Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication
Bellarmine University
Louisville, Kentucky
Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication
In Veritatis Amore - In the love of truth
~Bellarmine's founding motto
Bellarmine University, an independent Catholic liberal arts university founded in 1950 by the Archdiocese of Louisville and located in Louisville, Kentucky, invites applications for the position of Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Sean J. Ryan, the Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication will be responsible for shaping the University's vision for enrollment and will have the opportunity to work with colleagues across campus to shape an institution that is poised for greater impact and which will enhance the overall reputation of Bellarmine University.
As a key member of President Susan M. Donovan's cabinet, the Vice President will oversee a newly created division that will include the departments of undergraduate and graduate admission, financial aid, and marketing and communication. The successful candidate will be a dynamic, student-centered, collaborative professional who is highly motivated to reach new student populations to impact enrollment and achieve greater visibility for the institution.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The primary duties and responsibilities for the Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication are as follows:
- Join in partnership with the Senior Vice President to establish strategic, data-driven policies and processes that further the strategic plan of the University and enroll an optimal number of new and continuing students;
- Work collaboratively to engage Bellarmine's collegial community to inspire a culture of enrollment management and retention;
- Lead, motivate, and empower a team of talented and hardworking professionals; advocate for and support the professional development of staff;
- Promote and continue to foster a highly relational environment characterized by commitment to excellence, kindness, and hospitality;
- Embrace and enhance the diversity of Bellarmine's student body and demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion;
- Utilize creative budget management to maximize initiatives;
- Employ data-informed decision-making and use predictive analytics to measure the effectiveness of new and on-going enrollment initiatives, as well as key integrated marketing efforts and financial aid policies;
- Possess knowledge of financial aid leveraging, and the effective balance of need-based and merit-based financial assistance for attracting and retaining students to Bellarmine;
- Understand the complexity of timelines, regulations, and state and federal compliance requirements;
- Partner with the Provost, Deans and faculty to solidify current program offerings, capitalize on growth opportunities, and determine the most effective programmatic delivery methods, especially at the graduate level;
- Work jointly with the advancement team to develop new and imaginative funding opportunities that will support student scholarships, aid, and retention;
- Demonstrate an understanding and in-depth knowledge of market trends, and demographics;
- Develop new strategies for marketing and communication in an effort to strengthen and refine the university's marketing, recruiting, and outreach efforts;
- Oversee internal university communication, key campus publications, and crisis communications plans;
- Elevate the reputation and visibility of Bellarmine's educational excellence including its academic quality, inspirational faculty, passionate students, and welcoming community.
The Qualifications, Skills and Characteristics
The successful candidate will have significant and progressive experience in higher education enrollment management, including knowledge of admission, financial aid, marketing and communication. A bachelor's degree is required; an advanced degree is preferred.
In addition, the vice president should have the following skills and characteristics:
- Personal qualities of flexibility, accessibility, transparency, humor, decisiveness and positivity;
- Excellent speaking, writing, and interpersonal communication skills with demonstrated ability to interact effectively with diverse populations;
- Clear appreciation and understanding of the value of a liberal arts education and the ability to articulate the value of a Bellarmine degree;
- Ability to serve as a compelling and dynamic representative of Bellarmine to internal and external audiences;
- Innovative, strategic and visionary sense and creative approach to recruiting new students;
- Commitment to Bellarmine University's mission. As an independent Catholic university in the inclusive spirit of Thomas Merton, Bellarmine seeks to educate students as the whole persons, equipping them to evaluate their society and to exercise their trained human powers to change it whenever necessary.
Bellarmine is firmly committed to the enhancement and sustenance of a campus community with diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and gifts; diversity is seen as integral to the intellectual vitality of a healthy university. The Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication will share this belief in inclusive excellence, and possess a nuanced and action-oriented understanding of the importance of diversity in an educational setting. In keeping with this commitment, the Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication will prioritize the recruitment, retention, and development of a diverse student body. The Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing and Communication must also promote an open, transparent culture, robust communication structures, and the development of policies and supports that help to create a truly multicultural campus and achieve critical mass in diversity.
About Bellarmine University
Founded in 1950, Bellarmine is the premier independent Catholic university in the South and the leading private university in Kentucky. With an undergraduate and graduate enrollment of nearly 4,000 students, Bellarmine is ranked among the nation's best colleges by the Princeton Review and consistently ranks as one of the top universities in the South by US News & World Report.
