Director of Enrollment Management

Physically located in the middle of the country, Aquinas' theological mission finds its home in the middle of the Church so as to reach out to others in all directions. Aquinas Institute is also a Center of Institutional Studies, designated by the Order of Preachers to educate and form Dominican friars in the rich Dominican intellectual tradition so that they may carry out the Church's preaching and teaching mission.

Aquinas Institute serves two distinct, complementary constituencies: Dominican student brothers preparing for ministry as well as lay women and men preparing for careers in service to the Christian community or for advanced theological studies.

Position Description Overview

The Director of Enrollment Management [DEM] leads the Aquinas Institute enrollment team to achieve comprehensive, data-driven, strategic processes designed to attract, admit, retain, and graduate students while ensuring student life and financial stability. The Director especially oversees all recruitment and admissions for the MDiv, MA, and MAPS on-campus residential programs and works closely with signature program directors to achieve their enrollment strategies. The Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid and Coordinator of Student Affairs report directly to the DEM. Key to this position is working with the Coordinator of Marketing and Communication to achieve effective marketing and communication across programs and student services.

Essential Job Functions:

To carry out a clear philosophy and practice of Enrollment Management for Aquinas.

• To align recruitment, admissions, financial aid, and student services to meet enrollment goals and improve student success across the entire student lifecycle.
• To set goals for student population size, diversity, and academic quality at Aquinas.
• To integrate marketing, admissions, financial aid, registrar operations, and student retention strategies.
• To use data analytics to improve "yields" by converting accepted students to enrolled students and predict enrollment trends at Aquinas.
• To supervise the Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid and the Coordinator of Student Affairs to achieve a synchronized effort for effective enrollment management.

To administer Residential Recruitment & Admissions.

• To manage residential recruitment and admissions pipeline to ensure applicants move steadily through each stage of the pipeline.
• To work closely with main campus program directors to set strategy for residential programs.
• Develop an inquiry pool through the use of student search services, university outreach, college relations, campus visits and open houses, internet and social media, as well as emerging technology, publications, and correspondence.
• Recruit students for our on-campus programs by visiting venues where prospective students are located and through national level conferences.
• Host prospective students and community members for on-campus events and visits
• Develop relationships with constituencies who can refer potential students to our on-campus programs.
• Facilitate communication between prospective students and faculty members.
• Evaluate admission applicants to Aquinas Institute and make appropriate admission recommendations to the Academic Dean.

To work closely with signature program directors to achieve their enrollment strategies.

• To develop working relationships with the directors of the DMin, MAPS- CGS, and Ashley-O'Rourke programs to achieve their admissions goals.
• With the Coordinator ofAdmissions and Financial Aid, to coordinate information sessions, interviewing, and admissions counseling through program directors.
• To ensure effective communication between enrollment management and signature program directors to report on all applicant progress.
• To serve as a liaison to the Coordinator of Marketing and Communication to achieve effective marketing, advertisement, andpromotion of signature programs.

To advance Financial Aid strategy for student recruitment.

• Work with Financial Aid committee to develop and implement policies regarding the awarding of institutional aid in a manner that supports and promotes new student enrollment, retention, and student-centered financial services. With the Academic Dean and President determine the optimal financial aid model for Aquinas Institute.
• Review merit and need-based financial aid application materials for all students,including compliance with various forms of federal, state, and institutional assistance program eligibility requirements. Make recommendations to the Financial Aid committee for allocations. Collaborate with the Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid for aid notification and awards.
• Collaborate with the Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid to develop, edit, and updatecorrespondence to prospective and current students.
• Collaborate with the Coordinator of Admissions and Financial Aid to ensure the accurate, compliant, effective, and efficient operation of the following areas with regard to financial aid: reception, communications, outreach efforts, and financial aid counseling services.
• Collaborate with the Enrollment Committee to review each year the Financial Aid policy.

To develop Marketing and Communication strategies for all student recruitment.

• Collaborate with the Coordinator of Marketing and Communications to plan, implement, and manage robust multi-channel marketing action plansfor local, regional, and national digital and print marketing/advertising efforts tailored to all recruitment.
• Collaborate with the Coordinator of Marketing and Communications to regularly review and update marketing materials for recruitment and to ensure consistent branding with regard to layout, design, and production of advertising, promotional materials, publications, email campaigns, digital marketing, social media, and other communication methods.
• Collaborate with the Coordinator of Marketing and Communications to develop the Aquinas website as an effective marketing and recruitment tool for potential students, particularly with regard to the academic, financial aid, and application pages.
• Develop and implement communication plans for prospective students that engage them in their discernment process.

Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will be an outgoing and welcoming professional who understands the mission of Aquinas Institute of Theology and the role that Academic Affairs plays in fulfilling theschool's strategic goals and objectives. She/he will interface the faculty directors of programs, the Marketing department and oversee staffserving recruitment and admissions, and financial aid. This candidate will need to be familiar with all academic degree programs at Aquinas Institute. To fulfill the responsibilities of the office, the candidate should have excellent organizational and communication skills with attention to enrollment data.
• This is a permanent, full-time position that reports to the Vice President/Academic Dean. A Master's degree is required; familiarity in Catholic theological education is desirable. The Director is expected to be present on-site although there is flexibility for some remote work. This is a Class 1 Exempt full-time position. Excellent benefits include full premiums paid for health, long-term disability, life, vision, and dental insurance, a 403(b) retirement plan, and generous paid time off (PTO).

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