Vice President for Student Experience

Oak Point University

Vice President for Student Experience

Oak Point University inspires, educates, and forms life-long learners who meet the world’s changing needs with curiosity, ingenuity, and grace.

The Opportunity

Oak Point University (formerly Resurrection University), a private, upper-division institution located in Oak Brook, Illinois, seeks an experienced and innovative leader to serve as Vice President for Student Experience (VPSE).  Reporting to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, the VPSE provides strategic leadership, administration, and management of Oak Point’s programs and services aimed at delivering a holistic and transformative student experience. From the first moment of inquiry to the moment they graduate, the VPSE is responsible for all aspects of the University’s comprehensive enrollment management program and related services, driving innovation across the University in partnership with the President and her Cabinet.

Oak Point University is an independent, not-for profit, upper-division university with state-of-the-art facilities on two campuses --- Chicago and Oak Brook, Illinois.  With approximately 500 students currently enrolled, academic offerings include baccalaureate degrees in nursing and radiography, master’s and doctoral degree programs in nursing, and workforce development training to meet the needs of adult learners, healthcare providers, and community healthcare organizations.

Oak Point University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, and  the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

The Position

The VPSE will serve as the chief strategic enrollment officer charged with providing leadership in enrollment management and is responsible for developing and executing a vision and strategy that drives optimum enrollment levels in alignment with Oak Point’s mission and aspirational plan, including recruitment, retention, graduation, and success. Additionally, the VPSE will work closely with academic and faculty leaders to cultivate an integrated student experience rooted in the core values of the university and foster a culture that values data-informed decision making, innovation, technology utilization, and mission-centric student care.

The functional areas in the VPSE portfolio include the following: admissions, registration, financial aid, student accounts, academic success, and student experience. Other service and program areas include career services, library services, disability services, counseling, and Title IX. Additional responsibilities include oversight of the strategic use of financial aid, implementation of best practices related to registration, and development of systems and networks that support student success.

The VPSE collaborates closely with the University’s marketing & communication team to develop marketing, communications, and recruitment strategies aimed at increasing and optimizing enrollment in all program areas.  The VPSE also serves as liaison to the Student Experience Committee of the Board of Directors and ensures that the strategic priorities related to the student experience are clearly communicated, understood, and supported by the Committee.

Qualifications

Requirements include a master’s degree (doctorate preferred) and a minimum of 10 years of enrollment management experience in higher education with evidence of progressively increasing responsibility. The ideal candidate will be an energetic and collaborative leader with extensive experience and demonstrated success in enrollment management, including developing marketing and recruiting strategies, meeting enrollment goals and revenue targets, implementing successful yield strategies and tactics, leveraging financial aid, and developing policies and practices leading to an exceptional student experience.  Demonstrated success in planning, developing, and implementing comprehensive enrollment management initiatives while collaborating effectively with senior leaders and a broad array of internal and external constituencies is required.

The ideal candidate will be a seasoned leader who is both a strategic thinker and a tactical doer, known for their fairmindedness, consistency, resourcefulness, and creativity in developing and presenting sound and well thought out ideas.  The successful candidate will be communicative and engaging with a personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; be deeply committed to collaboration, relational leadership and creative problem-solving and thinking; and demonstrate exceptional administrative, financial and managerial acumen.

The selected candidate will have an appreciation of and commitment to the history, values, and mission of Oak Point University.

Application and Nomination

Review of applications begins February 6, 2023, and continues until the position is filled. The anticipated start date for the new VPSE is spring 2023. Interested candidates should apply for this position online via the Williams & Company website at: www.williamscompany.net. Confidential inquiries and/or nominations may be directed to Martha Smiles at: [email protected] or (860) 333-4710.

Please visit Oak Point University’s website at www.oakpoint.edu.

Oak Point University provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, order of protection status, marital status, parental status, military status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected classification, in accordance with applicable law. Oak Point University is also committed to providing a professional, respectful, and safe work environment that is free from harassment or discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, order of protection status, marital status, parental status, military status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected classification, in accordance with applicable law.