Vice President, Enrollment and Marketing

The College’s defining commitments, derived from the Edmundite Tradition, are to assure a strong campus community, to provide a liberal arts education of the highest quality, and to inculcate an ethic of service. As a Catholic liberal arts institution, Saint Michael’s embraces different cultures; offers a model of civility; and seeks diversity of all kinds among its students, faculty, and staff.

The Mission

It is the mission of Saint Michael's College to contribute through higher education to the enhancement of the human person and the advancement of human culture in light of the Catholic faith.

Saint Michael’s College, located in picturesque Vermont with Burlington, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains as its backdrop, invites applications and nominations for the college’s next Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing. The successful candidate will oversee the Offices of Admission, Student Financial Services and Marketing and Communications and will lead strategic initiatives to build a sustainable enrollment strategy and plan.

The Opportunity

Reporting to and working closely with the president, Dr. Lorraine Sterritt, the Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing will lead a particularly strong enrollment team that is motivated and enthusiastic. Serving on the president’s leadership cabinet, the vice president will join a tight-knit, collegial and dedicated team of leaders who are eager to support the enrollment effort through collaborative thinking and action.

Currently a college with an enrollment of approximately 1,700 undergraduates and 300+ graduate students, Saint Michael’s aspires to achieve an increase in both the numbers of students and net tuition revenue. In addition, the selected vice president will lead the effort to strengthen the visibility of Saint Michael’s, promote the marketability of a liberal arts education and demonstrate the connection between a Saint Michael’s education and related career outcomes. The vice president will have the full support of the president and the board of trustees to achieve these ambitious goals.

Enrollment partners working with Saint Michael’s include EAB for student search, application generation and financial aid optimization. The Office of Admission is using Slate as its CRM and partnered with Render several years ago to enhance the visit experience and recently with YouVisit for the virtual tour. The college has had success embedding regional recruiters in key markets.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The primary duties and responsibilities of the Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing are as follows:

• Lead and direct a team of undergraduate and graduate enrollment staff, financial aid staff, and marketing staff that uphold the Catholic mission, culture, values, and traditions of the College.
• Develop a comprehensive enrollment strategy.
• Maintain and continuously improve high academic standards for admission and retention.
• Manage head-count, discount rate and net tuition revenue targets.
• Work closely with the senior leadership team, and especially the Vice President of Finance, to ensure balance in the entering class size, financial aid expenditures, tuition pricing, and head count and net tuition revenue goals.
• Ensure strategy employed with financial aid is effective for Saint Michael's College’s need-based financial aid and merit-based scholarship policies in attracting a talented, diverse, and engaged student body.
• Provide operational oversight of Student Financial Services to ensure that billing, compliance, collections, and operations are accurate, managed, monitored, and continuously evaluated.
• Create and sustain a culture of shared ownership of enrollment management; educate the campus community about best practices in enrollment management for a liberal arts college. This includes establishing strong partnerships with athletics, faculty, veteran program, MATESOL, international programs, etc.
• Expand and ensure that metrics are established and goals met for diversity, academic quality, international markets, class sizes and transfers, applicant pool size, and retention.
• Communicate effectively and transparently with the Board of Trustees, the President, and faculty and staff colleagues.
• Implement enrollment practices that enhance the diversity of our student body.
• Increase the numbers of international students.
• Optimize student recruitment and enroll students who will succeed to continuously improve graduation rates.
• Develop a meaningful connection with the Office of Institutional Advancement and with alumni; deploy alumni resources as effective extensions of the admission process; and utilize their energy, particularly in securing acceptance of the College’s offer of admission, while working with students and parents alike.
• Deploy data-informed and results-oriented enrollment initiatives and find ways to continuously improve results from current enrollment strategies.
• Develop and implement a strategic enrollment management (SEM) plan that strengthens recruitment of high-school graduates to Saint Michael's College.
• Build upon the increasing number of transfer students through intentional partnerships with community colleges.
• Work closely with faculty and staff colleagues on designing and implementing measures to ensure retention of students.
• Ensure that branding and marketing programs provide a positive impact on revenue, applications, enrollment, transfers, and the image of the College.
• Develop and oversee the implementation and execution of an integrated marketing and recruitment plan in support of the overall strategy for the College.
• Stay abreast of current trends to attract and retain students.
• Ensure that the communication needs of the President’s Office are met.
• Manage website strategy, including enhancements, portal updates, online orientations, student testimonial postings, alumni testimonials, faculty news/PR, and press release archives in support of enrollment and marketing efforts and the broader public presence of the College both domestically and internationally.
• Work collaboratively with Institutional Research for College IPEDS reports and others (i.e. US News and World Report) that are key for our reputation.
• As part of the Cabinet and Leadership team, continuously update the team on numbers, results, and impacts to the College in all areas of enrollments and marketing.

