Chief Marketing Officer Role Expands to Include Enrollment

After a nearly five-month process, the search committee recommended hiring Michael Vedders ’04, GS’07 as the new chief enrollment and marketing officer. The Board of Trustees approved the recommendation and the change took effect February 1.

In September, Bethel University announced Vedders as the new chief marketing officer and began a nationwide search for a new chief enrollment officer. In the fall, Provost Deb Harless was serving as the temporary leader of enrollment, but when she left for sabbatical in November, Vedders stepped in to lead enrollment as well as marketing. 

“At the same time as our search continued for the chief enrollment officer, I was able to watch as Michael led both marketing and enrollment,” says Bethel University President Jay Barnes. “I observed someone who is a quick learner and able to effectively work with different teams across Bethel. As I compared Michael to the candidates we were reviewing from the search firm, I began to see that we had a very strong internal candidate for the role.”

Vedders now oversees the undergraduate and post-traditional admissions teams, enrollment data and technology, marketing, and communications. He will continue to report directly to Barnes and serve on the Cabinet.

“In just a few months, Michael has worked collaboratively to set pricing, marketing budgets, and enrollment goals across our post-traditional schools, and has partnered with others to implement a process to more accurately predict the health of our undergraduate enrollment funnel, allowing for more effective mid-year adjustments to marketing and enrollment plans,” says Barnes. “Already I have seen new ideas emerge from the enrollment and marketing areas that others at the university have embraced.”