Admissions Counselor

Job Summary:

The Admissions Counselor will purposefully seek, recruit, qualify and grant admission to prospective Calvin University students, providing excellent customer service to the student and his or her family. The counselor is responsible for creating and implementing strategies to recruit and enroll prospective students from a specific geographic area as well as students from other geographic areas as needed. Strategies will include recruiting travel, phone calls, emails, texts, interviews, on-campus appointments, etc. He or she will assist in coordinating special projects, review applications and assist in making admissions decisions. The counselor shall be the primary Calvin University point of contact for prospective students on all matters relating to enrollment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Territory development, including building and maintaining strong connections to key schools and primary contacts as well as outreach for market development
• Establish and maintain effective recruiting relationships with key Christian and public high schools by making scheduled visits and contacting appropriate school administrators, parents and alumni to ensure good standing with feeder schools to ensure optimal enrollment.
• Plan and execute travel/recruitment plans to maximize enrollment efforts.
• Serve as primary contact for prospective students and families through calls, events, 1:1 meetings, emails, etc.
• Perform department administrative duties by reviewing admission files for completion, monitoring the status of individual applicants, scheduling high school visits and making all travel arrangements to contribute to an efficient and cost effective recruiting process.
• Develop proficiency within the CRM to gather data, plan travel, record interactions with students, and report activity. Database management will be an essential component to successful recruitment.
• Analyze current enrollment data related to Calvin University student recruiting by reviewing current and historical enrollment and geographic data to identify and develop sources and contacts for reaching potential students.
• Continue learning about the distinctiveness of Calvin University and the various departments by attending training, orientation and meetings with faculty and other departments to gain an understanding of Calvin University in order to appropriately represent the University.
• Coordinate special projects and tasks as assigned

Ongoing performance

• Consistently exceed performance measures: calls, events, 1:1 meetings, emails, etc.
• Mastery of all academic programs
• Mastery of all admissions processes/procedures
• Mastery of key skills- Public speaking, sales, customer service, relationship building
• Demonstrated initiative, leadership, strong team mentality, cultural competency, maintain positive morale, and posture of learning
• Continuous growth in knowledge through participation in training and self-development

Skill Requirements:

• Excellent written and oral communication, including public speaking to large audiences
• Excellent customer service and hospitality
• Ability to connect with diverse audiences with a focus on relationship building
• Skilled sales techniques
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Ability to work independently, without supervision and as an inspirational team leader
• Ability to schedule and embark on travel including airplane and car, including having a valid driver’s license
• Ability to be adaptable and manage multiple competing priorities

Travel Requirements:  

• The Admissions Counselor position requires a significant amount of domestic travel (continental United States) 
• Each territory requires different amounts of travel per year, but on average, expect 4-6 weeks of travel per year (3-5 weeks in the fall, and 1-2 weeks in the spring) 
• Extensive training and preparation for travel is provided on an ongoing basis for all employees 
• Territories are annually determined by admissions leadership and are based on current needs of the admissions team 

Education and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant discipline.
• At least 12 months of relevant administrative, admissions, sales or leadership experience preferred

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The work in this position is performed within routine office conditions, usually without exposure to hazardous or unpleasant conditions.  Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Proofreading and checking documents for accuracy. Using a keyboard to enter, retrieve, or transform data. Closely observes monitoring devices for 2 hours or more at a time. Lifting 40 lbs. or less.

FAITH and EDUCATIONAL COMMITMENT

1. Commitment to the educational mission of Calvin as a Christian liberal arts University affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church.

2. A commitment to the Christian faith and to the integration of faith, learning, and student development.

DIVERSITY COMMITMENT

Demonstrated awareness and commitment to effectively establishing relationships and positive communication across multiple dimensions of diversity including, but not limited to, race, gender, physical limitations, class, or religious perspectives.