Vice President for Enrollment Management

together with the University’s Cabinet and the broader campus to enhance the institution through enrollment, retention, and student success. As a vital member of the new leadership team, the VPEM will contribute to a Cabinet that advances the University’s mission and strengthens institutional culture. Buffalo State seeks a VPEM who is energized by challenges and problem-solving, and who genuinely enjoys building an exciting future.

The Institution: Founded in 1871 as the Buffalo Normal School, Buffalo State University has grown into one of the most dynamic and unique institutions within the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Buffalo State has two academic schools and 30 academic departments, all connected by common intellectual foundations and offering a full range of educational programs in their areas of study. Eight academic centers and institutes offer intellectual enrichment and community engagement and provide opportunities for students and faculty to work together across disciplines.

Buffalo State enrolls nearly 6,000 students annually, serving a diverse and inclusive community. Half (50.5%) of the total student body identify as students of color and 42% of undergraduate students are first-generation university students. The institution has been recognized nationally through awards such as the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement, the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, and the Inclusion Diversity Equity Awareness (IDEA) Award.

Buffalo State’s faculty and staff are distinguished by their academic excellence and community involvement, and many have received prestigious honors, including SUNY Distinguished Professor ranks and Fulbright grants. The University’s small class sizes foster close student-faculty interaction and personalized learning experiences.

The campus features state-of-the-art facilities, including a $100 million Science and Mathematics Complex and Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium, the Great Lakes Center (the only field station on the Great Lakes within SUNY), and the newly renovated E. H. Butler Library, which serves as the academic heart of the institution.

Buffalo State’s mission is to empower students to succeed and inspire a lifelong passion for learning, with a vision to be a nationally recognized leader in public higher education. The University embraces values such as access, student-centered learning, intellectual discovery, community engagement, and respect for diversity. With more than 100,000 alumni worldwide, including 57,000 in Western New York, Buffalo State continues to build on its legacy of excellence, preparing students to become leaders and change-makers in an increasingly global society.

The Position: The Vice President for Enrollment Management reports to the President, serves on the Cabinet, and leads the enrollment strategy for the University. The VPEM oversees three units: Admissions (first-year, transfer, graduate, international); Financial Aid and Scholarship Services; and the Registrar, with four direct reports and 44 staff.

Enrollment at Buffalo State is a shared enterprise, and the VPEM is expected to provide leadership well beyond the boundaries of the division. While academic advising, student success and retention, athletics, marketing and communications, and institutional research currently report to other divisions, the ability to build effective working partnerships across divisions is as central to this role as it is to the leadership of the three reporting units.

The VPEM is the University’s principal voice on enrollment - with the campus, the public, and SUNY System Administration - and works with staff, deans, faculty, and Cabinet colleagues to build and execute a comprehensive enrollment management plan. Recruitment and retention are a single strategy at Buffalo State, and the VPEM is expected to be an active partner in the University’s student success programs, including SUNY’s Academic Momentum Campaign, Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE), Roar 2 Success (Recognizing Opportunities and Achieving Results), Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), and Muriel A. Howard Honors Program.

Opportunities and Priorities:

• Few enrollment leaders get to help shape the team they join. Due to a retirement after decades of service in one division and extended interim leadership in two other divisions, Buffalo State is filling three vice president positions concurrently. The next VPEM will not be joining a firmly entrenched Cabinet so much as helping create one with significant new membership. The VPEM will join a new President, new Vice President for Student Affairs, and new Vice President for Finance and Management, alongside a seasoned Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Relations, Chief Diversity Officer, and Chief of Staff, whose institutional knowledge runs deep. The direction, working style, and culture of the Cabinet are still being set, and the VPEM will help establish those standards, working with a President committed to transparency and shared governance. Reversing recent enrollment results is the central assignment of this role, but not one the VPEM will carry alone. Because enrollment drives net tuition revenue and, with it, the University’s capacity to invest in its people and programs, it is a standing priority of the President, the Cabinet, and the academic deans. While the University’s new strategic plan will be in place when the VPEM arrives, the VPEM will lead the work of building a companion strategic enrollment plan alongside colleagues already invested in the outcome. The President is looking for a partner, not a functional manager; someone who will bring recommendations to the Cabinet, speak candidly about what the data shows, and contribute to decisions that reach beyond the enrollment portfolio. Buffalo State is building a renewed vision and brand for itself, and nowhere does that work meet reality faster than in how the University presents itself to prospective students and their families. The VPEM will help shape that story in close partnership with Cabinet, marketing, and others.

Qualifications: Buffalo State is an urban-engaged, access institution. First-generation and Pell-eligible students make up a large share of its enrollment, and its national recognition for social mobility follows directly from that mission. The University seeks to stabilize and grow enrollment across every population it serves, from first-year and transfer to graduate and post-traditional. The search committee will be considering and giving preference to the following qualifications and skills.

