Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing
Since 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. Located in Sarasota, Florida, the private, not-for-profit college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. Enrolling over 1,600 undergraduate students from 55 countries and 44 states, the College’s rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The College is recognized as the most technologically advanced art college in the world and is known for its cutting-edge and innovative programs, including Virtual Reality Development, Entertainment Design, Business of Art and Design, and more. Striving to create globally aware and socially responsible leaders of art and design, the College’s teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. In addition to the college’s main campus, the recently opened Sarasota Art Museum anchors the Ringling College Museum Campus with 20,000 square feet of exhibition gallery space plus a bistro, shop, auditorium for educational events, performance and film, a sculpture courtyard, and classrooms for the College’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
THE POSITION
The vice president for enrollment management and marketing (VPEMM) will provide the strategic leadership and operational management to develop and implement a comprehensive enrollment management program and an integrated marketing and communication strategy that generates sustained results in recruiting, enrolling, and graduating students. The VPEMM also leads the development and implementation of the College’s brand and marketing and communications strategies to enhance national and global visibility, attract the best students, motivate donors, engage alumni, and recruit exceptional faculty and staff.
Reporting to the president and serving as a member of the president’s cabinet, the vice president for enrollment management and marketing (VPEMM) shares broad responsibility to advance the mission, reputation, and capacity of the College to fulfill its strategic priorities. The VPEMM will be expected to build strong partnerships throughout the college community, the greater Sarasota area community, and the extended community to inform enrollment management and communications efforts. Key elements in this endeavor include working with faculty and administrators to enhance enrollment and marketing initiatives and fostering efforts across academic disciplines and administrative units to achieve the College’s strategic priorities. The VPEMM will be directly responsible for the oversight and management of admissions, financial aid, marketing and communications, and the design center.
The VPEMM leads the development of the vision and strategic direction for student recruitment efforts and has primary responsibility for developing, articulating, and implementing a strategic, entrepreneurial, and data-based enrollment management plan. They are expected to be an enrollment management leader who will grasp the distinct nature of a creative and visual arts education and employ both traditional and innovative means to expand the College’s enrollment effectiveness so as to attract, select, enroll, and retain an exceptionally talented and internationally, culturally, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse undergraduate student body.
The VPEMM will also be responsible for leading the development and implementation of institution-wide marketing and communications efforts. They are also charged with continuing to build and manage a marketing and communications team that is equipped to meet the changing needs of a growing college, including brand building, website strategy, advertising, social media, print publication, and media relations. The VPEMM will work closely with the president and the president’s office to develop strong relationships with external partners. In addition to leading the College’s team of marketing and communications professionals, the VPEMM provides strategic direction in working with the president’s office and other academic and administrative units toward the creation of an integrated marketing and communications effort to attract students and advance the College’s strategic priorities.
The new VPEMM will be presented with an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact by envisioning and executing an integrated and analytically informed enrollment management and communications plan that reflects the College’s distinctiveness and excellence.
QUALIFICATIONS
A bachelor’s degree and documented leadership experience in significant management roles in higher education admissions, enrollment management, and/or marketing/communications are required. A master’s degree and experience in a private college or university is preferred. In addition, the ideal candidate will possess the following:
The capacity to lead and manage efforts that intersect with the institution’s recruiting and marketing/communications strategies and enrollment management goals;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills; the ability to persuasively articulate the College’s impact; and ability to engage diverse audiences, both external and internal, in the College’s mission, vision, programs and goals;
Evidence of collaborative decision-making abilities and the ability to work as a member of a team with a student-centered educational philosophy as well as the proven ability to lead and manage staff
A commitment to the value of a creative and visual arts education;
The ability to think creatively and a willingness to take risks combined with an ability to execute effective enrollment management and marketing strategies;
A passionate commitment to diversity and inclusion;
Relevant experience with the development and use of data and analytics, which includes experience with integrated student information systems and innovative methodologies for recruitment and retention of students;
An in-depth knowledge of current enrollment trends, technology, and strategic higher education practices to make informed decisions;
Demonstrated evidence of an interest in research and data and an ability to ask the right questions, analyze the meaning of the data, and utilize research for decision making;
Knowledge of national and international trends and developments in recruitment, admissions, and retention for the purpose of modeling and strategic planning;
The ability to develop and implement strategic communications and research-based marketing plans, including a deep understanding of online and social media marketing
APPLICATION AND NOMINATION
Review of applications will begin February 1, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Kendra E. Dane at ked@spelmanjohnson.com or Michel Frendian at mrf@spelmanjohnson.com.
Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895.
Visit the Ringling College of Art and Design website at www.ringling.edu
Ringling College of Art and Design is an equal employment opportunity employer
