Vice President for Enrollment at Ripon College

Ripon College prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship.  Our liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education.

Mission Statement

As Ripon College, a private, residential liberal arts college, prepares for its 175th anniversary in 2026, they seek a Vice President for Enrollment with deep recruitment experience to lead a collaborative campus community to enrollment success.  Reporting to President Victoria Folse, and joining an engaged senior leadership team known as the Administrative Council, the new Vice President will build on the foundation provided by the College’s long history of quality teaching and learning and bolstered by the momentum of a multi-prong, new thoughtful strategic plan.

A strong leader with a track record of enrollment success in their own career, the new Vice President will support and motivate the offices of admission and financial aid, overseeing a team of eleven as well as a newly expanded role in transfer admission. Supplying equal parts strategic vision and energetic, personal engagement in recruitment, admission and enrollment efforts, the Vice President will also provide oversight of student-centered financial aid efforts for new and continuing students. Further, the Vice President will leverage significant tools provided by the College for enrollment success including the addition of a regional recruiter in Illinois, the establishment of a STEM Enrollment Coordinator position, nearly $33 million invested in campus infrastructure, enhanced curricular offerings, and creation of a supportive and knowledgeable Enrollment Committee of the Board.

The position
Overall, the Vice President for Enrollment should be a leader, a thought partner, and fierce advocate for accountability.  They must be able to lead their team, lead the way on enrollment discussions, and lead others through effective collaboration on the successful implementation of efforts to attract increasing numbers of new first year and transfer students annually.  The new Vice President will:

  • Serve as a member of the Administrative Council reporting directly to President Folse and offer subject matter expertise on admission and financial aid matters, while considering all areas of the College through that important lens.
  • Using historic internal and external metrics, initiate setting enrollment targets and goals for the College that reflect programmatic realities and opportunities for first year and transfer students and along with a graduate cohort for the master’s program.
  • Review and establish aggressive strategies regarding net revenue generation for new and continuing students, working with an external partner, the chief financial officer, and other members of the Administrative Council.
  • With the director of financial aid, assure compliance of external policies regarding financial aid from the federal and state governments, as well as internal policies and procedures to stay within compliance and on budget.
  • Establish an urgent, forward-thinking recruitment strategy to achieve success, building on traditions and foundations that are central to Ripon.
  • Support, equip and ignite staff toward the implementation of reaching and exceeding enrollment goals in existing and new markets, using data as the guide.
  • Offer professional development opportunities to admission and financial aid staff to ensure growth and well-being as critical and valued members of the Ripon College community.
  • Work in close partnership with a caring and informed Board of Trustees, other senior staff, engaged faculty, competitive coaches, and dedicated alumni who are willing to lift and contribute to Ripon’s enrollment success.
  • Imaginatively capture and tell the story of the success of on the campus experience and make a direct impact by amplifying that success. 

Experience and skills:
The successful candidate must have earned a bachelor’s degree (an advanced degree is preferred); and at least eight years of enrollment related experience with progressive upward development.  In addition, the candidate should have many of the following skills.

  • Experience in staff development and management, demonstrating both a caring regard for individual growth and accountability that leads to professional excellence.
  • Ability to serve as a “recruiter’s recruiter”, leading the way to connecting with students, crafting messages and communication with prospective students and their families beginning at the top of the funnel and extending to the final decision-making process for enrolling students.
  • Knowledge of Slate and a keen understanding of how to connect with prospective students and families in authentic and timely ways.
  • A track record of connection with important partners on campus (faculty, staff, coaches, students); with those off campus but related (Board, alumni, parents of current students); and others who are off campus and an affinity for engaging in meaningful ways (school and college counselors, counselors for potential transfer students, and community-based organizations).
  • A hunger for serving in a community where success is intertwined with a genuine interest in student growth and development.
  • An ability to knit together a team who will serve internally and externally as ambassadors for the College and the ways the liberal arts and sciences will benefit students’ futures.
  • A knack for maximizing resources, studying data trends, and applying innovation to make a difference and bring results.
  • Common sense approach that includes consistency and quick follow through on initiatives.

Ripon now
Though Ripon was founded in 1851, the mission of the college to welcome and educate students has a current and vibrant feel. In part that readiness stems from the recently completed Strategic Plan.  This two part-faculty led process began with announced plans in December 2022 to move forward with a $35 million strategic infrastructure plan which addressed the renovation and expansion of Farr Hall of Science with the Franzen Science Center, a new on-campus Hopp stadium, and upgrades to residence halls.

Phase One of the comprehensive, campus wide strategic plan identified five core strategic pillars to serve as the thematic bases of the plan.  Embedded in the pillars are high-level strategic imperatives, completing the first phase of the strategic planning process.

Those pillars include:

  • Elevate Admission and Enrollment Strategies
  • Innovated Curricular Programming
  • Amplify Meaningful Student Experiences
  • Foster Stakeholder Engagement
  • Steward Fiscal Responsibility.

In addition to the success of the Strategic Planning process that brought together every facet of the campus into working groups, Ripon College has achieved great success in the Forever Ripon Campaign. In December 2023, this five-year comprehensive campaign and largest philanthropic effort in its history, achieved its initial goal of $75 million, 18 months ahead of schedule. While Ripon will keep the original campaign timeline with an ending date of June 30, 2025, it now will pursue an extended goal of $100 million. As of October 2024, Forever Ripon gift production sits at $95 million.

Academics
Ripon’s 700 undergraduate students may choose from a total of 31 majors, 42 minors, or customize a course plan in pursuit of competitive placement in a variety of professional degree programs, including but not limited to: engineering, pre-law and pre-med and health sciences. Every undergraduate student graduates with a concentration in Applied Innovation upon completing the five-course Catalyst curriculum.

Beginning in 2024, Ripon offers a Master of Exercise Science degree which features three tracks, and is available as both a 4+1 Direct Entry Program and a traditional graduate program.

Catalyst Curriculum
Ripon’s innovative five-course Catalyst curriculum ensures students are able to complete multiple majors and minors, experiential study, play sports and hold internships in four years. A total of 124 credits are required to graduate with a degree from Ripon College. Catalyst consists of 20 required course credits, giving students the flexibility to choose where they spend their time.

The Catalyst curriculum rigorously develops the 21st-century skills that employers seek while streamlining the path to graduation. Catalyst ensures students are able to complete multiple majors and minors, experiential study and hold internships in four years. Students enjoy extensive freedom to pursue their passions and craft their own academic program of study.

Catalyst consists of five seminars, two in the first year, two in the sophomore year, and the applied innovation seminar in the junior year. The first four seminars are designed to develop the essential skills students need to work collaboratively and independently in the junior seminar, in which they will work in teams mentored by faculty members as they develop and present proposed solutions to large, open-ended questions. The seminars also provide grounding in some basic college-level academic skills and expose students to a range of disciplinary approaches. Graduates who complete the Catalyst curriculum earn a Concentration in Applied Innovation, which documents on the transcript that a graduate has mastered the skills of oral communication, writing, critical thinking, collaboration, quantitative reasoning, information literacy, integration and intercultural competence.

Core Values of the College:
Serious Intellectual Inquiry:  A standard of academic excellence fosters scholarly and artistic achievement and promotes lifelong learning.

Integrity:  Ethical conduct guides the college. Decisions and actions reflect the principles of honesty, fairness, candor, respect, responsibility, trust, inclusiveness, and openness.

Diverse Community:  Differences of perspective, experience, background, and heritage enrich the college. Relationships are sincere, friendly, welcoming and supportive.

Stewardship:  Ripon College is a responsible steward of its mission, traditions and resources.

Service:  Service within and beyond the campus enables effective governance, encourages community engagement and creates leadership opportunities.

Leadership
President Victoria Folse began her tenure as President at Ripon College in July 2022 and was the first female president of the College inaugurated in April of 2023.

Folse, a respected scholar and administrator, brings to Ripon more than 30 years of experience in higher education and a long-standing commitment to the liberal arts. She served as the director and endowed chair of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences at Illinois Wesleyan University from 2009 to 2022 and executive director of Counseling and Health Services starting in 2019. Folse’s executive leadership roles in both Academic and Student Affairs have prioritized a shared governance model with faculty, staff, and students.

As the director of the School of Nursing at Illinois Wesleyan, Folse led a successful $2 million campaign and oversaw renovation of classroom and laboratory facilities. She doubled student enrollment with emphasis on diversity and retention of at-risk students and hired diverse faculty to mirror the student population. In addition, Folse stewarded curricular revision and accreditation, implemented a semester-long study abroad program for nursing, and developed an interdisciplinary public health program including a minor that launched in the fall of 2021.

Folse earned her bachelor of science in nursing from Illinois Wesleyan, a master of science in psychiatric nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Ph.D. in nursing with a concentration in research from Saint Louis University. She is a licensed clinical nurse specialist in adult psychiatric nursing, an advanced practice registered nurse and a licensed clinical professional counselor. Also an active scholar, researcher, international lecturer and consultant, she has expertise in areas such as eating disorders, suicide risk, self-concept, sexuality, drugs and alcohol, interprofessional communication, leadership, and quality and safety in healthcare.

Since joining Ripon, Folse has worked in partnership with members of senior leadership, faculty, staff, and the greater Ripon community in establishing a strategic plan, embarking on the “Forever Ripon” campaign, and launching innovative programs such as the Ripon Commitment. Offering remarkable support to the Wisconsin residents, the Ripon Commitment offers free tuition to students with less than a $75,000 AGI, and a price match for Wisconsin's flagship university. (https://ripon.edu/the-ripon-commitment/)

Accolades

  • Ripon is included in The Princeton Review’s 2025 edition of The Best 390 Colleges and one of the Best Regional Colleges list for the Midwest. The Princeton Review also ranked Ripon #18 for Best Athletic Facilities and #21 for Greek Life.
    • The Athletic ranking makes Ripon’s facilities #1 in the Midwest Conference and Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) and #5 among all Division III schools.
  • Ripon also was ranked #136 among National Liberal Arts Colleges in S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges Rankings, rising 10 positions from last year’s rank.
  • Ripon was named to Money Magazine’s 2024 Best Colleges in America. The list ranks schools that successfully combine quality and affordability, based on factors such as tuition costs, family borrowing and career earnings.

Ripon, Wisconsin
A quaint town of 8,000, Ripon’s walkable downtown is just two blocks from the College’s campus and located in the heart of Wisconsin.  With a slate of activities and events, local shops, and restaurants, Ripon provides a family-friendly atmosphere and a safe and caring place to live.  The Ripon public schools are rated well, and cost of housing and overall living is relatively low. https://ripon-wi.com/

The College provides an important touchstone for the city of Ripon, hosting annual events such as Fall Fest and performances by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.  In addition, outdoor activities abound in Ripon and the surrounding area including year round trails for hiking, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing, as well as beautiful lakes such nearby Green Lake for summer boating and swimming, golf and tennis.

The campus itself comprises 250 tree-lined acres and 27 buildings, ten of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  A sustainable campus, Ripon College is home to the Ceresco Prairie Conservancy with 130 acres of native prairie, oak savanna and wetland habitat.

Located south of the Fox Cities, Ripon is northwest of Milwaukee, and northeast of Madison.  Ripon is also an easy driving distance to Fond du Lac and Oshkosh.

To Apply
NES, a higher education search firm specializing in enrollment management searches, is assisting Ripon in identifying the College's next Vice President for Enrollment. For more information, or to nominate someone for this position, contact Suzi Nam (suzi.nam@nessearches.com), Catherine Capolupo (catherine.capolupo@nessearches.com) or Mary Napier (mary.napier@nessearches.com). 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 position at Ripon College. 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 ripon@nessearches.com by November 8, 2024. The position is campus-based and the preferred start date is Spring 2025.

Ripon College encourages applications from individuals from underrepresented groups in the professoriate, including, for example, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, first-generation college students, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

 

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