LDEP - Leadership Development for Enrollment Professionals

Leadership Development for Enrollment Professionals

Recognizing that knowledgeable, effective leaders overseeing the enrollment function is essential for the success of an institution, NACCAP created the Leadership Development for Enrollment Professionals (LDEP) program – a nine-month, online certificate program designed for emerging enrollment professionals in the college and university sector. Through LDEP, expert faculty and mentors unite to provide participants with important enrollment trends and recruitment strategies while also laying a foundation for leading a successful admissions team.

LDEP is designed for admissions professionals with at least two years experience. Past participants have included:

Emerging senior counselors, assistant and associate directors in their first leadership role
New directors, AVPs and chief enrollment officers
Experienced enrollment leaders desiring new growth and networking opportunities in a rapidly changing profession

LDEP Information Meeting - November 13

Watch the Recording

NEW in 2025:

LDEP Scholarship Application

LDEP Endorsements & Lecture Samples

Dr. Deana Porterfield President, Seattle Pacific University Hear what Dr. Deana Porferfield, president of Seattle Pacific University and an enrollment management professional for 20+ years, has to say about the LDEP program.				Eric Dubrin Director of Admissions Operations, Wheaton College LDEP Participant		Hannah Bradford Director of Admissions, John Brown University LDEP Participant

LDEP Essentials

Three eight-week modules held February – November
Twenty-one Monday night lectures, panels and small groups offered to enhance leadership skills and expand enrollment management knowledge
Facilitated through a cohort model clustering participants in groups of 5-6 that remain together the entire program under the mentorship of a veteran enrollment professional
Three 1-on-1, hour-long coaching sessions with mentors
Utilization of assessment tools to encourage self-awareness, emotional intelligence and team-building skills
Option of earning six graduate credits through Geneva College
Textbooks included
Certificate costs: Offered at a below-market rate of $2550 for NACCAP members (application must be received by December 15 Early Bird deadline)

LDEP 2025 Module Schedule

The 24-week Leadership Development for Enrollment Professionals is offered in three, eight-week modules. The schedule is designed with the busy enrollment professional in mind, providing a five-week break prior to the May 1 National Deposit Deadline and a nine-week lenghty break during the summer to allow for vacations as well as final efforts to recruit and enroll the incoming fall class:

Orientation: January 27, 2025 | 7:00 PM ET
Module 1: February 3 – March 30, 2025
Module 2: May 5 – June 30, 2025
Module 3: September 8 – November 2, 2025

Applications for LDEP 2025 are available ONLINE.

Program Overview

Module Details

During each of the three eight-week modules, students will benefit from seven Monday evening lectures (7-9 p.m. Eastern Time). In addition, their cohort will meet weekly for one hour at a time convenient for the group. Participants will also enjoy a 1-on-1 with their mentor during each module. Each module will involve written assignments and reading, and during Module 2, each participant will give a brief presentation on a relevant enrollment topic.

Cohort Details

LDEP is facilitated through a cohort model clustering participants in groups of 5-6 that remain together the entire program under the mentorship of an experienced enrollment professional with at least 25 years of enrollment experience. Cohort groups are established based on experience - emerging leaders (senior counselors and assistant directors), middle-managers, and senior-level administrators.

Apply

Geneva College Partnership

Geneva College is partnering with NACCAP to enable participants to earn six graduate credits through involvement in the LDEP program. The first 12 weeks of LDEP 2023 will be the basis for the first three credits, while the remaining credits will result from completing the final 12 weeks of the program.

The six credits can be applied towards Geneva College’s master of higher education degree, or participants can register through the college as a special, non-degree seeking student and simply have the credits available for transfer to other graduate programs. Both scenarios require a separate, short application to Geneva College. Further details can be found here: Geneva.edu/graduate/higher education.

The total cost for the six credit hours is $575, either as a non-degree student or as a student in the M.A. program. Geneva has pledged to provide a 30 percent discount on the remaining credit hours required for the M.A. after the certificate program is completed.

Additional information about the Geneva College M.A. in Higher Education as well as application information can be found here: geneva.edu/graduate/higher-education/

Assessment Tool

NACCAP recognizes that strong leaders are self-aware, possess emotional intelligence and recognize their strengths and weaknesses. To pursue this understanding, the LDEP program expects students to have completed a recognized assessment tool during the past three years, and if not, to take an assessment of their choice during the early weeks of the programs. All participants will reference these assessments in conversations with their mentor and in written assignments during the year.

