Assistant Director, Admissions and Enrollment, Divinity School - Vanderbilt University

The Assistant Director of Admissions is part of the Office of Admissions and Enrollment at the Divinity School at Vanderbilt University and is a key individual contributor responsible for providing essential support to the continued success in the recruitment and enrollment of highly qualified students into professional degree programs at the Vanderbilt Divinity School. This position facilitates the admissions process, while providing expertise in financial literacy and vocational discernment and career planning initiatives. The Assistant Director works with the Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management, prospective students, current students, alumni, faculty and staff to provide resources, programs, and education in these areas. The Assistant Director assists in coordinating and implementing systems and events (on campus and virtual) for recruitment and admissions. Further responsibilities include end-to-end recruitment across the multi-stage admissions funnel; assisting with applicant development, communications, processing of applications, financial aid awarding, and data tracking to ensure prospective students have a positive and genuine experience with the Vanderbilt Divinity School and transition smoothly from a prospective student to an applicant to a matriculated student.



The Divinity School administrators and staff comprise a team committed to excellence in theological education. From different composite areas: admissions, community life, academics, special programming, communications, theological and religious library resources, and development and alumni relations, each person contributes to an innovative and collegial environment. The unit as a whole is committed to the mission of both the University and the Divinity School. We make equity, diversity, and inclusion a priority from a theological foundation of social justice, and we seek to lead the nation in the care, preparation, and professional qualification of our students to the religious and theological professions.







In a global and multi-religious world, the Divinity school seeks to fulfill the following objectives:





+ to engage in theological inquiry.



+ to help persons prepare for the practice of Christian ministry and public leadership.



+ to encourage personal and spiritual formation.



+ to prepare agents of social justice; and



+ to educate future scholars and teachers, locally and globally.





Duties and Responsibilities:



Recruitment





+ Serves as point of contact for prospective and matriculating students and visitors to ensure open lines of communication.



+ Assists with development of recruitment calendar.



+ Assists with recruitment strategies, including developing viable entering class goals and diversity metrics.



+ Coordinates advertising/marketing appropriate to varied constituencies, including social media, print, conference advertising and participation, and other media.



+ Maintains networks of professional organizations, schools, alums and religious leaders for referral.



+ Cultivates a larger pool of international contacts for student recruitment.



+ Ensures consistent, targeted communications with prospective students.



+ Develops and implements campus hospitality for prospective students.



+ Facilitates travel planning and off-campus recruitment events:



+ Determines appropriate Divinity representatives (including Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management, Assistant Director, current students, alumni) to attend events.



+ Coordinates all travel arrangements.



+ Ensures proper reservations are made for a table at events.



+ Oversees getting all needed materials to events.






+ Supervises and assists student assistants in organizing and leading sessions for prospective students, including support for students to:



+ Answer questions about VDS, degree programs, and Nashville.



+ Share stories of alumni (including one’s own story) looking toward ordination or other ministry.



+ Share about denominational systems for ordination and how VDS can be a part of the plan.



+ Inform students about available aid/scholarships.



+ Facilitate in-person tours for prospective students.






+ Works with Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) to maintain active alumni network to plan and host events.



+ Tracks Divinity graduate and degree information while ensuring compliance with FERPA.






+ Supervises and assists student assistants to collaborate with DAR to identify alumni to plan and host events and work with Divinity leadership and DAR to create a program to formalize how we identify, train, and utilize alumni interested in assisting with recruitment.





Admissions and Financial Aid





+ Facilitates admissions processes, including staffing support for the Admissions Committee as needed.



+ Manages Slate Admissions system, including updating mailings, tracking application cycles, and ensuring applications are completed and reviewed.



+ In consultation with the Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management, counsels prospective students about admission criteria and other critical factors in the educational decision process.



+ Develops and maintains clear and complete office records in preparation for admission decisions and transferal of records to Registrar and Financial Aid office in accordance with University records retention policies to maintain compliance with University policies and federal law.



+ Posts merit scholarships to student accounts each term.



+ Assists the Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management with financial aid data tracking, evaluation, and reporting on entering and continuing students to maintain accurate records.



+ Honors and protects the confidentiality of student application and financial aid information, demonstrating full compliance with rules and laws governing confidentiality and the release of information, guarding against inadvertent or improper disclosure to unauthorized individuals or organizations to remain FERPA compliant and protect our students.





New Student Transition





+ Serves as liaison with International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) to ensure visa requirements, etc. are met in a timely manner.



+ Provides support, as needed, for on-campus visitation programs, new student orientations, campus retention programs, and commencement events.





Data Gathering, Analysis, and Assessment





+ Works with the Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management to gather data on admissions, vocational development, and job placement with an eye to trends and suggestions for innovation and improvement with integrity.



+ Stays current with larger conversations about the changing nature of theological education and best practices in recruitment, retention, and job placement.





Supervisory Relationships:



This position supervises graduate student assistants and reports administratively and functionally to the Senior Director of Strategic Enrollment Management.



Qualifications





+ A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary.



+ A Master’s degree from an accredited higher education institution is preferred.



+ At least three years’ experience working in admissions or enrollment management in higher education is preferred.



+ Experience in admissions, student affairs, or administration at a graduate theological school is preferred.



+ Strong communications skills, preferably including Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and social media platforms are necessary.



+ Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and web-based content editing platforms (Omni, WordPress, etc.) is necessary.



+ Knowledge of federal financial aid system and requirements for higher education is preferred.



+ Ability to utilize institutional data to recommend and implement data-driven policy decisions is preferred.



+ Familiarity with the theological higher education landscape, including trends in enrollment and best practices is preferred.



+ Ability and commitment to handling sensitive and confidential data appropriately, accurately and respectfully is necessary.



+ Ability to work collaboratively within a team environment and independently is necessary.



+ Respect and ease working with people of various backgrounds, belief systems, and orientations is necessary.



+ Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing is necessary.



+ Ability to make administrative/procedural decisions and judgements is necessary.



+ Ability to perform complex tasks and to prioritize multiple projects is necessary.



+ Excellent ability to organize and coordinate is necessary.







Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion





At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.



Vanderbilt University is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.



Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.


Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education. Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.