Marco Dinovelli, a seasoned higher education leader in enrollment and student success strategies, has been named as UConn’s new associate vice president for enrollment in the Division of Student Life and Enrollment.

Nathan Fuerst, UConn’s vice president for student life and enrollment, announced Dinovelli’s appointment this week. He begins at UConn on Friday, June 26.

Dinovelli brings more than two decades of progressive leadership experience in higher education enrollment management, student success strategy, admissions operations, and institutional planning, Fuerst says.

“Throughout his career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to expanding student opportunity, advancing data-informed decision-making, and building collaborative partnerships that support institutional excellence and student achievement,” Fuest says.

Dinovelli currently serves as associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Rutgers University – New Brunswick, where he provides executive leadership for undergraduate admissions, graduate admissions, and enrollment analytics. In partnership with university leadership, he has helped develop and implement comprehensive enrollment strategies aligned with institutional priorities and long-term sustainability goals.

At Rutgers, Dinovelli led enrollment strategies that resulted in five consecutive years of record-setting incoming undergraduate classes and the institution’s highest average ACT and SAT profiles, while maintaining a strong commitment to access and affordability for Pell-eligible students.

He also established Rutgers’ Student Success Innovation Hub, a cross-functional initiative that brought together partners from academics, student affairs, enrollment management, institutional research, and campus operations to develop data-informed strategies focused on student success and social mobility. The initiative incorporated predictive modeling and ROI analysis to evaluate potential impact before advancing recommendations to university leadership for implementation.

In addition, Dinovelli oversaw the creation of Rutgers’ inaugural centralized Office of Graduate Admissions, bringing together recruitment, marketing, and operational functions across more than 100 graduate programs and seven schools.

“Throughout his career, Marco has demonstrated a passion for student-centered leadership, strategic innovation, and institutional collaboration,” Fuerst says.

“His experience spans undergraduate, graduate, domestic, and international enrollment, as well as student affairs, retention, analytics, and organizational development,” Fuest adds. “Colleagues consistently recognize his ability to build strong partnerships across divisions and bring together stakeholders from across the university in support of shared institutional goals.”

As associate vice president for enrollment, Dinovelli will play a pivotal role in advancing the UConn’s Strategic Plan, Envisioning 2034, the Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan, and the President’s Operational Priorities by leading enrollment-related functions that directly support holistic student success, institutional competitiveness, and long-term financial sustainability.

In this role, he will provide strategic leadership for enrollment strategy, admissions, and financial aid operations while serving as a principal advisor on enrollment-related policy, strategy, and institutional risk.

Dinovelli will oversee Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Aid Services, New Student Programs, One Stop Student Services & One Card Office, and the Student Communications team.

“Through this portfolio, he will help shape and strengthen the student experience across the entire student life cycle, from the moment a prospective student first engages with UConn, through recruitment, onboarding, student support services, graduation, and beyond,” Fuerst says.

In partnership with colleagues across academic affairs, student life, finance, institutional research, regional campuses, and other university units, Dinovelli will help advance an integrated and collaborative approach to enrollment and student success. His leadership will support efforts to strengthen enrollment outcomes, improve the student experience, increase retention and graduation rates, and ensure students are positioned for success both during and after their time at UConn.

Dinovelli says he is particularly excited to focus on initiatives that improve student success outcomes, especially efforts aimed at increasing graduation rates and reducing student debt. He is deeply committed to ensuring students not only access higher education opportunities, but also thrive throughout their academic journey and graduate prepared for long-term success.

“We look forward to the leadership, vision, collaborative approach, and student-centered perspective he will bring to our university community,” Fuerst says.