The latest episode of the Inside UMSL podcast featured a conversation with UMSL Vice Chancellor for Strategic Enrollment and Career Advancement Reggie Hill.
Reggie Hill has always wanted to be an educator, but he initially had aspirations to attend law school. That is, until his mentor during undergrad, the president of the university, convinced him that admissions is similar to politics. He took the leap, and after nearly two decades working in admissions and enrollment management – the past few years of which have been spent at the University of Missouri–St. Louis – he can confirm that working in admissions really is like politics.
“In enrollment management, you have to think about the ground campaign, or the dirt, and you have to think about the cloud, which is the digital campaign,” Hill said. “Those two things, those messages, have to resonate with the audience that you’re trying to attract.”
Hill, UMSL’s vice chancellor for strategic enrollment and career advancement, joined host Nate Fleming on the latest episode of the Inside UMSL podcast to chat about the strategy behind enrollment and career advancement at UMSL, team‑building and the student‑focused approach that drives the university’s mission forward. Hill and Fleming also discussed what makes a great leader, with Hill stressing the importance of surrounding yourself with talented people, having empathy, being a voracious reader and listener and staying curious about everything around you.
“In my world, it’s higher education, it’s administration,” Hill said. “I have to be curious about external markets, as it relates to students. I have to be curious about enrollment technology. I have to be curious about federal regulations. I have to be curious about models, financial models, in order to be successful as an enrollment manager. Or, at least, to be able to navigate conversations amongst my team.”
Hill also highlighted some exciting things happening on the UMSL campus, including the $110 million Transform UMSL initiative, the UMSL Geospatial Collaborative, the new UMSL School of Engineering (which welcomed its first cohort this past academic year), and the newly completed Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. He also hinted at future developments, including the opening of the Richter Family Welcome and Alumni Center later this year, and shared what he thinks makes UMSL so special.
“UMSL has an amazing spirit,” Hill said. “The people; their commitment to the community. Their commitment to St. Louis and the St. Louis region. And they’re dogged ambitious so that this institution can be successful in serving others.”
Hear more of the conversation between Hill and Fleming below:
