Role and Responsibilities
The VPEM is the senior enrollment management officer of the University and must work collaboratively with all divisions of the institution, especially the Division of Student Affairs and Division of Finance and Administration. The VPEM has direct leadership and supervisory responsibility for the following areas that constitute the Division of Enrollment Management.
- Office of Admissions Office of Admissions | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu) Oversee staff of 20+ including Recruiters, Dual Enrollment, International Admissions, and Data Management. Ensure each office is adequately staffed and advocate for resources vital to this department’s success.
- Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships Applying for Financial Aid | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu)
- Office of the Registrar Office of the Registrar | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu)
- Office of First-Year Student Success First-Year Student Academic Success | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu)
The Office of First-Year Student Academic Success is comprised of one director, 5 professional academic advisors, and undergraduate peer tutors. They oversee first-year advising, Privateer Pathways (Math and English co-requisite remediation), and academic support for first-year students through tutoring, coaching, and case management. - Veterans Services Veterans Services | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu)
The VPEM will collaborate and coordinate with members of the university community to ensure enrollment growth at the institution. A collaborative partnership with the Executive Leadership Team is vitally important to set 3–5-year enrollment goals and implement strategies to realize those goals. These goals are inextricably tied to the university strategic (Impact UNO | The University of New Orleans and campus master plans Campus Master Plan | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu) that are presently under review. The VPEM and the Division of Enrollment Management will also collaborate with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness,
Research, and Planning (OIERP) Institutional Effectiveness, Research, & Planning | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu) and University Marketing (University Marketing | The University of New Orleans (uno.edu), along with the Graduate School, the Office of International Students and Scholars, and Athletics to maximize student enrollments through strategic recruitment and retention efforts. A cohesive and coordinated partnership with OIERP is critically important to provide accurate data regarding our enrollment environment, student enrollment behavior research, enrollment models rooted in institutional data, and to provide data to enrollment management councils. The VPEM will lead the Strategic Enrollment Management Steering Committee that will establish long-term enrollment goals and, in conjunction with the Executive Leadership Team, determine and approve strategies and tactics to attain enrollment goals, leverage institutional aid to maximize enrollments, manage and maintain enrollment project timelines, and communicate with the Executive Leadership Team. The VPEM will provide leadership to the Recruitment Committee and Persistence Committee. These tactically- focused working groups support attainment of enrollment goals.
Leadership Opportunities and Priorities
The VPEM will be expected to:
Provide strategic visionary leadership to grow enrollment. Our mission as an urban serving university is to serve all students from the metropolitan area and the state. Currently about 90% of the institution’s students come from Louisiana. The VPEM will work with internal and external stakeholders to develop collaborative partnerships and a sophisticated digital marketing strategy to grow enrollment from areas in the Gulf South and beyond. The strategies that inform these partnerships must be connected to the academic strengths of the University in collaboration with Colleges and Departments. Although the focus is on undergraduate enrollment, the VPEM will collaborate with graduate and professional education leaders to support enrollment growth. An important aspect of growing enrollment includes the importance of increasing student retention through holistic advising, progressive policies and processes, and student success initiatives.
Develop and execute a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. One of the first priorities for the VPEM is to develop a SMART 3–5-year Strategic Enrollment Management Plan. This plan will be student-centered with an emphasis on student belonging and student success. The development of a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan must be a collaborative effort that will include other leaders and staff in Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, University Marketing and Division of Finance and Administration. The Plan must be informed by longitudinal data from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning (OIERP), as well as the University of Louisiana System and Louisiana Board of Regents data dashboards about K-12 and workforce pipeline needs, respectively. The VPEM will lead the execution of the SEM plan by convening the enrollment and retention committees, and using data to predict and respond to enrollment trends in real time.
Provide inspirational, visionary, and cohesive leadership for the Enrollment Management Team. The VPEM will be seasoned and skilled leader with demonstrated team-building success. This new leader must be people-centered and lead with emotional intelligence. Staff in the Division of Enrollment Management are dedicated. Collectively they have decades of institutional memory, but this newly envisioned division will integrate units that previously reported to other areas within the University. The VPEM will take time to understand the team and their respective strengths, as well as the challenges they’re currently facing. This will enable the Division to build on existing assets and provide support in areas of need. This approach will also enable the new leader to make the requisite organizational changes in the Division to ensure greater effectiveness. The VPEM will be committed to serving all students and strengthening a sense of belonging in interactions with students and their families at the university. Therefore, the VPEM must value and promote ongoing professional development for the entire team. This will enable the team to grow, and this will inform their daily interactions with students and their families.
Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities
The successful candidate will ideally possess most of the following qualities or experience:
Demonstrated experience successfully growing enrollment and managing change – significant professional experience as an enrollment manager; ideally in a public urban research university setting; an appreciation that enrollment management is both a science and an art.
Visionary innovator – ability to lead the Division of Enrollment Management with creativity and humanness; an entrepreneurial mindset to shift geographical enrollment patterns; an understanding of student needs and how to address them at a public urban research university
Architect of change – an ability to inspire an experienced team; demonstrated ability to change organizational structure, policies, and procedures to effect change; skill to both strategically lead and manage day-to-day operations in conjunction with unit leaders.
Commitment to access and sense of belonging – an appreciation for the diversity of the University of New Orleans student body; strong commitment to access and student success; improving the lives of students and their families (Ladders, labs, or laggards? Which public universities contribute most | Brookings).
Personal attributes – proven change-agent with a sense of urgency; demonstrated skill working with students, parents, high schools, staff, and faculty in a public urban research university setting; embrace challenges with optimism, confidence, humor, collegiality, and with a growth mindset; eagerness to consult stakeholders at various levels for input on decisions with large- scale impacts.
Education – a master’s degree is required, Ph.D. degree desired.
University Overview
The University of New Orleans is the only public urban research university in Louisiana. Located in one of the most vibrant cities in the nation, UNO is classified as a Carnegie R2 Doctoral University- High Research Activity. The University enrolls a talented and diverse student body of 6,601: 5,476 undergraduate students and 1,125 graduate students organized into four academic colleges and six schools. The Privateers participate in NCAA Division I athletics as a member of the Southland Conference. New Orleans is one of the most culturally and economically important cities in the American South with region-specific employment opportunities in sectors such as engineering; renewable energy; coastal restoration; urban planning; transportation; teacher education; hotel, restaurant, and tourism administration; and the arts.
History and Culture
The University of New Orleans, originally called Louisiana State University in New Orleans, was established by an act of the 1956 Louisiana legislature in the wake of a citizens’ movement to bring public higher education to the metropolitan area. An ideal campus location was acquired in 1957 at the site of a former U.S. Naval air station on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. A quick renovation of barracks, service clubs and other existing facilities made it possible to begin classes in September 1958. This marked the opening of the first racially integrated public university in the South. A total of 1,460 students arrived for this occasion. In September 1969, when the enrollment exceeded 10,000, LSUNO became the second-largest university in Louisiana. By this time, it had developed into a large academic complex embracing several colleges, schools, and institutes, offering graduate work in many different fields and awarding both the master’s and doctoral degrees. In 1974, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved a name change, and LSUNO became the University of New Orleans. The new name more accurately defined the institution as the metropolitan campus of the LSU System. In August 2005, the University suffered damage across campus during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but resumed classes 42 days after the storm passed using a combination of online and off-site classes. UNO was the only university in New Orleans to reopen during the fall 2005 semester.
In December 2011, the University of New Orleans officially became part of the University of Louisiana System. The University has grown to become a major research university. Our students now enjoy a broad range of academic programs and extracurricular activities, including NCAA Division I athletics, an extensive program of intramural sports, and frequent exhibits and performances in music, drama, dance and the fine arts to round out the student experience. Culturally, socially and economically, the University of New Orleans is one of the metro area’s foremost public assets. The University has conferred tens of thousands of degrees since the first graduating class of 116 in 1962.
Points of Pride
- The only urban public research university in Louisiana and the only public research university in metro New Orleans.
- In combination with the adjacent UNO Research & Technology Park, the University generates an annual economic impact of nearly $1 billion for the region.
- Offers the only civil, electrical and mechanical engineering programs in metro New Orleans
- Offers one of the few naval architecture & marine engineering programs in the nation
- More than 48,000 alumni in the greater New Orleans area and more than 80,000 alumni around the globe.
- Ranked Top 50 in the Nation for Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report.
- The Brookings Institution ranked UNO third in the nation for providing equal access to higher education for students from all income levels.
- Top-ranked university in Louisiana for least debt and most ethnic diversity, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Mission
The University of New Orleans is a comprehensive urban research university committed to providing educational excellence to a diverse undergraduate and graduate student body. The University is one of the region's foremost public resources, offering a variety of world-class, research-based programs, advancing shared knowledge and adding to the region's industry, culture and economy. The University of New Orleans, as a global community asset, serves national and international students and enhances the quality of life in New Orleans, the state, the nation, and the world, by participating in a broad array of research, service learning, cultural and academic activities.
Vision
The vision of the University of New Orleans is to be recognized as one of the preeminent urban research institutions in the nation, noted for its commitment to excellence in teaching and in student success; its location in a culturally vibrant city; its innovative and relevant undergraduate, graduate, professional and research programs; and its role as a primary engine of social, economic, intellectual and cultural development in the New Orleans region and beyond.
Core Values
The University’s core values are: excellence; student success; diversity, equity and inclusion; and innovation and discovery.
Students
Although the majority of students who attend the University are from metro New Orleans, the University has educated students from all 64 Louisiana parishes, all 50 U.S. states and more than 140 countries. Our student body of 6,601 is approximately 51% students of color and our undergraduates are 50% first-generation students. Students participate in more than 75 registered student clubs and are members of 14 active fraternities and sororities.
Faculty and Staff
The University’s student-centered approach is facilitated through the work of its 375 faculty members and 700 staff members.
