Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

The Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid will lead strategic direction, planning, coordination, execution, and analysis for enrollment, ensuring Bates thrives in today's dynamic higher education landscape. This individual will support a talented student body that is diverse across many dimensions, providing overarching leadership for admission and student financial services. This position will define direction, priorities, and strategy for the department.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic and Institutional Leadership- Serve on the senior leadership team and contribute to Bates' overall strategic direction. Guide the understanding of enrollment priorities, opportunities, and trade-offs at Bates, helping articulate institutional positions on complex and sensitive issues at local, regional, national, and international levels.
• Team Management and Development- Lead and inspire the admission and student financial services teams, cultivating a high-performing, inclusive culture rooted in collaboration, shared purpose, and strategic alignment. Promote mentorship, professionalism, and continuous development across the unit.
• Recruitment Strategy and Communications- Serve as Bates' lead ambassador to prospective students and their families, passionately advocating for the relevance and impact of a modern liberal arts education. Collaborate with the athletic director on the recruitment of student-athletes. Partner closely with the vice president for communications and marketing to craft and implement cohesive, integrated messaging and marketing strategies that elevate Bates' academic distinction and strengthen its visibility on both national and global stages.
• Data-Informed Planning and Innovation- Routinely analyze data to inform strategy, assess effectiveness, and refine recruitment, selection, and financial services programs. Establish clear priorities, align resources with measurable outcomes, and explore innovative approaches to ensure responsiveness to market dynamics, institutional goals, and student needs.
• Student Financial Services Oversight- Guide a creative, forward-thinking program of student financial services, maintaining fiscally responsible leadership and tending to the needs of current and new students alike, and demonstrating competence in fundraising and philanthropy.
• College-Wide Engagement- Work closely with the president, senior leadership, the faculty Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, the Enrollment Planning Strategy Committee, and other campus offices to ensure strategic enrollment goals are clearly communicated and embraced across Bates. Collaborate with the Trustee Committee on Admission and Financial Aid to consider and align governance and strategy priorities.
• External Representation and Thought Leadership- Monitor educational trends at the country, national, and state levels; serve as a thought leader on admission and financial aid policy within the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and across the national and international admission and financial aid professional communities.

Procedure For Candidacy:

All applications, nominations, and inquiries are invited. Applications should include, as separate documents, a CV or resume and a letter of interest addressing the themes in this profile. WittKieffer is assisting Bates College in this search. For fullest consideration, candidate materials should be received by November 10, 2025. Applications, nominations, and inquiries must be directed to:

Robin Mamlet, Amy Crutchfield, and Randi Miller, Bates-VPEnrollment@wittkieffer.com