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National Association for College Admission Counseling • Career Paths for Admission Officers: A Survey Report
More surprisingly, 54 percent of vice presidents/deans and 64 percent of
directors handle communications and marketing. In some instances, the
admission function is responsible only for communications and marketing
directly related to its work, but some vice presidents reported in interviews
that the entire university communications/marketing operation reports to
them. Registrar/records/scheduling are part of the charge of 21 percent of
senior leaders, and 9 percent have added student affairs to their portfolios
(see Figure 6).
These changes are evidence of the evolving concept of “enrollment management”
that encompasses all areas related to fully managing the entire
admission-related process. Greater involvement for some with student
affairs may indicate a stronger, more direct connection with matriculation
and retention. As more colleges and universities have developed or expanded
online degree programs and international recruitment, many senior
admission officers said they had added staff at both entry- and mid-levels
with specific responsibilities in these areas.
Varied responsibilities
At one time, a day in the life of a counselor, an associate/assistant director, a
director and a dean or vice president was somewhat predictable, depending
on the size and type of institution. Such traditional tasks as visiting high
schools, going to college fairs, meeting with students and parents, hosting
special events on and off-campus, reading files and making decisions are
still part of the portfolio, but so are many other activities.
While financial aid responsibilities primarily rest with the dean or vice
president (73 percent), 17 percent of both admission counselors and
assistant/associate directors say it is also part of their job descriptions,
as do 13 percent of directors (see Figure 6). Several counselors who were
interviewed said that families are more worried than ever about finances
and, as a result, want information about financial aid as quickly as
possible. They don’t want to wait for a later discussion with a financial
aid officer. Counselors who cannot provide that information may lose a
promising prospect, some added.
For those departments with student affairs responsibilities, admission
counselors are the most involved on a daily basis (15 percent), followed by
assistant and associate directors at 12 percent. In contrast, staff members
below the vice presidential level have little involvement with registrar/records/scheduling
assignments. On the other hand, the growing involvement
of admission/enrollment management functions with communications and
marketing has resulted in responsibilities for this area being the most
spread out among all staff. In fact, 46 percent of counselors, 52 percent of
assistant/associate directors, 64 percent of directors and 54 percent of vice
presidents say it is part of their job functions (see Figure 6).
Figure 6. Areas of responsibility, by position level
80%
73.4%
All Respondents
70%
64.4%
Admission Counselor
60%
50%
54.0%
45.7%
51.6%
53.9%
Assistant/Associate
Director of Admission
Director of Admission
40%
30%
20%
10%
25.5%
16.7%
16.6%
12.8%
Vice President/Dean of
Admission and/or
Enrollment Management
14.8%
12.4%
10.6%
8.6%
5.3%
7.5%
5.7% 4.7% 4.2%
20.7%
0%
Communications/
marketing
Financial aid Student affairs Registrar/
records/scheduling
Source: NACAC Admission Officer Career Path Survey, 2011.
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