Meredith College, a private, residential women’s college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina, is seeking a dynamic and visionary Director of Admission. This professional will provide direction and oversight of a customer service oriented admissions model as the chief admission officer. They will develop strategies to attract and enroll a highly qualified and diverse student body in a manner that supports the College’s undergraduate recruitment, admission, and retention goals. Reporting to the Vice President for Marketing and Communications, the director will lead a motivated team of 15 professionals and have a solid grounding in admission practices, coupled with a passion for assisting students to succeed. The Director of Admission will work innovatively and collaboratively with the many constituents of the College community and as part of the enrollment leadership team. They should have experience in leading a dynamic recruitment program and its operations, with a dedication to providing continued quality improvement.
Responsibilities and Priorities
As the leader of the College’s efforts to recruit talented and best suited undergraduate students, the director will focus on the following responsibilities and priorities.
Strategic Leadership
- Serve as an integral member of the Enrollment Leadership Council to strategically guide Meredith College’s student enrollment efforts.
- Exhibit a commitment to the institutional mission, a genuine passion for women’s educational experiences, and the ability to enthusiastically share the transformational power of a Meredith education with interested and well-qualified students.
- Foster a culture of excellence while appropriately leveraging data and sharing information within the Office of Admission and beyond.
- Collect and analyze data to inform and refine efforts that identify, recruit, enroll, and retain a diverse domestic student body representing a variety of backgrounds, as well as a diverse mix of international students who bring a global perspective to campus.
- Strengthen efforts to meet enrollment goals for both first-year and transfer students.
- Educate the Meredith community regarding best practices, changing demographics, and the competitive landscape of recruiting and enrolling students.
- Evaluate and select third party partners and seek out new vendors as needed; manage relationships with vendors identifying needs, leveraging resources and evaluating outcomes.
Partnership and Collaboration
- Cultivate a strong sense of community by building bridges and fostering relationships of trust; serve on committees, including the Admissions Committee and , and as a liaison with varying campus constituencies across the College to support the enrollment and retention of students.
- Maintain and manage strong relationships externally with school counselors and community-based organizations and nurture connections internally across the college in order to meet enrollment goals.
- Prioritize the strong working relationship with the director of financial assistance to execute financial aid leveraging strategies, to increase communication and efficiency, and share information regarding costs, aid, and processes with prospective students and their families.
- Partner with the director of recruitment marketing and the college’s in-house marketing team on marketing communications strategy that will reach, influence, and compel prospective students and their families to consider Meredith College.
- Enhance the relationship between admissions and athletics to ensure the continued success of this critical partnership.
- Partner with the director of the Student Success Center on collaborative enrollment efforts including Meredith’s StartStrong pre-orientation events for deposited students.
Supervision
- Provide training and professional development to the admission staff; evaluate the team’s performance and serve as an advocate, resource, and mentor.
- Grow, develop, and inspire a talented admissions team; work to optimize the skills of each individual team member and foster a culture of individual growth and professional development.
- Lead the admissions team in efforts to evaluate, implement, and leverage technology to innovate, increase operational efficiency, and meet the expectations of students and families on behalf of Meredith.
Qualifications, Skills, Abilities, and Characteristics
The successful candidate must have outstanding interpersonal skills and experience, expertise in the administration and management of recruitment programs, demonstrated proficiencies in information technology appropriate to admissions offices, and a commitment to the core values of a private women’s college.
Successful candidates will have a minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in post-secondary admissions or enrollment, including management and supervisory roles, and preference will be given to candidates with relevant advanced degrees.
The Director should demonstrate the following skills, abilities, and characteristics:
- Experience supervising, managing, developing, and motivating a diverse team of admission officers and administrative support staff.
- Appreciation and support of the mission of a women’s private college, along with the ability to speak vibrantly and persuasively about the value of this type of education in today’s context.
- A proven ability to develop rapport and work collaboratively with the leadership and faculty to bring forward the best of Meredith in the shared effort of recruiting and retaining students.
