Northeastern appoints new vice president for enrollment management
Originally posted to news@Northeastern
Northeastern University has appointed Sundar Kumarasamy vice president for enrollment management, effective June 1, 2015. He will bring extensive leadership, data-driven strategic planning, and management experience to this critical role in leading the university’s continued selectivity and innovation in undergraduate student enrollment.
Kumarasamy will oversee the offices of undergraduate admissions and enrollment marketing, student financial services, and enrollment research at Northeastern, while also playing a role in student retention efforts. He has more than 20 years of experience in higher education management planning in areas such as recruitment, admissions, financial aid, student success, and technology. He is coming to Northeastern from the University of Dayton, where he is the vice president for enrollment management and marketing.
“I’m excited to become part of the innovation, growth, and forward motion happening at Northeastern that is shaping not only the university but also the future of higher education, where the landscape is both complex and rapidly evolving,” Kumarasamy said. “Northeastern is a model for best practices in this space.”
Kumarasamy, who will succeed Jane Brown in his new role, said the factors that attracted him to Northeastern include the university’s outstanding faculty and student body, innovative curriculum, and global leadership in experiential learning. Northeastern received a record 49,822 undergraduate applications for 2,800 spots in the fall 2014 freshman class, with admitted students also exceeding all previous benchmarks in academic achievement and geographic diversity.
Kumarasamy’s accomplishments at the University of Dayton are many. They include driving a 92 percent increase in applications over the past seven years; reaching record highs in enrollment, academic quality, and retention rate; and spearheading innovative marketing and branding initiatives. He also increased international enrollment by 901 percent in less than five years, and reengineered recruiting, admissions, financial aid, retention, and alumni relations using predictive analysis.
Prior to the University of Dayton, Kumarasamy worked at St. Joseph’s University from 1995 to 2006, where he drove a 223 percent increase in overall applications in that time, increased the geographic reach of the university and expended out-of-state applicants, and initiated the creation of international satellite admissions offices in India and Singapore.
“Sundar has an impressive array of skills, experience, and creativity, and we’re thrilled that he’ll be joining us to help us tackle the exciting opportunities that we’ll face as our institution continues soaring to new heights,” said Senior Vice President and CEO of the Northeastern Global Network Philomena Mantella, who oversees Northeastern’s division of Enrollment, Student Life and The Global Network.