Bellarmine strives to imbue students with the knowledge and skills to develop solutions and opportunities-creative, substantial, and enduring-for a globally sustainable future. A Bellarmine education has three components: a foundational emphasis on the liberal arts; high-impact learning opportunities for global engagement, including study abroad (Bellarmine's offerings in international study are among the most extensive and numerous among colleges and universities); and practical preparation for lives of personal and professional fulfillment.
Grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, Bellarmine provides its students a lifelong education, worthy of the university's namesake, Saint Robert Bellarmine, and of his invitation to learn and live in veritatis amore - in the love of all that is beautiful, true and good in life. Bellarmine offers more than 50 undergraduate majors across its seven colleges and schools, as well as a wide array of certificate, masters degree, and doctorate degree programs, including three online masters degrees. Since 2005 Bellarmine has launched 23 new degree and certificate programs, including five new doctoral degrees. The institution's academic offerings have grown over the last fifteen years in both undergraduate and graduate programs, with the result that students have an astonishingly rich array of choices.
Bellarmine offers over 20 graduate and second degree programs with both local and national reach. Students can choose between both full and part-time programs delivered either in the classroom or online.
Undergraduate students at Bellarmine study a broad range of disciplines, regardless of their major(s), which sees them well equipped to embrace our complex world with confidence on a broad range of career paths. The undergraduate student makeup is as follows: 65% female, 35% male, 18% under-represented minorities and 70% from Kentucky with, 20% from the region that includes Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee and Missouri, 8% other states and international with an average G.P.A of 3.56 and an average ACT 25.11.
Students look to Bellarmine for a sense of community and an excellent and value-laden education. Over one-third of the undergraduate body is first-generation; a similar proportion is Pell-eligible. Of the undergraduates, 95 percent receive some form of financial aid. A Bellarmine education can be transformative; among Kentucky public and private non-profit colleges, Bellarmine's students claim the highest median salary ten years after graduating.
Students beginning the 2018-19 academic year were welcomed by 181 full-time faculty members (82 tenured or tenure track), 81 percent of which hold terminal degrees in their fields. The ranks of tenured and tenure-track faculty are supplemented by 249 part-time contract faculty who are outstanding practitioners in their fields, and whose expertise enhance the University's programs.
Along with the faculty, the work of Bellarmine is enabled by 319 full-time and 56 part-time staff who are energetic, committed to excellence in their work, and devoted to the University. Forty full-time staff and 10-part-time staff work within the schools supporting the academic mission. Many are long-standing employees and have been instrumental to the University's growth.
Bellarmine's 2018-19 operating budget is approximately $69 million. As of May 2018, the endowment was $65 million, nearly double its size since 2006; net assets in fiscal year 2018 totaled $132 million.
One of Dr. Donovan's first major actions as President was to launch an institution-wide strategic planning process that officially began in early 2018. To ensure transparency and inclusion, Dr. Donovan invited all University members-faculty, staff, students, trustees, and the alumni community-to participate in numerous town halls and working groups. Six themes were presented and approved by the Board of Trustees in December of 2018 and the final strategic plan will be written and presented to the public in May of 2019.
Dr. Donovan reports to the Board of Trustees, a 36-member governing body. The University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The last accreditation visit was completed in the 2017-18 academic year; visitors gave high praise to the University.
For more information, visit:
Louisville, Kentucky
The campus is set on three beautiful hills, just minutes away from the downtown central business district of Louisville, Kentucky's largest city. Louisville is situated on the mile-wide Ohio River, at the gateway to the South and the crossroads of the Midwest. With a population of about 1.3 million, the Louisville metropolitan area offers world-class theatre, arts, sports (including the Kentucky Derby), museums, a vibrant restaurant scene, and gorgeous parks. Three of Kentucky's six Fortune 500 companies (Humana, Yum Brands, and Kindred Healthcare Inc.) are based in Louisville, and the Louisville International Airport is the worldwide air hub for UPS. Bellarmine has integral ties with these and many other businesses, and is well-regarded throughout the region.
Louisville has grown exponentially in the last decade and is now consistently recognized as a vibrant city on the move. From award-winning micro-distilleries to one-of-a-kind attractions like Churchill Downs, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, and the Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville is a city that offers events, arts and culture, shopping, sports, outdoor activities and much more.
Recognized by Glassdoor as one of the nation's top 10 cities where pay goes the furthest, by National Geographic as a top 10 food city, and the 8th most friendly city in America by Travel and Leisure, Louisville is also is a top 10 city for job seekers, thanks in part to its central location and low unemployment.
For more information about Louisville, visit:
https://www.gotolouisville.com/
http://www.possibilitycity.com/
Bellarmine is an equal opportunity employer and encourages persons of diverse backgrounds to apply for positions.