Pricing Details

$200 price reduction (early bird rate) if application submitted by December 15, 2024.

$200 off per participant if a school sponsors more than one student in 2025

$200 off for any participant who has had a colleague from his/her institution participate in LDEP in the past.

NOTE: A maximum of two of the $200 discounts listed above can be applied to each participant.

Tuition	Apply Before Dec. 15	After Dec. 15
Member	$2550	$2750
Non-Member	$2750	$2950

*Financial assistance available upon request.

Graduate Credit: For those seeking credit (optional) $575

Textbooks Included ($75 credit once students submit receipts)

Assessment Tools: If needed, costs are the responsibility of the student or institution

LDEP Refund Policy
Full refund - before program start date (less cost of books*), to be handled by NACCAP staff.

$500 cancellation fee up to End of Module 1-Week 2 (less cost of books) No refund after End of Module 1-Week 2

Anticipated Program Outcomes

Adopt and articulate a Christian perspective on leadership.
Recognize and creatively apply his/her leadership strengths in a higher education administrative setting and have a basic understanding of leadership styles.
Demonstrate an understanding of the basic building blocks for talent development.
Effectively lead a team of professionals in a higher education enrollment administration office.
Understand the economic, demographic and cultural realities impacting higher education and in particular, the student recruitment profession.
Recognize and implement best practices and essential strategies needed for effective student recruitment.
Articulate a basic understanding of economic realities in the student recruitment profession.
Practice effective networking and collaboration in higher education settings, working well with all levels of the profession – entry level employees, administrators, faculty members, presidents and boards.

Lectures

Here is a list of topics and lectures from LDEP 2024. We anticipate a similar list for LDEP 2025.

Topic	Lecturer
Leadership for Shalom	Dr. Andre Stephens, Biola University
Higher Education Enrollment Trends	Jessica Mireles, Consultant LDEP Mentor
Leadership Styles	Dr. John Chopka, Messiah University
Critical Conversations about Students	Dr. Sarah Visser, Calvin University
All Things Data	Phil Kay and Meghan Taylor
Enrollment Diversity Topics	Dr. Michelle Loyd-Paige
Building Blocks for Talent Development	Greg Vaughan, LDEP Director
Team Building and Community Buy-In	Dr. Deana Porterfield, Seattle Pacific University
Financial Aid – Knowing Enough to be Dangerous	Troy Martin, Eastern Mennonite College
Panel: Effective Networking with Campus Departments	Four Vice Presidents
Recruiting Essentials	Dave Burke, Legacy Higher Education
Panel: Campus Visitors and Parent Relations	Three practitioners
Student Retention and Success	Dr. Carrie Stockton, Credo
Effective Communication with Boards and Leadership	Panel of Presidents
Marketing, Social Media and AI	Bart Caylor, Caylor Solutions
The Calling of Christian Leaders	Dr. Henrique G Alvim, Geneva College
Self-Care, Career Care	Dr. David Mee, Campbell University

2024 Mentors
Linda Hoffman	Linda Hoffman has more than 32 years of experience in Christian higher education enrollment. She has served at both Malone University (8 years) and Roberts Wesleyan University (24 years) in nearly every enrollment position from Admissions Counselor to Director of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions to Vice President of Admissions & Marketing. Linda holds a MA in Communications from SUNY Brockport. Her BA is from Wheaton College which is where her career in enrollment management began with an admissions work-study position. She was hooked. She loves the “chase” of admissions, the campus connections admissions requires and staff development. Linda has served on the NACCAP board of directors as well as served as a commissioner on the CCCU enrollment commission. She was recently honored by NACCAP with a 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award. Having recently retired from enrollment management, she currently is working in her local public school district. In her spare time she enjoys playing her violin, teaching Sunday school, and hiking with her family. Linda lives in Canton, Ohio with her husband Joe and their 14-year-old son Jamee.	Jessica Mireles Higher Education Consultant and Executive Coach	Jessica’s career in higher education spans over 30 years. She started her consulting firm, JM Partner Solutions, in 2021 and serves as a higher education consultant as well as focuses on executive coaching, leadership development, and sales and performance coaching and training. Previously, she served as a senior executive at Ruffalo Noel Levitz in the enrollment management division. She worked at RNL for over 10 years and served more than 200 institutions during her tenure with RNL, including many NACCAP campuses. She primarily worked with presidents, executive teams, and boards of trustees to support enrollment and fiscal health. Additionally, Jessica is a product and strong supporter of Christian higher education, having served as the vice president for enrollment management and marketing at Vanguard University of Southern California, a NACCAP/CCCU campus, for 19 years prior to joining RNL. Jessica and her husband Merl are based in Southern Nevada and are the parents of Josie and Noah.

