Radford University appoints VP for Enrollment Management

Vice President of Enrollment Management Katherine McCarthy
Vice President for Enrollment Management Katherine McCarthy

Radford University has appointed Katherine “Kitty” McCarthy as the university’s vice president for Enrollment Management. McCarthy brings three decades of experience in higher education admissions and enrollment management, at both public and private institutions.

As vice president for Enrollment Management, McCarthy will serve as a member of the president’s cabinet and will have broad responsibility for recruiting and enrolling a highly talented and diverse new student population. The vice president for Enrollment Management will establish an enrollment vision and strategy and provide leadership of the offices of Undergraduate Admissions, the Registrar and Financial Aid.

“Kitty McCarthy was the unanimous choice of the search committee,” said Holly Cline, member of the search committee and chair of the Department of Interior Design and Fashion. “The committee was impressed with her data driven and results oriented approach to recruitment and retention. In addition, the committee felt that she would be a compassionate and tireless leader who will show true care, empathy and understanding of student and faculty needs. We felt that she was exactly the right person to lead us in our enrollment efforts and will do amazing things for Radford University. I am so excited to learn from and work with her,” added Cline.

Reflecting on the search committee’s decision, Kenna Colley, member of the committee and dean of the College of Education and Human Development, commented “The search committee for the vice president for Enrollment Management was comprised of a wide variety of faculty and professionals from across the university that represented offices critical to our student recruitment and retention efforts. The group was very thorough, cohesive and worked well together on vetting the potential candidates from a very large and diverse pool of applicants.” Colley also added, “Ms. McCarthy was a clear standout in both her Skype interviews and during her on-campus interview. She was very personable, provided evidence and detailed examples of her experience in enrollment management and shared strategies she would employ here that were a good fit for Radford. I look forward to working with her to help us stabilize and expand our student population. I know that she will hit the ground running.”

Previously, McCarthy has served as the vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at West Virginia State University, Institute, W.Va., where her accomplishments included increased new freshman applications; overall new student enrollment growth; the introduction and implementation of competitive recruitment practices; development and implementation of new scholarship models and awarding procedures; and collaboration with faculty and staff to achieve improved first-time freshman retention.

“I am excited and honored to join Radford University as vice president for Enrollment Management. Over time, I have become increasingly impressed with Radford's people, programs, and campus,” said McCarthy. “During my recent visit to campus, I found that the entire university community is looking forward to the future with great optimism. I share in this enthusiasm as I begin my work alongside Radford’s talented and passionate students, faculty, staff and alumni. Our efforts to recruit new students to Radford University will contribute to an exciting future for the university. It's a wonderful time to be a Highlander!”

McCarthy’s extensive enrollment management career has also included service as associate vice president for Enrollment Management at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Ill.; assistant vice chancellor for Enrollment Marketing at The State University of New York (SUNY), System Administration, Albany, N.Y.; director of Admissions at Alfred University, Alfred, N.Y.; dean of Admissions at Siena College, Albany, N.Y.; and associate director of Admissions/Marketing at the University of Rochester.

“Ms. McCarthy has a vision of enrollment management in keeping with Radford’s needs—recognizing that it encompasses not only recruitment, but also all the steps that follow, from admission to graduation. She has experience with all the tools available to an enrollment manager, such as territory management, and is both simultaneously detail-driven and creative in her use of those tools,” observed Kim Gainer, member of the search committee, secretary of the Faculty Senate and associate dean of the College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences.

“She has a track record of engaging with those who identify and recruit students, those who provide support services once the students arrive on campus, and those who design and teach the courses. As a faculty member, I was impressed with her approach to integrating faculty and departments into enrollment management by working with them to identify recruitment and retention opportunities based on their courses and programs,” added Gainer.

“I want to thank the members of the search committee, which reflected a broad cross section of the Radford campus community, for their hard work and commitment to identifying a group of the most highly qualified candidates for this important position,” said Irvin Clark, chair of the search committee, former dean of Students and recently appointed interim vice president for Student Affairs. “I also want to thank the campus community for their interest in this search and participation in the open forums. Kitty is an energetic enrollment management professional with extensive proven experiences. I am confident that she will provide RU with a high level of expertise in enrollment management, along with the ability to infuse this area with a fresh, relevant and up-to-date perspective that reflects the latest research and thinking in the area of strategic enrollment growth.”

Speaking to the search committee’s efforts and the campus’ engagement, Gainer added, “All stakeholders were well represented in the process—students, faculty and staff—and the university community demonstrated its interest in the position through an excellent turnout for candidate presentations. My colleagues filled every seat in Heth Hall’s largest meeting space. They asked numerous pointed questions of the candidates, and they were generous in providing the search committee with spoken and written feedback.”

McCarthy earned a Master of Business Administration (Concentration in Marketing) at Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y., a B.S. in Business Administration at Alfred University, and an A.S. in Business Administration from Monroe Community College, Rochester, N.Y.

The vice president for Enrollment Management search committee members were Irvin Clark, interim vice president for Student Affairs, as committee chair; Richard Alvarez, vice president for Finance and Administration and chief financial officer; Matthew Brunner, registrar; Joe Carpenter, vice president for University Relations and chief communications officer; Holly Cline, chair, Department of Interior Design and Fashion; Kenna Colley, dean of the College of Education and Human Development; Mike Dunn, director of New Student Programs and Services; Kim Gainer, Department of English and secretary of the Faculty Senate; Kati Hurt, student; Eric Lovik, director of Institutional Research, Reporting and Assessment; Ed Oakes, associate vice president for Information Technology; James Pennix, dean of Admissions and Enrollment Management; Barbara Porter, director of Financial Aid; and Patti Williamson, coordinator of Pre-Major Advising.

McCarthy will assume her new role at Radford University on Sept. 1st.

Aug 3, 2016
Joe Carpenter
540-831-7270
ljcarpenter@radford.edu