Cleveland State University is looking for a new vice president of “enrollment management.” Boiled down, the job is about getting more butts in classroom seats.
It’s an especially important role at Cleveland State. The university faces a range of challenges right now, including a projected $40 million budget deficit and enrollment declines. About 14,175 students enrolled there last fall, down 13% from 16,327 students in 2018.
Those obstacles inform the 13-page job posting from executive search firm WittKieffer.
“CSU is not impervious to the external forces impacting much of higher education, including intensified competition for undergraduates in a state with a saturated higher education market and declining demographics,” the firm writes.
The new vice president will oversee about 85 full-time employees across seven departments. Of course, the enrollment team reports directly to President Laura Bloomberg, whom the job posting bills as leading a “forward-thinking leadership team that is charting an ambitious course for the institution.”
The timing gives Bloomberg the chance to fill a core position on her cabinet. A handful of current cabinet-level employees were initially hired by former president Harlan Sands. Bloomberg took over after his sudden ousting in 2022.
The job posting doesn’t list a salary. But Jonathan Wehner, who most recently helmed the role, made $212,300 before he left last month, according to records reviewed by Signal Cleveland.
Officials are accepting applications until May 31.
