Leadership Profile

Missouri State University (Missouri State), a comprehensive university with a public affairs mission, is seeking a strategic, enthusiastic and collaborative leader to serve as the inaugural Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM).

Missouri State University, the second largest university in Missouri, is a public university system with an enrollment of more than 26,800+ students who come from all over Missouri, the nation and the world. The campus is a close-knit community of passionate and steadfast learners committed to ethical leadership, cultural competence and community engagement. Those are the pillars of the university’s unique public affairs mission, granted by the Missouri General Assembly. The system has three physical campuses — two in Missouri and one in Dalian, China — and an outreach program for any time, any place learning. The main campus in Springfield is a selective-admissions, graduate-level teaching and research institution that offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including the professional doctorate.

The VPEM joins Missouri State at a time of great excitement as they embark on a new strategic plan under the leadership of a new President. Reporting to the President and serving on the Administrative Council, the VPEM will provide leadership and oversight to Enrollment Management and Services for Springfield's campus, which includes undergraduate admissions, including transfer student recruitment; financial aid; adult student services; and dual credit. The VPEM will also collaborate with the West Plains 2-year campus and international recruitment. The VPEM will inspire students, faculty, staff, alumni and other stakeholders with ambitious enrollment goals; collaborate with partners to develop and execute a plan to lead the institution toward those objectives; and communicate with the Board of Governors, Administrative Council, University Council and others about progress toward the goals.

The VPEM will bring extensive senior-level experience in enrollment management, with a record of increasing responsibility as an enrollment management leader. They will have experience in creating and implementing a university-wide strategic enrollment management plan and articulating a vision that brings together and mobilizes multiple perspectives, people and programs. The ideal candidate will be an exceptional relationship builder and someone with a proven record of enrollment success. Strong analytical skills, written and oral communication skills and a can-do spirit are vital for the success of the next leader.

Missouri State University’s inaugural Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM) will inspire students, faculty, staff, alumni and other stakeholders with ambitious enrollment goals; collaborate with partners to develop and execute a plan to lead the institution toward those objectives; and communicate with the Board of Governors, Administrative Council, University Council and others about progress toward the goals. The VPEM will serve as a member of the president’s leadership team and supervise undergraduate admissions, including transfer student recruitment; financial aid; adult student services; and dual credit. The new leader will provide leadership to six direct reports, a team of 60 professional staff and have responsibility for an operating budget of approximately $6 million and $150 million financial aid each year.

The VPEM will be directly responsible for enrollment management activities on the Springfield campus.

Responsibilities include:

• Develops and executes forward-thinking, innovative strategies to drive progress toward ambitious enrollment goals.
• Works closely with vice presidents, deans, associate provosts and other leaders to analyze and recommend enrollment strategies with attention to overall academic excellence, student success and retention and enrollment growth in key segments including but not limited to degree-seeking undergraduate, transfer, international and graduate students in support of the university’s strategic plan.
• Creates a collaborative approach to enrollment in which each campus community member’s role is defined, included in the university’s overall enrollment strategy and celebrated. This includes students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni, boosters and external stakeholders.
• Sets a clear direction for the staff of each office reporting to them, coaching staff and fostering an environment that rewards innovative thinking, builds confidence and encourages teamwork and creativity.
• Leads a team that creates and implements innovative, creative and proactive marketing campaigns with a unified messaging extending across all media, platforms and vehicles.
• Leads a team that creates and implements a comprehensive strategic recruitment plan that aligns with university goals for all undergraduate, graduate and international student recruitment.
• Integrates and aligns complex processes and communicating operational changes.
• Creates a positive work environment by cultivating motivation, satisfaction and engagement among team members and others whose partnership is needed.
• Manages budgets to maximize impact and ensure fiscal responsibility.

The VPEM will also collaborate with leaders on the West Plains campus to set system-wide enrollment goals, identify strategies to achieve those enrollment goals and improve overall effectiveness/efficiency.

Finally, the VPEM will contribute ti the overall success of the university by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Across higher education, this is a time of significant change, challenge and opportunity. The VPEM joins Missouri State at a time of great excitement as they embark on a new strategic plan under the leadership of a new President. The successful leader will discover untapped potential to grow addition, the Vice President for Enrollment Management will be expected to:

• Develop and implement a strategic enrollment plan to grow enrollment
  The VPEM will provide strategic and visionary thinking to develop and execute a strategic enrollment plan to chart a path for enrollment growth. As Missouri State embarks on their university- wide strategic planning process, one of the focal points is enrollment. Upon completion of the university's strategic plan, the VPEM will establish a plan in alignment to increase First-time New in College (FTNIC), Transfer, Readmit, Graduate, International and Non-Degree Seeking student enrollment. The plan will also speak to the value of a Missouri State education and include predictive modeling, financial aid optimization and other effective marketing techniques to grow total enrollment. The VPEM will analyze data to identify trends and patterns in student enrollment and retention and proactively develop strategies to address any issues that arise.

• Distinguish Missouri State as a comprehensive institution
  The ability to communicate key brand differentiators helps tell Missouri State's story and establishes the university's unique value proposition in a competitive marketplace. Essential to the Vice President's success is their interest in and ability to come to know Missouri State's distinctions and traditions, particularly as they relate to enrollment. Listening, learning and understanding this special community will be key to determining the best path forward for enrollment. The VPEM will work with campus leaders to develop fresh and compelling narratives and clear messaging supported by data to illustrate the benefits and transformative nature of a Missouri State education that will cut through the noise of the crowded field and resonate with prospective students, families and other external constituents. It will be critical for the new leader to assess the competitive recruitment landscape and identify the stories and distinctions that will be most compelling to prospective students today and into the future.

• Instill best practices across the enrollment management functions Missouri State is in its fourth year using Slate by Technolutions, and the VPEM will bring best practices and the ability to maximize Slate's functionality and reporting features to enhance decision making and strategic planning. The Vice President will also monitor trends and have a great awareness of emerging issues and innovations in higher education through various mediums to ensure that the institution proactively addresses challenges, leverages new opportunities and implements best practices for all of the areas within enrollment management. The next VPEM will bring knowledge of national best practices in enrollment management, bolstered by a strong professional network to enhance the work of the team.

• Build strong partnerships across the community
  The Vice President will inspire and galvanize university-wide involvement in enrollment management efforts by building and maintaining strong campus partners to facilitate the collection, analysis and reporting of data and promote the sharing of information across the institution so that everyone knows their individual roles in achieving overall enrollment success. They will bring an innovative approach to the work and communicate the vision for strategic enrollment management to help create buy-in.

• Provide dynamic leadership and support to a dedicated team
  The Vice President will bring leadership, energy, optimism and innovation to the strategic priorities for enrollment management. The next enrollment leader will inherit an experienced team that is deeply committed to the mission of Missouri State and the students that the university serves. It will be important for the Vice President to bring a commitment to the team which values institutional collaboration and working with one another. The enrollment management structure has undergone some changes in recent years, requiring the next Vice President to be empathetic in understanding how this has impacted staff. This leader will encourage the division to be bold and inspire staff to be the best versions of themselves in service of students and in pursuit of the university's aspirations. Broadly and effectively communicating the work of the division, its success and the challenges it faces will be a key tactic to recognize the work of the staff and the impact of their efforts. Given the elevation of this role to a Vice President title with a seat on the Administrative Council, the Vice President must be willing to serve as an advocate for the division.