Director of Admission at Eckerd College

Eckerd College, Florida’s only private liberal arts college, located in the Gulf Coast city of St. Petersburg, seeks nominations and invites applications for the Director of Admission role. The Director will serve as a senior leader within the division of Enrollment Management and will report to, and collaborate with, the Vice President for Enrollment Management in strategic and critical decision-making. Along with the Vice President, the Director will partner with the Director of Financial Aid to consider how financial aid strategies can be maximized to fulfill the enrollment goals of the College.

With an insightful and patient approach, the Director of Admission will provide strategic vision and oversight to an established and eager admission staff of twelve in meeting individual, divisional, and institutional enrollment goals for undergraduate first year and transfer students, from domestic and international markets, with a keen eye towards diversity. As a strong collaborator, the Director will be an effective member of the Enrollment Management Group, which meets weekly and includes individuals from a variety of offices across campus, all focused on enhancing practical enrollment efforts.  This group is responsible for the continuous analysis and implementation of enrollment-related programs. The Director will also be a member of the Student Success Committee, concentrating on persistence and the student experience. The Director will collaborate with Academic Affairs, faculty, staff, athletics and all campus constituencies in maintaining a strong enrollment culture with shared responsibilities in recruitment, diversity, and retention.

Responsibilities for the Director of Admission will include: 

• Strategic Leadership: The Director will plan and implement, evaluate, and analyze current admission operations and data, and will provide innovative and up-to-date admission practices, policies and initiatives to meet enrollment goals. The Director will continuously explore new approaches for meeting goals through technology, publications, communications, and other forms of outreach, ever mindful of available resources. In addition, they will provide expertise on changing demographics and trends and will build effective recruitment strategies and prospective student engagement activities to maximize the recruitment efforts for the College.
• Commitment to Diversity: Eckerd College seeks to provide all members of its community an experience that embraces diversity, cultivates conscientious citizenship, and offers a sense of belonging regardless of an individual’s ability, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexuality, age or political affiliation. The Director will embrace this philosophy in all practices of hiring staff and recruiting students. Recognizing the value of a diverse residential campus environment, the Director will employ knowledge of demographics, and engage in legal recruitment practices (in light of the Supreme Court decision on race status in college admissions) aimed to enrich the campus environment by continuously seeking diversity within the student body.
• Data Analytics and Technology: The Director should be nimble with data and comfortable with technology to support best practices in recruitment marketing and communications. The Director will provide support to the Vice President in the development, implementation, and evaluation of enrollment management plans, using historical data and trend analysis. An expert with the use of a CRM, preferably Slate, the Director will maximize its usefulness within the admission operations and oversee the communication flow. Serving in an instrumental role in working with Ruffalo Noel-Levitz (RNL) on enrollment projections and financial aid optimization efforts, the Director will guide efforts in reaching institutional targets for enrollment, diversity and net tuition revenue.
• Team Management and Daily Operations: The Director will supervise a staff of twelve, including associate and assistant directors, counselors and the enrollment systems manager. The Director will oversee the day-to-day operations: Manage budgets, student search, application review, recruitment and yield travel, visit programs, and the overall implementation of the policies, procedures and programs designed to recruit new students. The Director oversees staff training, accountability, and professional development. The Director will provide clarity in communications, professional guidance and leadership that will ensure team and individual success in meeting recruitment goals. The Director will foster an effective partnership with various outside vendors to support the enrollment efforts. The Director will serve as a key spokesperson in communicating the uniqueness of Eckerd College to prospective students, their families, and school and independent counselors. The Director will maintain and manage their own travel territory.
• Collaboration and Communication: In conjunction with the Vice President, the Director will collaborate with the Office of Marketing and Communications to effectively represent Eckerd College in all publications, digital, web, and social media, and create the communication plans for prospective students and their families. The Director will partner with athletics for the proper recruitment and procedures surrounding athletic recruitment and financial aid, in conjunction with the Director of Financial Aid. Along with the Enrollment Management Group, and the Student Success Committee, the Director will represent admission and enrollment across campus, supporting the efforts of other divisions. The Director will act as an official spokesperson at admission and recruitment functions and to external constituencies, including media. In partnership with the Vice President, the Director will provide accurate and timely information to the campus community regarding enrollment statistics and trends, and share stories which widely illustrate the unique experiences and success of students, alumni and faculty at Eckerd College.

Skills, Abilities, Characteristics:
The ideal candidate will have at least eight years of progressive experience in higher education, admission-related experience; deep experience in management is required. It is required that they have earned a bachelor's degree, while possessing an advanced degree is preferred. In addition, an individual with many of the following skills, abilities, and characteristics is desired. 

