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Vice President for Enrollment Management

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Job description

Loyola University Chicago seeks an experienced and collaborative leader to serve as Vice President for Enrollment Management. Motivated by its Jesuit, Catholic commitment to academic excellence, the liberal arts, social justice, and transformative education, Loyola has earned recognition on the national higher education landscape for its robust mission-centered undergraduate experience and an array of quality graduate and professional programs.

THE POSITION

Reporting to Provost Doug Woods, the Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM) is the University’s chief enrollment officer responsible for setting enrollment priorities for Loyola’s more than 16,500 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, and overseeing a division which includes undergraduate admission, graduate admission, financial aid, and enrollment marketing.

The VPEM will join a vibrant, innovative, and evolving community and will play an essential role in Loyola’s ability to attract, enroll, yield, and retain students and foster a thriving campus community. This is an exceptional moment to join the University and capitalize on the numerous opportunities that will shape its future; through the development of a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, the new Vice President will help shape the future trajectory of Loyola.

The ideal candidate will embody the shared values of the Loyola student body, be energized by the opportunity to lead a mission-driven team of enrollment leaders, and committed to upholding and enhancing academic excellence and innovation at Loyola. They will exhibit a deep understanding of the current trends in higher education, and have a demonstrated track record of successfully implementing strategies in response to the changing landscape.

The successful candidate will have experience navigating a complex university environment while prioritizing a leadership style that emphasizes communication, accessibility, and collaboration. The new VPEM will possess an authentic and engaging interpersonal communication style that appreciates and thrives on the interaction with internal and external colleagues.

RESPONSIBILITIES and PRIORITIES

The expectations for the Vice President for Enrollment Management require that the successful candidate possess the ability and experience to accomplish the following responsibilities and priorities in these key areas:

  • Develop the vision and direction for enrollment and have primary responsibility for creating, articulating, and implementing a strategic and data-driven enrollment management strategy.
  • Engage others in the vision for enrollment and galvanize the Loyola community in support of a dynamic and goal-focused enrollment operation.
  • Serve as a thought partner and strategic leader in support of Loyola’s retention goals in collaboration with others.
  • Build trust-based collaborations across the university to align marketing, academic program development, and student support with enrollment strategy.
  • Serve as a central and vital member of the University Leadership Council, working supportively, collegially, and interdependently with colleagues to lead across the institution.
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive University’s Strategic Enrollment Plan to meet the University’s enrollment, retention, and net tuition revenue goals.
  • Utilize data and analytical expertise to make data-informed decisions while seeking creative ways to achieve enrollment goals, in both domestic and international markets, graduate and undergraduate programs, as well as first year and transfer students.
  • Work closely with the President, Provost, and Chief Financial Officer to optimize revenue generation within housing, financial aid, pricing, and the leveraging of institutional resources to recruit and retain students and manage net tuition revenues.
  • Follow enrollment management trends, stay abreast of new technologies, and oversee the implementation of innovative mechanisms and/or the modification of existing practices.
  • Empower the enrollment management team, and advocate for resources that will enable them to continually assess and refine the strategy and tactics needed to achieve enrollment goals in a rapidly changing environment.
  • Ensure the integrity of all financial aid programs; create and update policies on compliance, ensuring accuracy and complete regulatory compliance; and develop workshops and programming focused on financial literacy and college affordability (for graduate and undergraduate students).
  • Work in conjunction with the office of Marketing and Communications, identify cutting-edge enrollment communication strategies and utilize modern technology (e.g., website, social media, digital marketing) to reach students in the ways that resonate.

QUALIFICATIONS and CHARACTERISTICS

Loyola seeks a Vice President for Enrollment Management who is excited about the opportunity to join a community with a strong culture of global awareness and engagement, a commitment to social justice and inclusion, dedicated to creating a passion for life-long learning. Candidates for this position should have a minimum of ten years of professional experience in enrollment, significant experience in a senior leadership role, and an appreciation and demonstrated understanding of a mission driven institution. A bachelor’s degree is required, while an advanced degree is strongly preferred.

