Queens University, a private, comprehensive university in Charlotte, North Carolina, is seeking a relational, dynamic, and forward-thinking Dean of Admissions who will bring a history of demonstrated success in undergraduate recruitment, experience in developing and executing strategic enrollment plans, and a keen understanding of data and analysis to the role. The Dean will oversee the Office of Admissions, providing strategic leadership and oversight for the university’s recruitment and admissions functions, ensuring a cohesive and data-informed approach to attracting and enrolling mission-aligned students. Reporting to Greg Zaiser, Vice President for Enrollment at Elon University, the Dean will execute an undergraduate enrollment strategy that strengthens academic quality, enhances diversity, and supports Queens’ long-term growth in a dynamic higher education landscape.
In September 2025, Queens announced a merger with Elon University, detailing a bold, strategic vision that would amplify and leverage the strengths of both institutions. With the merger, Queens continues to evolve as an organization and seeks an innovative leader who is eager to be on the leading edge of admissions and enrollment strategy—setting the standard for excellence in higher education for the next 50 years as they continue to provide a seamless experience for all students and increasing pathways to success.
As a member of the enrollment management leadership team, the Dean will serve as a bridge between leadership teams at Elon and Queens. Working collaboratively, they will develop and execute specific strategies and tactics, which support the unique enrollment challenges in a changing environment. The Dean will be an exceptional leader and team builder, a collaborative and relationship driven campus and community partner, and an experienced enrollment management professional with an understanding of the national and international markets.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
The essential duties and responsibilities for the Dean of Admissions are as follows:
Leadership
- Present regular updates and analyses to the President, Board of Trustees, and senior leaders regarding recruitment performance and trends.
- Serve as a key university ambassador with prospective students, families, and community partners.
- Establish and monitor new student academic profile criteria in collaboration with academic leadership.
- Lead, mentor, and evaluate the undergraduate admissions team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
Strategic Recruitment
- Develop a comprehensive recruitment strategy that aligns with institutional goals and market trends.
- Implement targeted recruitment initiatives which account for the evolving needs of students and families, as well as changing technology and consumer expectations.
- Design engagement opportunities to address the specific needs of special populations, and that influence and compel prospective students and their families to consider a Queens education.
- Creatively leverage resources to elevate the reputation of the University and increase the University’s reach among talented and diverse students nationally and internationally.
Partnership, Collaboration and Communication
- Collaborate with Financial Aid to align scholarship and aid strategies with enrollment objectives and student success outcomes.
- Establish relationships with schools, community colleges, and organizations to strengthen recruitment pipelines, especially among underrepresented populations.
- Build trusted partnerships with Student Affairs and other key partners to enhance the student experience from recruitment to retention, support diverse and inclusive communities, and improve student success.
- Partner with Academic Affairs to align recruitment with academic strengths and to ensure enrollment targets support academic goals while also sharing market data to inform academic program development.
- Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to design compelling recruitment materials and campaigns that reflect Queens’ distinctive value—personalized education, experiential learning, and its Charlotte advantage.
- Work closely with leadership within athletics to optimize the University’s recruitment efforts for student athletes.
Technology and Analytics
- Oversee the use of admissions systems (Slate experience preferred) to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and data integrity.
- Utilize data analytics to assess recruitment performance, forecast enrollment trends, and inform institutional planning.
- Provide data-driven guidance for all aspects of student recruitment programs and strategic enrollment initiatives.
- Analyze and interpret data to inform strategies for search, recruitment, and yield.
- Oversee the integration of Student Information Systems (Slate, Jenzabar, Jira, and PowerFAIDS) to centralize operations and increase efficiencies.
Experience, Knowledge & Skills
The successful candidate must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, with an advanced degree preferred. Additionally, this role requires a minimum of five more years of progressive leadership in admissions or enrollment management building and leading high functioning teams. Further, Queens seeks a professional with proven success implementing strategies that improve both enrollment and student quality. The chosen candidate should also possess the following qualifications and personal characteristics:
- Exceptional communication, analytical, and leadership skills with the ability to inspire high performance in teams and effectively articulate and communicate the distinctive features of a Queens education to prospective students, parents and counselors.
- Experience leveraging technology and CRM platforms for data-driven decision making.
- Commitment to Inclusive Excellence in all recruitment practices.
- Experience in private, selective, liberal arts institutions or competitive regional markets.
- Familiarity with emerging enrollment challenges, including demographic shifts and affordability concerns.
- Willingness to support an enrollment management culture through effective collaboration and partnership across campus.