• A strong collaborator with a sincere desire to work transparently and openly with academic and administrative partners, valuing the voices of others, with confidence in one’s own voice;
• Experience in effectively managing and shaping a diverse team of admission officers and administrative support staff;
• Ability to lead and inspire, balancing the needs of the institution and enhancing the effectiveness of the office;
• The desire and ability to build positive, intentional, and lasting relationships with staff, students, community members, and strategic partners;
• Deep knowledge of the capabilities of a CRM and experience and ease in utilizing a CRM in admission work (familiarity with Slate is preferred);
• Ability to analyze and use data to inform and implement recruitment and admissions strategies and tactics to achieve targeted enrollment goals including attracting a talented and diverse student body;
• Strategic thinker, able to provide insight and color in decision-making and around reports;
• Experience in predictive modeling, enrollment, and net tuition revenue projections, and demographic and enrollment trends;
• Passionate about serving students with a highly personalized approach;
• Comfortable in a fast-moving, ever-changing environment with the ability to hit the ground running on day one;
• Strategic in social media, marketing, with an understanding of websites as a recruiting tool;
• Experience with international recruitment is a plus;
• A calling to be at a place like Eckerd with an appreciation for the challenge of recruiting and enrolling a diverse class  at a small private institution;
• Creative mind with the ability to think outside the box;
• Commitment to diversity recruitment, and an understanding of the importance of diversity within the campus community, both in recruiting staff and in students;
• Patience in building trust in order to affect change;
• Recognition of the value of athletics in recruitment; knowing the challenges and collaborating with the athletic division on new opportunities and innovative solutions;
• Personally invested in the care of students and their success, and the value of recruiting for retention;
• Demonstrates an overarching commitment to liberal arts education, a student-centered approach, and an appreciation for the unique placement of Eckerd’s designation as one of the Colleges That Change Lives.

Eckerd College
Founded as Florida Presbyterian College, Eckerd College opened its doors in 1960, with 155 first-year students and 22 faculty.  Since its founding, the institution has experienced steady growth and was renamed Eckerd College in 1972, after its Board of Trustees member, Jack Eckerd.

For the past five years, Eckerd's student population has averaged  1,950 traditional-age undergraduates. They represent 53 states and territories, and 39 countries. Eckerd College provides a safe space that educates and inspires students, staff, and faculty of all backgrounds to spark critical conversations, break boundaries, and challenge stereotypes through enriching and intentional programming, events, and training. Eckerd’s Cultural Council works diligently to create programming for all students on campus and promote a safe and positive climate that is accepting, respectful and welcoming of students of all identities.

Cornerstones in the academic life of the College are the nationally recognized programs in the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. Eckerd College’s requirement that all students take an environmentally focused course exposes its students to the serious challenges of our environmental future. The College’s nationally recognized Marine Science and Environmental Studies programs put

Eckerd College on the cutting edge of scientific and policy-related inquiry into sustainability. Eckerd’s distinguished arts and humanities programs give students real-world experience in research, literary and scholarly writing, oral communication and more—while inspiring them to think creatively and live deeply.

Leadership
Dr. James J. Annarelli has served Eckerd College for 34 years, most recently as President. In August 2022, he was appointed by the Eckerd College Board of Trustees as interim president of the College and was unanimously voted to become the sixth president of Eckerd College in February 2023. Dr. Annarelli came to Eckerd in 1990. He has served as an academic coordinator and faculty member, and later as assistant director of Eckerd’s adult degree completion program; as inaugural associate dean and director of the College’s Center for the Applied Liberal Arts; and, for 20 years, as Eckerd’s vice president for student life and dean of students.

A culture of inclusivity and belonging
Eckerd College provides a safe, brave space that educates and inspires students, staff and faculty of all backgrounds to spark critical conversations, break boundaries, and challenge stereotypes through enriching and intentional programming, events and training. Eckerd encourages students to share and value their diverse backgrounds.

The student Cultural Council works hard to create programming for all students on campus and promote a safe and positive climate that is accepting, respectful and welcoming of students of all identities. The Council consists of: Afro-American Society, All About Asians Association, Coalition of Students for Indigenous Action, EC Feminists, ECQSA [Eckerd College Queer & Straight Alliance), International Student Association, Japanese Culture Club, Latinos Unidos.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) collaborates with and supports all campus stakeholders as the College strives to strengthen its cultural competence and foster critical conversations that break boundaries, challenge stereotypes and advance understanding across differences.

https://www.eckerd.edu/deib/

Admissions and Financial Aid
With more than 6,200 applications in 2024, Eckerd accepted just over 4,000 domestic and international prospective students into its strictly undergraduate programs. The 2024 new student class consisted of 550 first-year and transfer students.

Financial aid and scholarships are available through an ambitious financial aid program that benefits nearly 96% of Eckerd students. Approximately $48 million in financial aid was awarded last year. Assistance packages may include a combination of scholarships, need-based grants, work aid, and loans. The average award last year from all sources was $36,000 and the range was from $5,500 to $47,000.

Academic and Student Life at Eckerd
Eckerd’s approach to the liberal arts is built around personalized mentoring, small classes and learning by doing—both inside the classroom and in the greater community. As a liberal arts institution, students learn crucial skills—how to collect information, to critically evaluate data, to communicate their findings clearly and back them up with solid research. Beyond the classroom, every Eckerd student completes at least one internship, research study, service-learning project and/or study abroad experience.

