MSU President's Newspaper Column
August 24, 2024
Proactively addressing processes for a stronger Mayville State
As a member of the North Dakota University System, it is important for Mayville State to work toward the strategic goals of the system. Under the system goal of providing access to programs people want, where and when they need them, Mayville State is committed to the objective to assess best practices in recruiting, enrollment, and attainment and make changes and adjustments to address concerns. It is well-known that maintaining a healthy enrollment is critical to the success of any university, and the competition becomes more intense all the time.
To that end, Mayville State has been working with Kennedy & Company, a consulting firm that specializes in innovative strategies for higher education. Their client list includes large public research institutions, state flagship universities and systems, small private colleges, graduate and professional schools, historically black colleges and universities, and community colleges. Their experience and expertise cover the gamut.
We’ve been in consultation with Ben Kennedy, Founder and CEO of Kennedy & Co., and his team since early spring. They’ve taken a look at our plans and practices and made suggestions that have helped us to be more efficient and more effective. Most recently, they’ve made one of their associate principals, Dan Shanley, a point person who works directly with Mayville State’s staff. This has been an opportunity for learning and gleaning best practices. In addition, our own employee, Kim Holder, who is acting director of human resources, has taken a leadership role in the process.
It's been determined that it is in the best interest of the university to hire a Vice President for Enrollment Management who will provide strategic leadership and direction in development, planning, implementation, and evaluation of enrollment management initiatives. The person in this position will report directly to me as the president and shape strategies to attract, enroll, and retain students through cross institution collaboration with both Student and Academic Affairs. The Vice President for Enrollment Management will oversee the admission, recruitment, financial aid, and advising functions of the university.
As a part of our ongoing work with Kennedy & Company, Dr. Luke D. Schultheis will serve as Interim Vice President of Enrollment Management at Mayville State University. Dr Schultheis will serve in this role while the search to fill the position on a permanent basis is underway. He will be on campus full time for the next couple of weeks, then he will continue work on campus 30% of the time, serving the remainder of the time in a remote capacity. Dr. Schultheis began his work on campus on Monday, Aug. 19.
Dr. Luke Schultheis has spent a career in higher education as a vice president, vice provost, dean, chair, and faculty member. He has leadership experience at small private institutions, as well as at large public institutions. Prior to entering higher education, he worked as an executive in the hospitality field.
Luke is widely recognized as one of the national leaders in enrollment management. Some highlights include improvements in retention, graduation rates, and net tuition revenue contributions. His transformational leadership style is inclusive and focuses on staff and service improvements. He shares his knowledge broadly and has served on the editorial review boards for three journals.
Dr. Schultheis earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has an Ed.M. and an M.A. in the same field from Columbia University, an M.S. in Hospitality Asset Management from New York University, a B.S. from the C.U.N.Y., and an A.S. from Johnson & Wales University.
We’ve seen great results in working with Kennedy & Co. and are grateful to our employees who are open to the recommendations and are working hard to make sure Mayville State is putting its best efforts into achieving the best possible enrollment outcomes.