Vice President of Enrollment Management

Vice President of Enrollment Management

University of Houston-Downtown

The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) seeks a visionary and strategic enrollment leader to serve as its next Vice President of Enrollment Management.

Position

Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President of Enrollment Management leads, manages, and provides strategic direction and administrative oversight for enhancing student access and enrollment services. The Vice President participates in planning, budgeting, and policy development in support of the mission and goals of the university.

In addition, the Vice President of Enrollment Management:

• Collaborates closely with the other Vice Presidents and the Deans of the various colleges to identify, explore, evaluate, and coordinate enrollment and other student access and success initiatives
• Provides administrative oversight to the functions of undergraduate admissions, graduate and international admissions, registrar, enrollment communications, scholarships and financial aid, student transition programs, welcome center operations, campus solution services, and process improvement
• Leads a highly productive enrollment management unit, including overseeing the recruitment, management, training, retention, and evaluation of highly qualified professionals and support staff
• Refine and implements a university strategic enrollment plan, fostering strong relationships with on- and off-campus constituents to enhance student outreach, enrollment, retention, and graduation
• Works collaboratively with University Marketing to increase student enrollment through strategic marketing and branding
• Manages complex operations and financial budgets
• Provides leadership and management to the financial aid team to ensure compliance with federal, state, and university policies
• Oversees the implementation of and upgrades to the student information system, ensuring that it complies with all relevant university policies and state/federal legislation
• Creates an environment of collegiality, inclusiveness, and support for the university's diverse student body
• Provides leadership and direction in the administration of a comprehensive range of services, policies, and procedures
• Fosters the university's commitment to student access and success by actively building a strong sense of community
• Promotes engagement in the life of the university
• Consistently ensures the delivery of quality and responsive programs and services through effective assessment of enrollment outcomes.
• Monitors the progress of a wide range of enrollment programs and strategic initiatives, and keeps the President and executive leadership apprised of status reports
• Serves as a member of the President’s Cabinet and represents the division on various councils and committees
• Serves as a liaison to multiple internal and external groups
• Exhibits a strong commitment to performance improvement and institutional well-being
• Works collaboratively with the relevant campus unit heads to annually forecast enrollment targets
• Has deep experience in expanding a campus’ search campaign philosophy and admissions funnels in response to corresponding student success outcomes
• Oversees the implementation of and upgrades to the customer relationship management (CRM) system, ensuring that optimal use of functionality in supporting enrollment and retention efforts

Qualifications

It is required that candidates possess a master’s degree (doctoral degree preferred) and a minimum of eight (8) years of increasingly responsible administrative experience in enrollment and/or student affairs related roles in higher education. In addition, candidates should demonstrate:

• Success in collaborating with all levels of the institution, including experience developing joint student affairs and academic affairs programs and initiatives to advance a culture of student–centered service
• A strong commitment to public higher education
• Experience working effectively with academic shared governance

It is preferred that candidates demonstrate:

• Experience working with PeopleSoft Student Enterprise System
• Experience working with SLATE customer relationship management (CRM) system
• State or national visibility in the field of enrollment management
• Experience in working with community college partnerships
• Track record of strong K-12 collaborations/engagements
• Knowledge and understanding of Education Advisory Board’s predictive analytics
• Exposure to 4-year, metropolitan/urban universities, like UHD

Position Specific Competencies

Commitment to Excellence - UHD

• Demonstrates a commitment to competently perform their job duties and responsibilities within established time frames
• Continuously strives to improve work performance
• Accepts responsibility for his/her commitments to the university
• Contributes to the success of the university by consistently providing quality results in the performance of his/her job duties and responsibilities

Respect and Cooperation

• Treats others with courtesy, respect, and dignity in the workplace
• Promotes cooperation through open and honest communications and consideration of others’ ideas, thoughts, and opinions

Integrity

• Demonstrates high ethical standards of conduct in the performance of his/her job duties and responsibilities
• Accepts responsibility for their actions
• Respects and complies with department and university policies, procedures, and work rules

Leadership

• Leads the organizational unit’s endeavors to achieve its goals and objectives in support of the university’s vision and mission
• Oversees the organizational unit’s operations in accordance with the university’s shared values of excellence, student success, inclusiveness, respect, and integrity
• Fosters a dynamic work environment that encourages teamwork and cooperation

Accountability

• Accountable for oversight of organizational unit’s projects and initiatives; monitors utilization of allocated resources and status of projected time frames
• Ensures organizational unit’s operation are in compliance with university and department policies and procedures; responsible for development and revision of policies and procedures for assigned area(s)
• Resolves complex issues after careful consideration of all relevant information
• Collaborates with other university administrators to keep the university apprised of significant developments and issues