- Ability to create, maintain and operate within a well-defined fiscal budget that adheres to division-wide goals and policies.
- Strong verbal, written, interpersonal, and collaborative skills; excellent communication skills with a wide range of audiences including students, parents, and counselors and the ability to adeptly manage both external and internal relationships.
- Knowledge of current trends and issues in the state, regional and national landscape of admission and financial aid.
- Utilization of technology in admission work, including a knowledge of and experience maximizing a CRM (familiarity with Slate is preferred); ability to analyze and use data to inform and implement recruitment and admissions strategies and tactics that meet targeted enrollment goals and attract a talented and diverse student body.
- Willingness to foster a culture of best practices within the admission office, especially in appropriately leveraging data and transparently sharing information within the campus community.
- Familiar and comfortable serving students with a highly personalized approach.
Meredith College
Meredith College is a private, residential women’s college and coeducational graduate school in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chartered in 1891, Meredith is one of the nation’s largest independent women’s colleges, enrolling approximately 1,300 women in its undergraduate programs and more than 250 women and men in its graduate programs. The current tagline of the College, “Going Strong,” reflects the positive spirit of the institution, as well as its strengths in student outcomes, financial position, alumnae achievement and loyalty, successful fundraising, engaged and supportive board, and dedication of senior leadership. It also reflects the College’s commitment through its signature advising/coaching model to helping students identify, focus on, and leverage their strengths.
Meredith College is defined by its sense of community, with members supporting and encouraging one another and valuing each individual’s diverse interests and talents. The College employs about 550 people–more than 400 of whom are full-time employees. Meredith’s passion for developing intellectually, socially, and ethically strong women is shared by administrators, faculty, and staff. A number of the faculty and staff are Meredith alumnae and long-term employees. They understand well the value and role of a women’s college as well as coeducational graduate programs. Meredith faculty and staff are committed to the student-centered mission of the College and dedicate themselves to the institution’s success and its graduates’ success.
Meredith has earned distinction as a “Best College” in U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Meredith is consistently ranked as both a top regional and a top national college and ranks in the top 25% of liberal arts colleges in the country by high school counselors, according to U.S. News and World Report. Niche named Meredith the #2 Liberal Arts College in North Carolina.
Academics
Building on a liberal arts tradition, Meredith meets the challenges of preparing students for the 21st century with a strong general education program, its StrongPoints® advising and coaching initiative, undergraduate research, study abroad, and civic engagement. With a 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio and an average class size of 14, the Meredith faculty in liberal arts and sciences and professional studies develop close ties with their students and take pride in nurturing student achievement and leadership development.
Meredith offers 35 undergraduate majors, 55 minors, and 27 graduate and certificate programs through four academic schools: Arts and Humanities; Business; Education, Health, and Human Sciences; and Natural and Mathematical Sciences. Meredith is well-regarded for the excellence of its undergraduate academic programs, which are grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and include interdisciplinary and pre-professional programs. The Meredith College Board of Trustees is exploring the addition of an undergraduate nursing program.
The dynamic general education program gives every student a firm foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, world citizenship, and academic research. Academic offerings are complemented by real-world experience, and almost all students (97%) participate in at least one applied learning experience, such as study abroad, undergraduate research, or internships.
Meredith offers a robust and growing slate of coeducational graduate programs in on-campus, online, and hybrid formats to meet student demand and regional needs. The current master’s degree programs are Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Nutrition, Graduate Education (Master of Education and Master of Arts in Teaching), Master of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology:, and Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. The most recently announced program is a Master of Arts in Biomedical Sciences, which will enroll its first students in the fall of 2024. In addition to master’s programs, Meredith offers seven certificate programs: Business Foundations, Criminal Justice and Substance Use Disorders, Dietetic Internship, Digital Media, Paralegal, and Pre-Health.
Student Life
Meredith’s students come from 28 states and territories and 44 countries. Approximately 37% are multicultural students and 30% are first-generation students.