First-year students begin their college careers as part of a specific Autumn term class, which then culminates in a senior capstone course, bringing many of the original Autumn term classmates back together to reflect on how far they have come and grapple with the questions that will define them as adults. Eckerd offers more than 40 majors and dozens of minors to choose from, plus the option to create a self-designed major.

Nestled between two of the country’s top 10 beaches, Eckerd’s 188-acre waterfront campus offers mangrove thickets, freshwater marshes and ponds, a white sand beach and its own marina. Outdoor—and indoor—activities abound for students, faculty, and staff all around campus, including art exhibits; film, music and theater events; a writers’ conference; athletics, club sports, an abundance of student organizations, public lectures, summer camps, and a summer pre-college program for high school seniors.

Student-athletes embody the holistic approach to the development of the mind, body and spirit that is central to a liberal arts college. More than 200 Eckerd Tritons participate on 14 teams in NCAA Division II in the Florida Sunshine State Conference. The Sunshine State Conference (SSC) ranks at or near number one in the nation for (ASR) Academic Success Rate in the NCAA. Eckerd College is at the top of the SSC conference for academic performance, giving Eckerd College Student Athletes an elite position nationally.

Housing options for students range from traditional rooms to apartment-style suites with incredible views of Boca Ciega Bay. As a living-learning residential environment, 87 percent of its students live on campus. Eckerd College offers pet friendly living arrangements, allowing both small and large pets.

For more information about Eckerd College, enjoy visiting eckerd.edu

St. Petersburg, FL - "The Sunshine City"
St. Petersburg is one of America's most popular destinations, and a great place to live, from the city's vibrant downtown filled with museums, art galleries, shopping, dining, and major league sporting activities to some of the nation's top ranked beaches. A peninsular city with a subtropical climate, St. Petersburg is surrounded by 244 miles of shoreline along Tampa Bay, Boca Ciega Bay, the Gulf of Mexico and intracoastal waterways. A boater's paradise, the St. Petersburg Marina is the largest city marina in the southeast. The average temperature is 73.7 degrees, with an average 361 days of sunshine per year.

The population of St. Petersburg is approximately 265,000, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida. St. Petersburg is home to a diverse and active neighborhood community with a network of more than 110 neighborhood and business associations. Ranked as a top arts and cultural destination among cities its size, St. Pete is home to world-famous museums and independent galleries, a thriving performing arts scene, film festivals, live music, a vibrant literary arts community, a close-knit community of working artists and crafts-people, and a whole lot of public art and outdoor installations.

There are 137 parks on approximately 2,300 acres of public land dedicated to parks and recreation, including a seven-mile preserved downtown waterfront—the third largest urban waterfront park system in North America.  Unique parks include the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, the botanical attraction Sunken Gardens, Treasure Island Beach on the Gulf of Mexico, and the historic Weedon Island Preserve. The Pinellas Trail, a 37-mile hiking/biking trail, connects St. Petersburg with central and north Pinellas County-the longest urban linear trail in the Eastern U.S.

St. Petersburg has a remarkable collection of special facilities including its landmark Pier, Tropicana Field—an enclosed baseball stadium and home to the Tampa Bay Rays—the Mahaffey Theater, the Coliseum, a 1920s restored dance hall and event venue, the historic Shuffleboard and Lawn Bowling Complex, 18 recreation centers, six public libraries, the Southeast's largest city marina with a ship store, the Port of St. Petersburg and the Albert Whitted Airport. Located on the west coast of Florida, St. Petersburg is part of the greater Tampa Bay region with a population of 2.7 million; it is an hour’s drive from Orlando, and four hours from Miami or Jacksonville, Florida.

For more information, read About St. Pete.

Benefits
For general information about employee benefits, please visit Eckerd College Human Resources.  If interested in seeking more information about the position, including salary range, contact one of the NES search consultants for details.

To Apply
NES, a national search firm with a specialization in enrollment management, is assisting Eckerd College with this search.  For more information or to nominate someone for the position, contact Laura Robinson (laura.robinson@nessearches.com), Robin Reynders (robin.reynders@nessearches.com) or Mary Napier (mary.napier@nessearches.com) for a confidential conversation.  For full consideration, application materials should be submitted electronically to eckerd@nessearches.com by October 16, 2024  Applications should consist of three documents in PDF format: (1) an in-depth cover letter that addresses the candidate’s qualifications and accomplishments in the areas identified in the position announcement, (2) a detailed résumé, and (3) a list of five professional references with titles, contact information and a sentence describing the nature of each professional relationship.  References will not be contacted without the candidate’s knowledge and permission.

Eckerd College is committed to fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and student body, and an inclusive campus community. Eckerd is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Eckerd College is especially interested in attracting candidates from historically underrepresented groups.