- A strong foundation in the oversight, evaluation and improvement of admission systems, processes and technology to maximize efficiency and enhance the student experience.
- Expertise in current national best practices and experience with strategic planning and implementation efforts, including those that relate to the use of technology, improving publications and communications, and enhancing the visitor experience.
- Dedication to a culture of information sharing, where goals, priorities, progress and details are shared regularly to ensure faculty and staff are well informed, well trained, and confidently able to contribute to a culture of enrollment management.
- Comfortability working with faculty; willingness to engage them in the enrollment process by helping them to tell the academic story of the institution in a compelling way.
- Ability to lead through change with a calm and competent demeanor while exhibiting a visionary and consistent approach that provides continuity and consistency, even while adapting to the institutional and landscape shifts.
Queens University of Charlotte
Located in the heart of the nation’s second fastest growing metropolitan area, Queens University of Charlotte leverages the city’s diverse and thriving environment as an extended classroom. Nationally recognized for undergraduate programs in international and interdisciplinary education, Queens blends the best of liberal arts learning with professional preparation and community engagement across 41 majors, 59 minors, and 9 pre-professional programs. Each of Queens 1210 undergraduate students completes at least one internship, and all undergraduate degree seekers have the opportunity to study abroad.
Along the Queens Path, students encounter a learning environment that fosters five attributes to prepare them to be engaged and active in their communities and the know-how to rise to every occasion becoming: Honorably Connected, Intellectually Agile, Civically Engaged, Professionally Prepared, and Globally Informed. Focused on supporting success for diverse learners, faculty build close and collaborative relationships with students and help them build intentional and individualized roadmaps for flourishing at Queens and beyond.
In fall 2025 Queens enrolled 337 first-time undergraduate students, joined by 109 transfer students. Approximately 54% hail from North Carolina, 17% coming from the southeast region and 18% from states outside the southeast. International students make up approximately 11% of the undergraduate student body and represent 40 states and over 70 countries. The student population has grown in diversity over the past decade.
At the graduate program level, the University offers innovative educational experiences across 9 master’s programs supporting over 300 learners as they advance professionally and retool for new opportunities. The environment affords faculty myriad opportunities to advance their own professional growth and teaching and research interests by collaborating with vibrant industry, non-profit, and community organization sectors.
Queens aims to be a convener, promoting open dialogue, fostering intellectual growth, and providing new perspectives and cultural experiences for the campus community and beyond. Queens is a campus where providing a community of belonging, serving bolding and sustaining excellence are core values. The mission of Queens is to create an immersive learning experience that cultivates critical thinkers, innovative problem-solvers, and global citizens who lead with purpose.
The Student Experience
Queen’s undergraduate student experience is shaped by intentional support for students' successful transitions into and through the university, encouraging leadership, development, and engagement, and co-curricular involvement.
The campus is host to 8 residence halls hosting 67 percent of the student body. Full time undergraduate students are required to live on campus for four years, enhancing student success and creating a true sense of belonging and community. Transfer and graduate students are also welcome to consider the benefits of living on campus. Students enjoy three convenient dining locations including a dining hall, market and coffee shop.
In addition to participating in over 35 clubs and organizations, students enjoy a vibrant student experience celebrating community traditions to individual events. The community is committed to supporting the full range of student needs and interests, from fostering artistic expression to hosting a pet palooza. Students seeking recreation, health and wellness take advantage of the campuses Health and Wellness Center and the Levine Center for Wellness and Recreation.
The Queens Royals are active fans, cheering on 28 Division I teams in the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN). In 2026, in their first year of eligibility, the men’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Tournament, debuting as the #15 seed after winning their first ASUN Men’s Basketball Championship. The Queens Sport Complex at Marion Diehl Park is conveniently located in the Madison Park neighborhood and is one of the largest athletic venues in the region. The complex is home field for seven Royals athletic teams, and an excellent location for regional, national, and NCAA sanctioned sporting events. The 65 acres offer a world-class multi-sport championship field, a cross-country course, a grass practice field, and a 14,000-square-foot conference center.
Queens Today
Reflecting Queen’s history of innovation and legacy of strong leadership, the community is building a bright future in partnership with Elon University. Announced in September of 2025, the merger will combine the resources of two deeply respected, historic universities. The integration process will unfold over several years, with milestones determined by regulatory approvals, academic planning, and stakeholder engagement.