The successful candidate will possess exceptional communication skills, analytical ability, creativity, innovative ideas, and a record of success in shaping the academic and demographic profile of entering classes. Experience in the areas of enrollment marketing, financial aid, and recruitment technology is expected, as is knowledge of today’s and future students. In addition, the vice president must possess:

  • Proven effectiveness and experience in enrollment: Deftness to navigate a complex environment with competing priorities and a thorough understanding of the balance of enrollment and discounting to meet enrollment goals and maximize net tuition revenue; demonstrated ability to develop and implement successful admission and financial aid strategies and initiatives; ability to imagine and implement an effective strategic enrollment plan; experience in international and transfer recruitment, as well as recruitment for a diverse student body; proven ability to recruit students who persist to graduation; and familiarity and appreciation of Division I athletics.
  • Sophisticated understanding of enrollment and marketing: Capacity to understand, lead, and manage the complex relationship between marketing and recruitment strategies for undergraduate, graduate, and professional populations; increase and shape enrollments in new and existing programs, across delivery modalities, program audiences, geographic regions and diverse student populations through the use of creative and innovative marketing.
  • Financial Aid Acumen: Knowledge of undergraduate and graduate financial aid leveraging policies to ensure achievement of recruitment goals and compliance within state and federal regulations and procedures; maintain comprehensive and current understanding of federal and institutional needs analysis and packaging best practices, and provide training to staff in review of student aid eligibility and packaging of aid funds; and develop and implement strategies to educate students on the cost of their education and the financial benefits of the cooperative education program.
  • Staff leadership and management: Ability to set clear goals and inspire a highly qualified and talented staff around enrollment opportunities and challenges; commitment to staff development and team building; a mentoring mindset to effectively nurture staff while holding high standards and accountability; proven track record of staff development and diversifying staff; and an interest in creating a stable, healthy, and cohesive work environment that prioritizes communication and collaboration.
  • Collaboration and Communication skills: Collaborative nature with an ability to engage and mobilize the recruitment effort across all campus constituencies; ability to partner with external constituents important to recruitment, such as high school counselors, community-based organizations, alumni, and private vendors; readiness to be part of the university’s senior leadership team and a desire and ability to collaborate across campus; engaging, strong listening, and transparent communication skills; and confidence in presenting information to a variety of constituents to include students, parents, counselors, faculty, staff, and Board of Trustee members.
  • Commitment to Loyola values: Inclusive, ethical leadership style and commitment to caring for the whole person; appreciates and promotes excellence in academics and scholarship; willingness to be an active participant in campus and community life; proven experience in and a demonstrated commitment to increasing student diversity and the diversity of staff in enrollment; proven ability to develop connections and partnership that substantively impact enrollment; history of effective enrollment management with available resources.
  • Strong technical and analytical skills: Ability to use technology and data to guide decision making; strong analytical skills, creativity, resourcefulness and ability to translate data into a narrative; experience with predictive modeling, enterprise systems, and current and emerging technology; and demonstrated experience using data to identify and assess effectiveness of admission and financial aid policies and practices.

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO

Loyola University Chicago, founded in 1870 as St. Ignatius College, is one of the largest Catholic universities in the country and Chicago’s only Jesuit university. Loyola enrolls more than 16,500 students, including over 11,700 undergraduates, and offers more than 125 undergraduate majors and 102 undergraduate minors, as well as more than 300 graduate and professional degree programs and certificates across its campuses in the Chicago area: Lake Shore, Water Tower, and the Health Sciences Campus; and on the Loyola-Rome Campus in Italy.

The University is home to 13 schools and colleges, including Arrupe College, the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Communication, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, School of Education, School of Law, School of Social Work, Graduate School, the School of Environmental Sustainability, Quinlan School of Business, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, Stritch School of Medicine, and the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health. Major institutes include the Institute for Pastoral Studies and the Institute for Racial Justice. Loyola also features the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) in Woodstock, Illinois.

Loyola ranks among leading national universities and many of Loyola’s schools and programs rank among the best in the nation. Loyola is a national leader in graduating women in STEM fields. Its deep and holistic approach to sustainability and environmental issues has led it to be named a Top 20 Green university by the Sierra Club, and it is highly ranked as a university serving veterans. Loyola is also among 10 percent of all American colleges and universities to have a Phi Beta Kappa honor society chapter.

As an institution that emphasizes social and co-curricular community engagement, the University offers students numerous opportunities to shape their academic experience. In addition to having the ability to join over 200 clubs and organizations, Loyola offers several spirituality programs for students as well as NCAA Division I Athletics; they compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference, giving students plenty of chances to root for the mighty Ramblers.

Loyola has transformed itself from a commuter school into a residential institution. In 2001, Loyola embarked on an ambitious $750-million building plan to improve the infrastructure of the Lake Shore Campus to match its high-quality academic programs. The construction included the renovation of 16 buildings and the construction of 10 new LEED-certified buildings, including state-of-the-art facilities like the Information Commons, named one of Architectural Digest’s 18 most stunning university libraries in the world; the Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics; and the innovative School of Environmental Sustainability. The Alfie Norville athletic practice facility opened in 2019 and Francis Hall, a residence hall on the Lake Shore Campus, opened in 2021. Slated for completion in fall 2028, Loyola’s new nursing and science building will create expanded and modernized academic space for programs from the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences. Designs for the state-of-the-art building include advanced classrooms, research labs, simulation spaces, and areas for study and collaboration.

At the Water Tower Campus in downtown Chicago, Loyola opened the Raymond C. Baumhart, S.J., Residence Hall, and Terry Student Center, a soaring high-rise, in 2006. Other changes include the Department of Communication’s move to downtown and the creation of the School of Communication. A successful fundraising campaign in 2008 helped the University move the School of Law into the remodeled Philip H. Corboy Law Center and helped finance the latest addition to the Water Tower Campus, the John and Kathy Schreiber Center, the home of Loyola’s Quinlan School of Business. In 2015, the University launched Arrupe College, a two-year college that continues the Jesuit tradition of offering a rigorous liberal arts education to a diverse population, nearly all of whom are the first in their family to pursue higher education. Arrupe gives students an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree while accumulating little to no debt and helps to set them on the path to employment or a four-year degree.

Loyola’s Mission Statement

We are Chicago’s Jesuit, Catholic University – a diverse community seeking God in all things and working to expand knowledge in the service of humanity through learning, justice, and faith.

Loyola’s Vision Statement

Loyola University Chicago is the school of choice for those who wish to seek new knowledge in the service of humanity in a world-renowned urban center as members of a diverse learning community that values freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth, and care for others.

President

Mark C. Reed, Ed.D, became the 25th president of Loyola University Chicago in October, 2022. Prior to his appointment at Loyola, Dr. Reed served for seven years as the president at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and for Pennsylvania. Before that, he served for 15 years across several senior leadership roles at Fairfield University in Connecticut. His career has focused on strengthening the institutions he has served, particularly in the areas of expanded academic programs, strategic partnerships, university finances and endowment, student formation, and advancement of the Jesuit, Catholic mission.

At Loyola, he has led the development of new or updated strategic and campus master plans to build on Loyola’s legacy as one of the world’s leading Catholic universities. A student-centered leader, Dr. Reed knows the life of any university depends on the experience of its students. Whether in the classroom teaching calculus or statistics, on retreats and service trips, or attending sports events and artistic performances, he is committed to being an active participant in the academic, spiritual, and social life of the university.

At Saint Joseph’s University, Dr. Reed led the university’s strategic plan focusing on enriching academic quality and distinction, enhancing student experiences, promoting programs of national prominence, and fostering greater financial strength and stability. He led and oversaw the acquisition of the University of the Sciences and planned the acquisition of the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, the completion of a campus master plan and initiation of several major building projects, the launch of the largest capital campaign in the university’s history, and expanded the campus footprint.

President Reed is a lifelong product of Jesuit Catholic education. He earned his BS in mathematics and MBA from Fairfield University, MEd in secondary educational administration from Boston College, and EdD in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Reed has been engaged in addressing broader issues in education. He currently serves as a member of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. He is a board member of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU), Boston College, and Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL. He is past chair of the Council of Presidents for the Atlantic 10 Conference, past chair of the Board of Trustees for St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, and a former board member of the American Council on Education and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU).

Provost

Douglas W. Woods, PhD serves as Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Loyola University Chicago. Prior to Loyola, Woods served as Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies at Marquette University from 2016 to 2024. Under his leadership at Marquette, enrollment in the Graduate School hit all-time highs—increasing 39 percent. While graduate program revenue grew dramatically, the number of graduate students from diverse backgrounds increased by 200 percent, and graduate education gained greater visibility on campus. Before his role at Marquette, Woods served as Head of Psychology at Texas A&M University from 2013 to 2015 and in multiple faculty and leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1999 to 2013.

Consistent with Loyola’s Jesuit, Catholic mission, Woods is a strong advocate for an integrated educational experience that provides students with a foundational liberal arts and sciences core curriculum, complemented by knowledge and skills developed across a range of disciplines and schools to prepare students for successful careers and lives. He has deep experience with developing the undergraduate curriculum, enhancing student success, and supporting graduate and professional students. He has successfully recruited and retained faculty members and staff from diverse backgrounds and developed multiple strategies to create a more inclusive and diverse environment.

Strategic Plan

For the Greater Good charts a clear and ambitious path forward—a vision shaped by collaboration, discernment, and a shared commitment to impact. The Plan articulates a unifying purpose: to elevate Loyola’s brilliance in Jesuit education, research, service, and leadership. This is more than a roadmap. It is a call to action, crafted through engagement with our community—our trustees, academic leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and Jesuit partners. It outlines an ambitious yet focused framework to champion innovation and meaningful growth, with clear institutional priorities and shared goals. The Plan is organized around four enduring pillars, each anchored by strategic priorities that will remain constant. Within each pillar, flexible initiatives and measurable outcomes have been identified—allowing us to adapt, respond, and shine brighter as we move forward together. All academic and administrative units across the University, including enrollment management, will use this Plan to align their own strategic and operational efforts with Loyola’s institutional vision.

LOCATION

Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, offers something for everyone. Its spectacular lakefront skyline is the backdrop to a lively mix of fine food, fun times, vibrant arts, rich history and a warm Midwest welcome. Although Chicago is a big city, it’s easy to navigate by car and is accessible with public transportation options such as the Metra, bus or ‘L.’ Traveling beyond the city to anywhere in the country or world from Chicago is convenient with O’Hare and Midway international airports, as well as Amtrak, Greyhound and Megabus.

Loyola and its students enjoy Chicago’s exceptional cultural and economic resources. In addition to providing an unparalleled setting for educational opportunities, Chicago is also one of the most prestigious cities in the world in terms of recreation and entertainment. A hub of commerce and culture, Chicago serves as an expanded campus for Loyola students, offering a thriving economy, impressive architecture, notable politicians, and groundbreaking music.

Loyola students take advantage of many academic opportunities in Chicago on one or more of the following campuses:

The Lake Shore Campus, located right on the western shores of Lake Michigan is a traditional picturesque campus where most residential students live. This campus is located in Chicago’s Rogers Park and Edgewater neighborhoods, situated in the nation’s most diverse communities. It is the campus where students take classes in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Environmental Sustainability, and graduate studies in arts, social sciences, and sciences. Undergraduate nursing, health systems management, and exercise science students take all or part of their education at this campus.

The downtown campus, known as the Water Tower Campus, is located at the north end of the Magnificent Mile in the heart of Chicago. It is the primary home for the administrative offices of the University as well as the professional schools of Business, Communication, Education, Law, Social Work, and Continuing and Professional Studies; the Institute of Pastoral Studies; and Arrupe College. Students reside in Baumhart Hall which also houses the Terry Student Center.

The Health Sciences Campus is in the western Chicago suburb of Maywood and is home to the University’s health sciences education and research enterprise. It includes the Stritch School of Medicine, the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, and the Center for Translational Research and Education. They share a common goal to advance the University’s mission by developing healthcare leaders and improving human health through education and research, all grounded in Jesuit, Catholic values.

The Loyola-Rome Campus offers students the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the many great artists, writers, and thinkers who traveled to Rome, finding inspiration in the Eternal City. The Rome Campus was established five decades ago as Italy’s premier study abroad program. The campus attracts 200 students from dozens of universities across the U.S. each semester for an engaged and full-immersion learning experience through research in the Ricci Scholars Study abroad program, service learning, or internships which complement their academic studies.

COMPENSATION

Compensation for the position will be competitive and based on the skills and experience of the selected candidate and the agreed upon portfolio of responsibilities; The range identified for this role is $275,000 – $375,000. In this important leadership position, the successful candidate will have an active on-campus presence. Additionally, Loyola University Chicago offers a comprehensive package of benefits. Given the nature of this visible campus and community-based leadership position, the selected candidate will be expected to reside in or near Chicago, Illinois.

How to apply

NES, a higher education search firm specializing in enrollment management searches, is assisting Loyola University Chicago in identifying the University’s next Vice President for Enrollment Management. For more information, or to nominate someone for this position, contact Liz Daly ([email protected]), Catherine Capolupo ([email protected]) or Laura Robinson ([email protected]). All conversations will remain confidential unless otherwise stated and agreed. Interested candidates should submit a résumé and a letter of interest describing their unique qualifications for the Vice President for Enrollment Management position at Loyola University Chicago. Candidates should also provide the names and contact information of at least five professional references. For confidentiality, references will not be contacted without permission. For best consideration, all application materials should be submitted electronically to [email protected] by November 6, 2025. The position is campus-based and the preferred start date is January of 2026.

Loyola adheres to all applicable federal, state, and/or local civil rights laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination in private institutions of higher education. Please see the university’s Nondiscrimination Policy.

Loyola University Chicago, as an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, abides by all applicable provisions of federal, state and local law. Loyola does not discriminate in its employment policies and practices on the basis of race, color, religion (except where religion is a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification for the job), national origin or ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, marital status, veteran status or any other classification protected by applicable law.