Meredith offers 100+ student organizations with opportunities for leadership and service to the local community, engagement in student government or any of 100 other student organizations, participation in a theatre or dance performance troupe, performance in a vocal or instrumental ensemble. They may also write for the student newspaper or the literary magazine, get involved in honor societies and join cultural, religious, or special interest clubs ranging from fashion to environmental sustainability to business and social work.
The College has a self-governing Honor Council system, run by and for students, that promotes individual responsibility. It demonstrates Meredith’s confidence in its students as responsible, contributing members of the College community. This commitment to student governance dates back to 1905 when Meredith was one of the first colleges in the South to establish a student government association.
Traditions are an important part of the Meredith experience and include campus-wide events and class-specific traditions that celebrate key milestones in students’ development and progress toward degrees. Some Meredith traditions include Ring Dinner, Cornhuskin’, Crook Hunt, Class Day, and Alice in Wonderland.
Undergraduate research is a cornerstone of the Meredith experience, with students presenting their findings and evidence of hands-on learning throughout the academic year and culminating in Celebrating Student Achievement Day. Study Abroad is another strong suit of the college, with approximately 35% of students choosing to study at the College’s palazzo in Tuscany, Italy, or any of our partner sites around the world. And students enjoy numerous opportunities for internships in Raleigh or the Research Triangle Park or around the world and are welcomed by employers eager to hire Meredith graduates..
Fine and performing arts flourish at Meredith, and the College has invested in indoor and outdoor venues to facilitate these creative pursuits. Meredith’s talented musicians and artists, both majors and non-majors, have numerous opportunities to participate in theatre productions, music ensembles, and arts shows. Meredith also offers an array of cultural arts opportunities throughout the year, from award-winning dance performances to thought-provoking exhibits to world-renowned visiting artists.
The Avenging Angels are a member of the NCAA Division III athletics and compete in the coed USA South Athletic Conference. Meredith fields teams in ten sports: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Meredith’s athletic program has won 31 USA South Championships and had 17 NCAA appearances.
Mission
Meredith College, grounded in the liberal arts and committed to professional preparation, educates and inspires students to live with integrity and provide leadership for the needs, opportunities, and challenges of society.
Vision
Meredith College is respected nationally as a vibrant learning environment in which students enhance their strengths, broaden their perspectives, and prepare for lives of impact and distinction.
Values
The Meredith College community is dedicated to core values drawn from Meredith’s mission and heritage. These values serve as the foundation for our programs, our interactions with each other, and our outreach beyond the campus:
- Integrity – upholding high standards of truth and personal honor.
- Intellectual freedom – fostering a spirit of openness and inquiry and respecting a range of perspectives and voices.
- Academic excellence – promoting scholarship, innovation, curiosity, intellectual challenge, hard work, and lifelong learning.
- Responsible global citizenship – contributing positive change through ethical leadership and civic engagement.
- Personal development – seeking intellectual, personal, and spiritual growth through structured and individual learning and experience.
- Religious diversity – avowing the College’s Christian heritage while respecting all faiths and spiritual beliefs.
- Relevance – meeting society’s needs by educating students in programs that prepare them for the future.
Strategic Plan
Meredith College’s strategic plan, Meredith Forever, is a rolling multi-year plan first approved in October 2012. The College is in its fourth iteration of the plan, each time using a collaborative process to set priorities, establish authority and accountability for pursuing those priorities, and identify the amounts and sources of funding needed. The strategic plan builds on six pillars, recently reaffirmed by the board of trustees, and sets the stage for a strong and vibrant future.
As a roadmap for the College, Meredith Forever has inspired renewed energy, collaboration, and vision for the future of Meredith. Among the many outcomes, it has led to new, high-quality academic and co-curricular programs; funding for scholarships, study abroad, research, and more; new and/or renovations to academic, athletic, and administrative spaces; and growth in the endowment and the Meredith brand. Read more about accomplishments since the plan’s inception.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Meredith College is committed to fostering an inclusive and pluralistic campus environment where diverse identities are welcomed into the College’s living, learning, and working community. In the summer of 2020, the College launched a College-wide Initiative on Anti-Racism focused on making Meredith more inclusive and welcoming in the present while also leading efforts to understand the realities of the College’s history. The anti-racism initiative reflects a commitment to strength, integrity, and the power of education to bring about real and lasting change across Meredith’s campus.
