The University of Connecticut has hired Wayne Locust to be its next vice president for enrollment planning and management following a nationwide search. Locust is currently vice provost for enrollment management at SUNY-Albany, and previously served as UConn’s director of undergraduate admissions from 1998 to 2001. He will begin on Nov. 18.
“As we accelerate our emphasis on academic excellence and achievement, we must bring the best and brightest students in the nation to UConn to match the high quality of our faculty and become leaders of the American future,” said UConn President Susan Herbst. “We are incredibly fortunate to have attracted Wayne Locust back to UConn: He is a brilliant analyst of collegiate trends, an expert in admissions and financial aid, and a national leader in enrollment management. Under Wayne’s guidance, UConn will not only maintain its current rankings, but move upward even more quickly. We want the most talented and most diverse student body we can possibly attract, and this goal is easily reached with Wayne at the helm. Thanks to the investment Connecticut has made in UConn, we are attracting nationally-renowned higher education leaders to our state.”
UConn Provost Peter Nicholls said, “Ensuring that UConn is home to a vibrant, highly-qualified, and diverse student body is absolutely vital to our success as an institution. We must not only attract the best students from Connecticut and around the region to UConn, we must also work to ensure their success as students after they have enrolled. We are delighted to welcome Wayne back to the University in his new capacity, and look forward to his strategic, forward-thinking, and highly effective management of enrollment planning and management, helping to lead the University to even greater heights.”
Locust said, “I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to return to a great University, and even more thrilled to rejoin an outstanding education leader in President Susan Herbst. I am looking forward to working with the faculty, staff, and students to further advance UConn’s success as a premier public research University.”
UConn’s vice president for enrollment management and planning oversees the recruitment and admission of undergraduate students, Financial Aid, the Registrar’s Office, and Student Orientation Services. He will play a pivotal role in student success, especially in retaining enrolled students and in helping to ensure that students graduate on time. He reports to the University Provost.
While at Albany, Locust successfully executed the development of a comprehensive enrollment management model that includes the integration of both graduate and undergraduate admissions, financial services, advising, registration, and academic support programs. He also created a technical support unit within the division, and managed oversight and development of a “one-stop” student services center. Admission applications to SUNY-Albany increased by 38 percent since 2005; the academic profile of the freshman class greatly improved, as SAT scores increased by 20 points and students of color represented 30 percent of the entering class. He managed a budget of $7 million and oversaw a staff of 120.
Locust has served as vice president for enrollment at SUNY-Albany since 2005. Prior to that he was the vice chancellor for enrollment and university life for the SUNY system from 2004 to 2005, and associate vice chancellor from 2001 to 2004. He was associate director of admissions and then director of admissions at the University of Rochester from 1988 to 1998, and worked at West Chester University from 1980 to 1988.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in administration from West Chester University. He will be paid $255,000 a year at UConn.
