DAN QUAGLIANA
News Editor
SUNY Fredonia’s looming enrollment problems have been ongoing for many years. This year, the university has taken its most radical step yet in trying to fix them — the hiring of a dedicated vice president for enrollment management and services (VPEMS), Dr. Kathryn Kendall.
The VPEMS position was unveiled to University Senate, the campus’ governing body composed of faculty members, early last semester. Later on, President Kolison said at the April 2023 meeting that, “Before this was created, I had meetings with various people. I stressed the urgency of having this position. [I h]ad [a] robust discussion explaining what it is we are trying to do … I did receive support for the position, because, again, I would endeavor to explain the relevance and importance of this position.”
“As the VPEMS, I serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet and work collaboratively with the Vice Presidents of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Finance and Administration and University Advancement to accomplish the enrollment goals of the university,” Kendall explained. “I directly oversee the strategic vision and coordination of all functions of enrollment management at the university, including the Office of Admissions, Financial Aid, Recruiting and other related areas.”
At the August 2023 meeting, the membership for the search committee to find a VPEMS was unanimously approved by Senate. That committee was chaired by Dr. Andy Karafa, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Rob Deemer, a music composition professor and the chair of the department of theatre and dance.
Kendall’s appointment to the position was announced to students on March 1, in a news article released that day by Marketing and Communications.
“I applied for the position through a national search firm, RPA Inc.,” Kendall remembered. “The process included a multiple-stage interview process in which I was invited onto the campus as a finalist for a two-day interview visit. During those two days I presented on strategic enrollment management, and met and interviewed with several groups comprised of faculty, staff, students and administrators.”
As part of that interview process, Kendall participated in an “open session” that students were able to go to, on Nov. 30, 2023. At that session, she gave a presentation on the topic of “the use of data when developing and implementing a strategic enrollment management plan.”
Karafa described how the search committee was “looking for somebody who had comprehensive experience with enrollment management, and evidence that they’ve been successful.”
“Kendall had progressive experience,” he said. “Her focus was on the social work program up at the University at Buffalo (UB). She had various responsibilities in that role there.”
Kendall graduated from Fredonia in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. After graduating, she earned a master’s degree in Social Work from UB and an Ed.D. at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.
“From the perspective of a SUNY Fredonia alum, it’s wonderful to be back at my alma mater. I have great memories of my time here and it feels very comfortable being back on campus,” Kendall related. “Some of the new building construction came about after I graduated, but for the most part everything is very familiar.
“Over the course of my professional career, I have crossed paths with many fellow Fredonia alumni who all shared similar regard for their alma mater. Many of the faculty who influenced my career path have since retired, and yet their encouragement and guidance will always stay with me,” she said.
Before accepting the VPEMS position, Kendall worked as the senior assistant dean for enrollment and online programs in the School of Social Work at the University at Buffalo, a position she has held since 2016.
“As a candidate, I brought over 20 years of higher education enrollment experience,” she said. “I held leadership roles overseeing enrollment, marketing, recruitment, admissions, retention, strategic planning and data analytics, for both online and on-campus programs. In these previous positions I have used data analytics to drive enrollment objectives and support retention efforts. Building from descriptive data and trend analysis, I have identified actionable steps through predictive and prescriptive analytics. By leveraging technology and data, I have improved and implemented evidence-based solutions to achieve enrollment goals.”
Kendall described how the only challenge she’s faced in her new role so far has been the “ongoing technical issues with the new 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) implementation.”
Kendall is referencing how the FAFSA rollout of this year is taking longer than in past years, causing problems for many students both at Fredonia and elsewhere.
“This has certainly been a challenge for all of higher education, not just Fredonia. Currently, our financial aid office is well-positioned to move forward with financial aid packaging once we receive updated FAFSA data,” she explained.
The university’s administration saw value in those skills, as Karafa relates how the final decision for the VPEMS choice was the University’s president, Stephen Kolison’s: “The president made the final decision. We digitally provided strengths and weaknesses of candidates.” Members of the search committee did not have any input on Kolison’s decision.
Kendall hopes to use those skills to implement “a Strategic Enrollment Management Plan to complement the institution’s Strategic Plan.” She described how, “It’s the mission, vision and guiding principles that will steer enrollment management strategies. I started the VPEMS position here at SUNY Fredonia about three months ago and I have spent much of it meeting key stakeholders and familiarizing myself with process, procedures and resources. I really have only scratched the surface and will continue to set up collaboration meetings well into the future.”