• Strategy in a contracting market: a track record of developing and executing a multi-year, data-informed strategic enrollment plan that produces measurable results at a comparable institution, together with the creativity to identify new markets and new program opportunities, in partnership with deans and faculty, as the regional demographic base contracts.
• Growth beyond the first-year pipeline: demonstrated success with transfer and dual enrollment, adult and degree-completion learners, certificates and microcredentials, graduate, online, and international students.
• Aid and pricing sophistication: evidence of using aid and scholarship strategy to meet enrollment and net tuition revenue goals, within public-sector constraints and for a heavily Pell-eligible population.
• Data and systems fluency: command of SIS and CRM platforms, predictive modeling, and dashboards, history of data-informed decision-making and accountability, and habit of reporting enrollment realities plainly and transparently to campus and Cabinet, including when the news is unwelcome.
• Leadership beyond the division: proven ability to make enrollment a shared campus responsibility; effective with academic deans and faculty, with student success and advising colleagues, and with marketing (none of which report to this position), and skilled in shared governance and with staff under collective bargaining agreements.
• Investment in people: a record of building cohesive teams, lifting morale, and instilling a service orientation that students and families experience in every interaction.
• Credentials: a master’s degree is required (doctorate preferred) with at least five years of senior enrollment leadership; 10 or more years of progressively responsible experience preferred. Occasional travel required.

Location: As the second largest city in New York State, Buffalo is a well-rounded and culturally significant metropolitan area, offering a broad array of amenities and experiences. Known as the City of Good Neighbors, the community has earned a reputation for warmth and hospitality, providing a supportive environment for newcomers adjusting to a new setting. Buffalo’s comparatively low cost of living allows residents to enjoy these amenities without the financial pressures common in larger metropolitan areas. Altogether, Buffalo offers a combination of affordability, cultural depth, and regional accessibility.

The city’s waterfront development along Lake Erie provides not only scenic views but also a sense of daily rhythm, where residents often find themselves drawn to the shoreline for a moment of quiet between work and home. Its Canalside district serves as a central gathering place, hosting seasonal events and offering recreational opportunities that help define Buffalo’s communal character. The historic Elmwood Village adds a distinctly walkable charm, with boutiques, cafés, and arts institutions that provide a welcoming feel. Architectural landmarks such as the Darwin Martin House highlight Buffalo’s legacy of design innovation and its commitment to preserving cultural heritage. Sports culture remains a prominent part of local identity, with game days creating a shared sense of excitement across the city. Buffalo’s culinary landscape, shaped by longstanding communities and contemporary restaurateurs, offers a blend of tradition and creativity that continues to evolve. Nature is readily accessible, with waterfront trails, parks, and beaches providing residents with convenient outdoor escapes. Proximity to Niagara Falls allows residents to visit one of North America’s most iconic natural attractions. Western New York’s surrounding towns, wineries, and rural landscapes offer additional opportunities for exploration, while the cities of Toronto and Rochester remain within easy reach for broader cultural experiences. Winters are part of the city’s seasonal rhythm, embraced through festivals, winter sports, and neighborhood traditions.

About the State University of New York System: SUNY is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, with 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, and the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one U.S. Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students among its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY’s support for Buffalo State is evidenced in many ways. The SUNY Academic Momentum Campaign is designed to increase the retention and completion rates of all SUNY undergraduate students and eliminate gaps for Pell-eligible students and other demographic groups. SUNY also supports Buffalo State and all 64 institutions through the four guiding pillars established by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr.: student success; research and scholarship; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and economic development and upward mobility. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit www.suny.edu.

Salary and Benefits: The salary range for this position is $175,000–$225,000, and the University/SUNY offers a competitive benefits package.

Application: Interested candidates should submit only a cover letter and curriculum vitae to RPA Inc. at BuffaloStateVPEM@rpainc.org. For a confidential discussion about this opportunity or to make a nomination, please contact Kendra Mozug, Search Consultant, or Dana Cohick, President, at the email address above. The first review of candidates will begin on October 28, 2026.

SUNY Buffalo State University (“Buffalo State”) is committed to maintaining a learning and workplace environment free from sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination. In its continuing effort to seek equity in education and employment, and in support of federal and state anti-discrimination legislation, Buffalo State has adopted this complaint procedure for the prompt and equitable investigation and resolution of allegations of unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, disability, predisposing genetic characteristics, familial status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Harassment on the basis of the above-protected categories is one form of unlawful discrimination. Buffalo State will take steps to prevent discrimination and harassment, to prevent the recurrence of discrimination and harassment, and to remedy its discriminatory effects on the victim(s) and others, if appropriate. Sex discrimination includes sexual harassment and sexual and interpersonal violence and may be addressed under this policy or the campus’s Title IX policy, depending on whether the alleged conduct meets the definition found at 34 CFR § 106.30. Retaliation against a person who files a complaint, serves as a witness, or assists or participates in any manner in this procedure is strictly prohibited and may result in disciplinary action.