Both Queens University of Charlotte and Elon University have long been committed to engaged student learning, community service, and student-centered innovation and are now aligned in their purpose and a singular vision to enhance educational opportunities for students. The merger has been described as “combining complementary strengths, shared values and a deep commitment to Charlotte.” As a function of the merger, Elon University will operate Queens University. For students, the benefits are tangible. A combined institution promises expanded academic pathways, enhanced connections with regional employers and deeper integration of hands-on learning with real-world impact. And for Charlotte, the union signals a bold investment in local higher education, anchoring both campuses in a vibrant metropolitan region that is expected to grow in population by more than 50% by 2050.
For more information on this historic merger, please visit https://elonandqueens.org/
Compensation
Queens University of Charlotte offers a competitive compensation package, including relocation assistance, and a salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. In this important leadership position, the successful candidate will have an active on-campus presence in Charlotte. Offers of employment will be conditional upon satisfactory results of a background check.
Charlotte, North Carolina
In the beginning, Charlotte was a trading post along a Native American trading route. It has evolved into the 15th fastest growing city in the United States and the country’s second-largest banking center. With all of its growth, it still hasn’t lost its southern charm or roots. Named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland in 1761, it earned the nickname “Queen City.”
In Charlotte, there are more than 200 official neighborhoods, each with its own flare and characteristics that make it unique. Queens’ 30 acre academic and residential campus is located in the historic neighborhood of Myers Park. Picturesque with its winding walkways and 100-year-old trees, the neighborhood is home to numerous restaurants, boutiques, and restaurants. Revered for the rows of stunning dwellings that showcase masterful 1920s Colonial Revival and Tudor Revival craftsmanship, Myers Park carries timeless allure. Students from Queens tote books along Selwyn Avenue, and bike riders roll down Queens Road’s landscaped loops. With its close proximity to campus, students can explore the safe and spacious sidewalks and families can enjoy this visionary neighborhood where arbors meet architecture.
Charlotte provides opportunities for enthusiasts of every type. Sports fans know Charlotte as home to the Charlotte Hornets (NBA), Carolina Panthers (NFL), Charlotte Football Club, Charlotte Knights (MiLB), Charlotte Checkers (American Hockey League), NASCAR, and the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship. For those who enjoy the outdoors, the campus’s central location provides access to lush bike paths, greenways and parks. Art enthusiasts will find internationally recognized museums and galleries in addition to the public sculptures and murals throughout the city. The rich history of the region is showcased in numerous museums, offering a view into the region's heritage, people, and natural history.
Charlotte and the surrounding suburbs are frequently recognized for offering high quality of life, strong schools, booming job market, and welcoming community. Charlotte is often included among top cities for raising a family with a lower cost of living and the opportunities of a big city, it retains its suburban comfort and southern charm.
To Apply
NES, a national executive search firm specializing in higher education, is assisting Queens University of Charlotte with this search for a Dean of Admissions. If you wish to have a confidential conversation about this opportunity or submit nominations, please contact: Drew Nichols (drew.nichols@nessearches.com), Catherine Capolupo (catherine.capolupo@nessearches.com), or Laura Robinson (laura.robinson@nessearches.com). To apply, please send the following items: 1) a resume, 2) a detailed letter of interest, and 3) contact information for five professional references by email to: queens@nessearches.com. For best consideration, all application materials should be submitted electronically by April 29, 2026. All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be handled with the utmost confidentiality, and candidates will be notified before references are contacted. The Dean of Admission’s anticipated start date is July 1, 2026.
Queens University of Charlotte aims to be a leading comprehensive university, distinguished by its commitment to transforming the lives of its students and enhancing the intellectual and cultural fabric of its community. Queens is a campus where diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values. The mission of Queens is to provide transformative educational experiences that nurture intellectual curiosity, promote global understanding, encourage ethical living, and prepare individuals for purposeful and fulfilling lives. To this end, the University recruits talented faculty, staff, and students from across the United States and around the world. Queens encourages applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, and members of other protected classes and historically minoritized communities. The University also invites applications from individuals who are prepared to provide a rich and varied educational experience to our increasingly diverse student body and to collaborate with colleagues to make Queens an equitable and inclusive place to live, learn, and work.
Queens works to provide an accessible living, learning, and working environment for current and prospective faculty, staff, and students and visitors to our campus. If there are accommodations, we can provide to make your application process more accessible, please contact the Director of Human Resources (hr@queens.edu, 704-337-2297). The position duties and responsibilities listed above should be able to be completed with or without reasonable accommodations. HR works in partnership with employees to manage the workplace accommodations process.