Job Overview

The Assistant Dean of Admissions serves as the senior institutional leader responsible for the vision, strategy, and execution of all undergraduate and graduate recruitment and admissions for the College‑Conservatory of Music (CCM). With comprehensive accountability for enrollment outcomes across CCM’s diverse academic and performance‑based programs, including audition‑ and portfolio‑based disciplines, this role exercises significant autonomy in shaping recruitment strategy, admissions operations, and long‑term enrollment sustainability.

In partnership with the Dean, Associate Deans, faculty leaders, and university colleagues, the Assistant Dean aligns enrollment goals with artistic and academic priorities. The role uses analytics, financial modeling, and market research to strengthen CCM’s national and international position and recruit highly qualified, artistically exceptional students.

This is an on‑campus, in‑person leadership position.  Occasional evening and weekend work is required.

Essential Functions

Strategic Leadership & Department Operations

• Provide vision, leadership, and full accountability for recruitment and admissions outcomes across all undergraduate and graduate CCM programs, aligning enrollment strategy with college and university priorities.
• Serve as a senior advisor to the Dean and college leadership on admissions policy, enrollment strategy, financial aid leveraging, and long‑range academic planning.
• Establish goals, benchmarks, and assessment practices to support continuous improvement, transparency, and institutional effectiveness.
• Lead, manage, and develop a high‑performing admissions team, establishing clear goals, performance metrics, and professional development pathways.
• Design and implement scalable, sustainable systems and workflows that support long‑term operational resilience.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and service‑oriented professional culture.
• Lead a data‑informed admissions operation utilizing analytics, dashboards, reporting tools, and market research to guide strategy and monitor performance.
• Translate complex data into actionable insights for the Dean, faculty leadership, and university partners.
• Monitor national and international enrollment trends to maintain CCM’s competitive position and inform strategic decision‑making.

Recruitment & Enrollment 

• Design and implement a comprehensive, data‑driven recruitment and admissions strategy encompassing application generation, yield optimization, enrollment shaping, and talent diversification across disciplines.
• Leverage available college recruitment funds and financial aid to assist in recruiting and supporting students.
• Analyze enrollment trends, applicant pipeline data, yield patterns, market demand, and competitive positioning to identify strategic opportunities and risks.
• Support long‑range enrollment forecasting and scenario planning to inform academic and financial decision‑making, including recommendations on program additions, revisions, growth, or sunsetting.
• Collaborate closely with division chairs, program heads, and faculty to develop and execute discipline‑specific recruitment strategies aligned with school‑wide enrollment goals.
• Oversee and manage audition and pre-screening processes; audition days and college-level tours and welcome days; and college participation in university-wide recruitment, enrollment, and orientation events.
• Support faculty participation in recruitment, auditions, and student selection while maintaining clear operational governance and accountability.
• Foster shared understanding of enrollment data, capacity management, and applicant evaluation across academic units.
• Oversee recruitment communications, events, and outreach initiatives in partnership with marketing and communications teams.
• Represent CCM at institutional, regional, national, and international levels to enhance visibility and expand the prospective student pipeline.
• Support strategic recruitment travel and participation in professional conferences and industry forums.

Additional Essential Functions

Admissions Process Oversight

• Direct and oversee all CCM admissions processes, ensuring consistency, efficiency, transparency, and adherence to institutional policy.
• Integrate discipline‑specific requirements such as auditions, portfolios, interviews, and faculty evaluation within a cohesive admissions framework.
• Ensure a high‑quality, student‑centered experience for prospective students at every stage of the admissions lifecycle.
• Collaborate with university partners in Admissions, Financial Aid, Advising, Marketing, Institutional Research, and Information Technology to ensure cohesive processes and a seamless prospective‑student experience.
• Serve as CCM’s senior admissions representative in university‑wide enrollment initiatives and governance activities.

Scholarship & Resource Management

• Provide strategic oversight of college recruitment funds and admissions‑related budgets, ensuring resources are deployed effectively to advance enrollment goals.
• Oversee and administer 12M annual scholarship budget that is drawn from multiple restricted and unrestricted sources. Leverage this budget across all areas of CCM to maximize recruitment, yield, student support, and program health.
• Partner with university enrollment and scholarship offices to design and implement scholarship leveraging strategies that support yield, access, and academic quality.
• Assess return on investment for recruitment initiatives, travel, events, and financial incentives, and adjust strategies based on outcomes and market conditions.

Required Experience

• Master’s degree in Music, Theatre, Dance, Media, Student Affairs, Higher Education, Marketing or related fields.
• Minimum of six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in higher education admissions, recruitment, or enrollment management, including experience in specialized or selective admissions environments; conservatory or arts‑based experience strongly preferred.
• Minimum of four (4) years of senior‑level leadership experience supervising professional staff and managing complex operations.
• Demonstrated experience building or transforming systems, processes, or organizational units to support long‑term sustainability.

Additional Qualifications Considered

• Demonstrated strategic leadership and decision‑making authority in complex academic environments.
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to translate enrollment data into strategy, policy, and academic recommendations.
• Strong understanding of enrollment trends, competitive landscapes, financial aid leveraging, and student decision‑making.
• Knowledge of audition‑, portfolio‑, or interview‑based admissions models.
• Ability to collaborate with and influence faculty and senior academic leadership.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficiency with admissions CRM systems (e.g., Slate), reporting and data visualization tools, and advanced Microsoft Office skills.
• Ability to learn and leverage new technologies that enhance admissions operations and strategic planning.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment