
• At least eight years relevant experience in admissions, financial aid, and/or recruitment in higher education.
• Significant proven experience in a leadership role in higher education.
• Success in bringing innovative ideas to realization.
• A demonstrated sense of excitement and urgency.
• Self-motivated and team-oriented.
• A recruitment/sales mindset with a strong desire to achieve outcomes.
• A proven track record in successful outreach and recruitment of prospective students.
• Strong public speaking skills and outstanding interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong business acumen and a global view of business processes and institutional resources.
• Desire to develop authentic, trusting relationships with campus partners.
• Knowledge of, and strong practical experience in pricing and discounting strategies.
• Understanding of NCAA regulations for Division III athletics.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in leveraging technology and systems to support the work of the division.
• Management style capable of fostering a culture of excellence, respect, and enthusiasm.
• Ability to be bold, creative, and visionary while also being collegial, collaborative, and inclusive.
• Charismatic and engaging with a sincere love for the residential liberal arts experience.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation based on skills and experience.
• Comprehensive package of benefits.