Governance
The University of New Orleans is one of nine public universities that is part of the University of Louisiana System, the largest public higher education system in the state. UNO joined the UL System in 2011. The universities are overseen by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System. The Board of Regents coordinates all public higher education in Louisiana, including the University of Louisiana System.
Academics
The University of New Orleans offers a number of challenging and in-demand programs, many
of which are uniquely linked to the vibrant city of New Orleans and its location. The University
of New Orleans grants baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees in business administration;
liberal arts, education and human development; engineering; and sciences; as well as
interdisciplinary studies. It offers 40 bachelor’s degree programs, 45 master’s degree programs
and nine doctoral degree programs. The University has four academic colleges: the College of
Business Administration; the Dr. Robert A. Savoie College of Engineering; the College of
Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development; and the College of Sciences. The University
also has six schools: the Boysie Bollinger School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering;
the School of Education; the School of Interdisciplinary Studies; the School of the Arts; the
Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration; and the Graduate
School.
Athletics
The University of New Orleans Athletics department, which sponsors 14 intercollegiate programs, has competed in NCAA Division I since 1975. The Privateers have been members of the Southland Conference since 2012. The University fields men’s teams in baseball, basketball, golf, cross country, track and field (indoor and outdoor), and tennis. It also offers women’s programs in basketball, cross country, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor), indoor volleyball, and beach volleyball. UNO’s on-campus athletic facilities include the 10,000-seat Lakefront Arena, 3,500 seat Maestri Field at Privateer Park, the Privateer Beach volleyball complex and the Privateer Tennis Center, one of the premier tennis facilities in the region. Across all sports, the Privateers have captured 15 conference titles, eight tournament titles, two NCAA team championships, and one individual NCAA national title.
Community
Located on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, only 15 minutes from the French Quarter, the University of New Orleans occupies a 195-acre campus in one of the finest residential areas of the city. The University derives many benefits from its location in a world-class destination with its own distinctive culture, cuisine, music, architecture and traditions. In addition to the annual Mardi Gras festivities, the city is home to a number of internationally renowned festivals, such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and French Quarter Fest. New Orleans is a preeminent big-game city with a storied history of hosting major events including the Super Bowl a record 10 times, the Men’s and Women’s Final Four, the Bayou Classic, the NBA All- Star Game, and the College Football National Championship.
Advancement
University Advancement works to increase the resources available to the University of New Orleans by cultivating private philanthropy and volunteer support. The University initiated a $50 million comprehensive campaign to challenge its alumni and friends to ensure the University rises to the next level. With the final stages of “Next is Now: The Campaign for the University of New Orleans” underway, total fundraising in 2023 approached $8.5 million, and the University's overall endowment of $87.6 million in fall 2023 represented an increase of 10.5% since 2019. During this time, the University has increased its population of active alumni and friends with major gifts coming from both constituencies. The University of New Orleans Foundation has been a key aspect of this success. The Foundation was chartered in 1984 as an independent non- profit organization to receive, invest, administer, and disburse private resources on behalf of the University of New Orleans.
Research
The University of New Orleans is one of 133 U.S. institutions with an R2 Doctoral Universities- High Research Activity designation. The UNO Office of Research supports and expands the research, creativity and scholarship of the university community; fosters innovation; promotes sustainable economic growth; and enhances the quality of life of the greater New Orleans community through discovery and partnership. UNO offers 9 doctoral programs and a wide range of master’s and graduate certificate programs aligned with institutional strengths and regional needs. With 11 centers and institutes and two collaborative consortia, UNO pursues its research mission by fostering faculty, staff and student innovation across disciplines, helping investigators find funding, apply for opportunities, manage awards and learn best practices at every stage. We safeguard the integrity of the research conducted in our community, protect the intellectual property of our investigators, and promote UNO's creative, scholarly, and research achievements. In the most recent fiscal year, external award expenditures exceeded $47 million (including over $8 million in federal grant awards). Areas of particular strength include computing and data science, energy, sustainability and advanced manufacturing.
The Beach at UNO
The Beach at UNO, the only research park in greater New Orleans, includes 600,000 square feet of office, laboratory and conference facilities across six individual buildings on a 30-acre site. The park houses 46 tenants, including the U.S. Navy; Eurofins (the world’s largest food testing company); a cluster of nonprofits and government entities focused on water and environmental sciences; various nonprofits focused on justice, resilience and STEM education; and engineering, technology, and advanced manufacturing companies. The Beach at UNO represents more than just a physical space—it embodies a sandbox ethos, fostering connections between the university and industry. With an academic concierge team and the dynamic assets of its research park, the environment is designed to accelerate innovation and collaborations. The Beach is owned by the UNO Research & Technology Foundation, a 501(c)3 created for the benefit of the University of New Orleans. The R&T Foundation operates as a public private partnership supporting the research, scholarship and commercialization activities at UNO. The Beach at UNO harnesses the power of a public-private partnership with the University of New Orleans, bringing out the best of academia, government and entrepreneurial endeavors to maximize innovation and shared prosperity.