Campus
Meredith College is a garden close to downtown Raleigh, sitting on 225 rolling acres unspoiled by commercial or residential development. The design features iconic red-brick buildings and well-landscaped green spaces. The 38 campus buildings have approximately 943,000 gross square feet. Among the points of pride are a 1,200-seat amphitheater, six residence halls and student apartments, a student center, a library, performance spaces, a fitness center, an athletic field and track complex, a community garden, and an arboretum and gardens. The iconic Meredith Lake was recently restored as a beautiful, serene spot to relax, meet with friends, attend outdoor classes, and conduct research.
The latest addition to campus is the Communication and Health, Exercise & Sport Sciences building (CHESS), which opened in the fall of 2022. It features collaborative learning spaces, new instructional rooms including a television studio and control room, podcast production suite, Health and Human Performance Lab, and offices. Recent renovations include Jones Auditorium, which has new seating, enhanced accessibility, and a refreshed lobby, auditorium, and dressing rooms. Residence hall renovations in 2023 include new carpeting, entryway and kitchenette flooring, hallway lighting, and lounge amenities. For more on recent renovations, visit the Campus Growth website.
For athletics, recent construction/renovations include the installation of the Meredith Athletic Field and Track Complex (2019), the new Lowery Family Fitness Center (2017), and renovations and lighting for the tennis court and softball field (2023). A groundbreaking was held in the spring of 2023 for a new athletic center for softball, tennis, and golf that will include athletic training facilities, locker rooms, simulation equipment, and indoor batting cages that will double as golf driving ranges. Most notable is that all renovations and new construction have been funded by donor sponsorship rather than loans or other forms of debt incurrence.
To learn more about Meredith College, go to meredith.edu.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Meredith offers an ideal location in Raleigh and near the world-renowned Research Triangle Park. As the state capital, Raleigh has a dynamic downtown that boasts lively arts, music, nightlife, retail, and culinary scenes. More than 176,000 college and university students reside in this area, the country’s premier research and development hub, with many opportunities for internships, clinical and field experiences, and potential employment after graduation. Raleigh was recently named among the Top 25 Fastest Growing Places in the U.S. and placed #6 among the Best Places to Live in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. Raleigh is also ranked in the Top 3 for Hottest Job Markets by Wall Street Journal, Top 10 for Best Cities for Grads Starting Out by MarketWatch, and the #1 Best City for Working Women by Apartment List.
For more information on Raleigh and the region:
https://www.visitnc.com/raleigh-durham-the-triangle
Compensation
The expected compensation range for this position is competitive and based on the skills and experience of the selected candidate; reach the NES search consultants to discuss the expected range of compensation. The selected candidate will need to reside in or near Raleigh, North Carolina.
To Apply
Meredith College is partnering with NES to identify a well-qualified professional to fill the position of Director of Admission. To arrange for a confidential conversation or to nominate someone for this position, please contact Laura Robinson, Suzi Nam, or Mary Napier. To apply, candidates are asked to provide: 1) a resume, 2) a detailed letter of interest regarding their interest in Meredith College, and 3) contact information for five professional references by email to: Meredith@nessearches.com. For assurance of full consideration, interested individuals should submit application materials no later than April 25, 2024. Materials will be reviewed until the position is filled. All applications and nominations will be considered confidential, and notice will be given before references are contacted. Anticipated start date is Summer 2024. Inquire with the NES search team regarding questions about the position requirements and compensation.
The College is dedicated to the equality of opportunity within its community. It is the policy and practice of the College to provide equal opportunity to all persons. The College does not discriminate against a person because of race, color, age (as defined in the Age Discrimination in Employment Act), religion, gender, pregnancy, disability, national origin, citizenship, genetic information, veteran’s status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law. Meredith College is dedicated to the equality of opportunity within the community.