Robert Alexander has been named dean of admissions, financial aid and enrollment management at the University of Rochester. He will begin at the University on June 1.
Alexander is vice president for enrollment and communications at Millsaps College, a nationally ranked private liberal arts institution in Jackson, Mississippi. There, he leads the offices of admission, financial aid, and communications and marketing. With more than 20 years of enrollment management experience in higher education, he has gained national attention for his focus on college access, affordability, and transparency.
“Rob immediately impressed our Arts, Sciences & Engineering search committee of students, faculty and staff with his deep understanding of national trends in enrollment and his experience in attracting and supporting students from diverse backgrounds,” said Donald Hall, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences & Engineering. “He will be an inspirational leader for our highly skilled team in admissions, financial aid and enrollment management, and a great external ambassador for the University.”
Rochester’s dean of admissions and financial aid designs and leads the enrollment strategy for Arts, Sciences and Engineering, which comprises more than 90 percent of the undergraduate population. Based in the University’s Office of Admissions, the position has responsibility for more than 90 staff members, an operating budget of $9.4 million, and distribution of over $330 million in student aid.
“I’m drawn to the University of Rochester by the same distinction that attracts scholars from around the world—the intellectual horsepower of a leading research university combined with the interpersonal growth opportunities of a liberal arts education, where the best and brightest students craft their own programs of study,” said Alexander. “I’m excited to work collaboratively with Dean Hall, the extraordinary admissions and financial aid team, and partners across and beyond the campus.”
At Millsaps, Alexander has been a member of the president’s executive staff and involved in all aspects of institutional leadership, including strategic planning, implementation, and assessment. He has led teams that successfully increased new student enrollment, diversity, and scholarship funding, and developed external partnerships and pipeline programs with secondary schools, community colleges, and graduate/professional schools. He is also an instructor of management in Millsaps’ Else School of Business.
Before joining Millsaps six years ago, Alexander served as associate provost for enrollment at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and as assistant vice president for enrollment management and adjunct professor of business at Tulane University in New Orleans. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology and an MBA in marketing and management from Tulane, and his doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Alexander is active with the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO), the College Board, the Association of Governing Boards (AGB), and the American Marketing Association, speaking at national meetings regarding enrollment management and marketing strategies.