Qualifications

The Vice President will have significant and progressive experience in higher education enrollment management, including knowledge of recruitment, admission, retention, financial aid, student financial services, and marketing. In addition, it is expected that the successful candidate will have more than ten years of relevant experience in higher education.

A high energy, transparent leader, the vice president will be experienced in enrollment management and be able to hit the ground running once on campus. It is expected that the selected candidate will be familiar with the demographics and enrollment trends of the Northeast as well as nationally, is facile with the tools and strategies fundamental to enrollment best practices, is enthusiastic about the challenge and has invested in or will acquire a sturdy winter coat and a good pair of snow boots.

The chosen candidate should possess the following knowledge, qualifications, and skill sets.

• Proven track record of leading a team that is successful in meeting or exceeding enrollment and retention goals;
• Expertise with data analysis and an appreciation for technology and social media;
• Familiarity with Slate software is desired;
• Experience with recruiting, admitting, and retaining graduate and first-year students and transfer students, especially from two-year colleges;
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills with demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a diverse student population;
• Significant and progressive experience in higher education enrollment management, including knowledge of recruitment, admission, retention, and marketing;
• Willingness and ability to articulate the value of a Catholic liberal arts education in the Edmundite tradition;
• Ability to organize and execute a successful student enrollment management system;
• Ability to manage and understand financial aid as it impacts the bottom line of the College;
• Analytical understanding of discount rate and impact to revenue, thus ensuring that the discount rate is managed for direct positive revenue stream;
• Demonstrated record in successful recruitment and retention of students;
• Ability to read research data and ability to analyze data; and
• Strong interest and ability to function collaboratively.

Saint Michael’s College

The only Edmundite College in the world, Saint Michael’s was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, an order of priests that came to Vermont from France. With a tradition of taking on the most challenging tasks, the core tenets of the Edmundites are social justice, education, hospitality, spiritual renewal and pastoral ministry. Although the Edmundites have transitioned the College’s administrative responsibilities to lay personnel over the last 25 years, their presence on campus has an important, spiritual and lasting impact on the life of the entire College community. It is no surprise that Saint Michael’s offers a compelling mix of a world-class education grounded in an ethos of social justice and service. Saint Michael’s is featured in the Princeton Review’s Best 384 Colleges recognized as a Green College. Money magazine noted Saint Michael’s as one of the Top 50 Transformative Colleges, and Kiplinger’s ranks Saint Michael’s among the Best College Values.

The Academic Program

Saint Michael’s students engage across a broad spectrum of subjects and the faculty is fully focused on teaching. Classes are small (the student to faculty ratio is 13:1) and majors and minors are available in more than 40 fields of study. These studies, coupled with experiential learning opportunities, international study, internships and collaboration with faculty on research projects, prepare students well for their first jobs and satisfying careers.

Saint Michael’s Academic Centers provide a vital and lively intellectual home where students, faculty, staff, and the community can connect for better understanding and interdisciplinary learning. The Centers include the Edmundite Center for Faith and Culture, The Center for Women and Gender, The Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice, the Multicultural Center, The Humanities Center, and the VT EPSCoR Center for Workforce Development and Diversity.

The graduate programs at Saint Michael’s include Clinical Psychology, Education, and TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). The graduate programs are small, flexible, affordable, and tailored to the goals of the graduate students.

Campus Life

Our students can take advantage of enriching programs, athletic events, theater, the recreation and fitness centers, the beauty of the Burlington area and more. The St. Mike's Adventure Sports Center is a great way to stay active and engage in the Saint Michael’s community. The program offers training and outings in kayaking, climbing, skiing/riding and mountain biking. In addition, the program offers training as an instructor in any of the activities offered and to the chance to be a member of the Adventure Sports Center staff. Among the student activities is a unique and remarkable volunteer organization begun at Saint Michael’s in 1969 — the Fire and Rescue Squad. An independent volunteer group of students, they have taken on the responsibility of serving the public 365 days per year, 24 hours a day by providing fire and emergency medical treatment both on campus and in the community.

Service is at the heart of a Saint Michael’s experience; nearly 70 percent of its students participate in Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE), which exists to expand the concept of community service to embrace social justice and to emphasize our connectedness to the world, as defined by Catholic social teaching.

Most students live on campus and housing is guaranteed for four years. The options include over a dozen residence halls and townhouses.

Twenty-five percent of the St. Mike students play a varsity sport on one or more of the 21 varsity teams. Saint Michael’s competes as an NCAA Division II institution. Varsity sports include Alpine and Nordic skiing as well as ice hockey, and range from basketball

and baseball to lacrosse and soccer, to name a few. Student athletes at Saint Michael’s have a near 100 percent student-athlete graduation rate. St. Mike’s is a green campus, and is committed to strengthening its obligation to a socially and ecologically responsible world. The campus community works together to recycle, to compost, to refill and reuse water bottles, and to tend the Saint Michael’s Farm, an organic garden and farm stand operated during the growing season. For more about Saint Michael’s College, see https://www.smcvt.edu/.

Burlington, Vermont

A town of just over 42,000 residents, Burlington is a vibrant, eclectic, artistic, community of forward-thinking residents. It is situated on the eastern shoreline of Lake Champlain and surrounded by extraordinary beauty and recreational opportunities. Northern Vermont's natural beauty surrounds campus, with mountain views, gorges, rivers, Lake Champlain and ski resorts all close by. In addition to Saint Michael’s, Burlington is home to the University of Vermont and Champlain College and the state’s largest hospital, the UVM Medical Center. Located minutes from the Burlington airport, less than two hours from Montreal and just over three hours from Boston, Burlington is a beautiful college town with a vibrant downtown filled with shops, restaurants, live music, parks and beaches. Those considering a move to Burlington, should view: https://www.hickokandboardman.com/moving-to-vermont.html http://www.iamavermonter.org/

In the words of those who love St. Mike’s

"I appreciate the opportunity that SMC gave me to experience a first-class liberal arts education, along with the experience of interacting and learning about different cultures around the world." Sergio Castillo ’88, Manager, Position Evaluation Team, Panama Canal Authority

"I would strongly consider St. Michael's because you will receive an excellent education from a reputable college. The support that you will receive in order to succeed will be unparalleled and there is a tremendous opportunity to grow socially and develop yourself as a person." Jason Curry ’95, Founder and President, Big Apple Basketball

"Within a few weeks of starting my first "real" job, it became apparent to myself and my supervisors that my writing and communication skills were beyond what was expected from a typical engineer with my level of experience. I attribute this to my liberal arts education and experiences at St Mike's." Susan Molzon ’12, Assistant Engineer, County of Monmouth, NJ

"Teaching is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. I love interacting with students and getting them excited about science and learning. And I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to do it at the place that got it all started for me when I came here as an undergrad." Paul Constantino, Associate Professor of Biology

"I loved the social justice aspect of St. Mike's, the environmental awareness, the location; it was smaller than most other schools I looked at, but really highlighted the strength of the community and the tightness of the student-teacher relationships, which is fantastic." Brian Shearer ’18, Ellicott City, MD

To Apply or Nominate

Napier Executive Search is assisting Saint Michael’s College with the search for the Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing. To arrange for a confidential conversation, please contact Laura Robinson (laura.robinson@napiersearch.com) or Mary Napier (mary.napier@napiersearch.com). If you plan to apply, please send a resume, a detailed letter of interest, and contact information for three professional references by email to smcvt@napiersearch.com no later than March 6, 2019. Review will begin immediately thereafter and the expected start date will be summer, 2019. All applications and nominations will be considered confidential and notice will be given before references are contacted.

Saint Michael’s College is an equal opportunity employer. Inspired by its Edmundite Catholic mission, Saint Michael’s is committed to diversity and inclusion across the campus community. It is committed to attracting and supporting a staff that fully represents the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the nation, and it actively seeks applications from underrepresented groups.