Change Management

• Manages the development and implementation of change initiatives to advance the university’s goals and objectives
• Assesses the availability of resources and ascertains additional resources required to effect change within projected timelines
• Promotes the benefits of new methods, technology, and/or work environments resulting from changes
• Addresses concerns to minimize impact of potential consequences of changes
• Provides encouragement and support to employees through the change process
• Supports changes in the university's organizational structure

Strategic Planning

• Develops organizational unit's short- and long-term goals and objectives that align with the university’s strategic plan
• Establishes assessment measures to evaluate the organizational unit’s progress toward accomplishing its goals and objectives
• Determines priorities and allocates resources to achieve the organizational unit’s goals and objectives
• Anticipates potential difficulties and concerns, and develops feasible contingency plans
• Collaborates with other university administrators to coordinate efforts across organizational units

Talent Management

• Communicates the organizational unit’s priorities and initiatives to employees and the importance of their contributions to the organizational unit’s goals and objectives
• Motivates employees by encouraging a commitment to excellence and recognizing employee accomplishments
• Clearly defines employee responsibilities and expectations; provides guidance and constructive feedback
• Encourages employee participation in professional development and training, and supports mentoring and on-the-job training to provide the tools for employees to be successful
• Promotes teamwork and a work environment that fosters cooperation
• Manages the resolution of performance issues expeditiously and with discretion

Financial Administration

• Assesses and modifies organizational unit’s budget annually to provide sufficient resources for organizational unit’s operations aligned with goals and objectives, in consideration of the university’s budget constraints
• Directs administration of the organizational unit’s budget to ensure effective utilization of financial resources and compliance with federal, State, and university policies and procedures
• Approves disbursement of funds consistent with the organizational unit’s budget
• Monitors status of organizational unit’s budget, and directs the resolution of deficiencies and/or discrepancies

Organizational Engagement

• Positively represents organizational unit to internal and external constituents in support of the organizational unit’s efforts and in recognition of its accomplishments
• Coordinates with other university administrators to collaborate endeavors across organizational units
• Builds rapport with external constituents to advance the organizational unit’s goals and objectives and engage the community with the university’s efforts to address the needs and advance the development of the region
• Competently responds to audits and requests from governmental entities and UHSystem on behalf of the organizational unit

Student Success Indirect Support

• Contributes to student success by assisting students with anything that supports their student experience, whether directly or indirectly
• Helps students navigate their way through the different offices, programs, and services at the university and/or connects students with the appropriate party(ies)
• Connects students with services or resources that can help them with career exploration, goal selection, and ongoing academic assistance
• Helps students build peer support networks
• Encourages student participation in out-of-class activities
• Provides encouragement and guidance to foster student success
• Treats students with respect
• Maintains the learning environment to ensure quality and/or sound pedagogy

About the University

The University of Houston-Downtown is a comprehensive four-year university offering bachelor's and master's degree programs aimed at career preparation. From the day our doors opened more than 40 years ago, UHD has expanded to serve the educational needs of America’s fourth-largest city. Now, UHD offers bachelor's degrees in 46 areas of study and 11 master's degrees. We’re located right in the heart of Downtown Houston, one of the nation’s most culturally diverse metropolitan areas. So naturally, we’ve created an environment that welcomes and embraces students from all backgrounds. With an 18-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio, we provide a unique hands-on learning environment for each student. They can choose from face-to-face instruction downtown or on our satellite locations, degrees and classes offered completely online and even a combination of the two.

Mission

The University of Houston-Downtown is a community of diverse faculty, staff, students, and regional partners dedicated to nurturing talent, generating knowledge, and driving socioeconomic mobility for a just and sustainable future.

Values

• Excellence – UHD nurtures excellence in teaching, learning, scholarly work and stewardship of the University for the benefit of students, the community and the academy. Integrity in all our actions
• Student Success – UHD facilitates and supports students in achieving their full potential for academic, personal and career growth through excellent programs
• Inclusiveness – UHD values diversity and promotes access to higher education through flexible and affordable programs
• Respect – UHD treats all individuals with respect and dignity and promotes collegiality, cooperation and open communication
• Integrity – UHD is committed to the highest ethical standards in its operations and holds itself accountable to its constituencies

Application Process

The Search Committee invites letters of nomination, applications (letter of interest, complete CV/Resume, and list of five references), or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the University of Houston-Downtown. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until final candidates for the appointment are identified. It is preferred, however, that all nominations and applications be submitted prior to December 6, 2024.

Porsha L. Williams, Vice President
Jacob Anderson, Senior Principal
Brett Sauls, Associate
Parker Executive Search
Five Concourse Parkway, Suite 2875 Atlanta, GA 30328
(770) 804‐1996 ext. 111
pwilliams@parkersearch.com || janderson@parkersearch.com ||