Dr. John Chopka Vice President of Enrollment Management, Messiah University	John Chopka is Vice President for Enrollment Management at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. Before arriving to Messiah in 2007, John served Malone College for ten years as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing. John has a BA in Communication Arts from Malone College, an MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Akron, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Alvernia University. He enjoys vacationing with his family at the beach or in the mountains and is an avid hiker and cyclist.	Scott Shoemaker Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Retention Point Loma Nazarene University	Scott is in his 34th year of serving in Christian higher education, all at his alma mater Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He began his professional career in admissions and served for five years as a counselor and assistant director. After six years in student development, including the completion of his master’s degree, he assumed the role of director of admissions and chief enrollment officer, a role he has continued in various iterations for 22 years. Scott enjoys the day-to-day management opportunities with a large team, as well as strategic planning and forecasting aspects of enrollment management. As a part of this leadership journey, he earned his doctoral degree in education leadership in 2012. He has served on the NACCAP board of directors and as a member of the CCCU enrollment commission. Scott is a southern California native and enjoys backcountry hiking, skiing and of course, the beach. He and his wife Michelle live near the campus in Point Loma and have three adult children.


Suzanne Sullivan Associate Vice President for Enrollment Belhaven University	Suzanne has been in college admission for 31 years and has worked at 3 Christian universities. She has served on the board of the National Association for Christian College Admission Professionals (NACCAP) and on the Chief Enrollment Officer Commission of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). She is the Belhaven University representative for the Jackson chapter of Executive Women International where she served as President in 2011 and again in 2021. She is a member of the Mississippi Association of College Admission and Registrar Officers and served as President in 2010. She is also a member of the auxiliary for Hope Hollow, which is a ministry for special needs children. Her BA in Communication is from Mississippi State University and she holds a MBA from Belhaven University. She and her husband James are active members of Broadmoor Baptist Church where he serves as a deacon and she serves on the Church Council; and together they are leaders in the Young Singles ministry. They love to travel, entertain family and friends in their home, and participate in sporting events.

Program Director

Greg Vaughan is entering his fourth year as program director for LDEP. Greg retired from Biola University in 2019 after a 42-year career, primarily in enrollment-related positions. While serving as vice president for enrollment management his final 11 years at Biola, he had responsibility for admissions, financial aid intercollegiate athletics, church relations, academic advising, career development and retention. Since leaving Biola, Greg has been a consultant with Credo Higher Education and Fuller Higher Ed Solutions, and served as Interim vice president at three institutions - Pacific Union College, Bethany College (KS), and Fresno Pacific University.

Greg helped establish the National Christian College Fairs in 1995, and was NACCAP's treasurer from 1995 to 2009. He was honored with NACCAP's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 and the Chant Thompson Servant Leadership Award in 2024 Greg and his wife Kathy have been married 41 years and live in La Mirada, California, and have two adult children. Greg holds a B.A. in Communication from Biola University and an M.A. in Social Science from Azusa Pacific University.

Message from Phil Cook, NACCAP President

“In more than 25 years of service at a NACCAP member institution’s enrollment office, I observed college admissions change dramatically. It is more data driven, more competitive, more complex and more pressured than ever before. One consistent factor stands out among thriving institutions: mature, strategic leadership in enrollment management. If you want to ensure short-term and long-term stability and maturity on your enrollment team, I encourage you to consider NACCAP’s Leadership Development for Enrollment Professionals certificate program. Both the newest admission leader and the most seasoned veteran will benefit by participating in the LDEP program. NACCAP has existed for 50 years to support Christian college admissions efforts and this new leadership program is one of our most important endeavors.”

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