Randall Langston, the University of New Orleans’ new vice president for enrollment management, wants to help “demystify” the collegiate journey for students by providing academic support that begins prior to admission and extends beyond graduation.
“A big part of what I see myself and enrollment management doing is helping clear obstacles for students, whether it be financial or emotional,” Langston said. “We have to look at ways to be able to promote student success. Student success is at the core of everything we do.”
Langston, who arrived on campus in early May, is just a few weeks into his stint of leading the new re-envisioned Division of Enrollment Management, which includes Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Registrar, and Veterans Services.
He comes to with 25 years of experience as a senior enrollment management leader, predominantly at public institutions, with a record of increasing enrollment, leveraging financial aid and developing staff. Langston has previously served as senior associate vice president for enrollment management at the University of Southern Mississippi, executive vice provost for enrollment management at the University of Central Missouri and vice president for enrollment management at Texas Woman’s University. He has also worked as a consultant, providing guidance and planning in strategic enrollment management to colleges and universities.
Langston, who grew up in southwest Houston and attended Sam Houston State University as an undergraduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He thought law school was his next step but felt drawn to academia.
He always had a proclivity for mathematics, and a friend suggested that Langston explore a career in college admissions, he said.
“I was able to blend both of what my passions were: student success and then also the ability to integrate empirical mathematics,” Langston said about his work in admissions.
What attracted him to academia and specifically enrollment management is having the chance to make a difference in young people’s lives, Langston said.
“That means opening doors for students,” he said. “I believe that college opens doors and provides access for students. I don’t think there is anything more important than gaining an education and then being able to go into the world and work.”
The other attraction, Langston said, is being able to help students navigate the sometimes-unfamiliar collegiate terrain. He calls it “deciphering and demystifying.”
“I fully subscribe to the ‘It takes a village’ approach,” Langston said. “It’s everyone working in tandem to impact students in a positive way and help them matriculate and, ultimately, graduate from the university.”
With student success as a driving principle, Langston says his overall enrollment management strategy involves:
- Collaboration, communication and partnership between enrollment management and campus constituencies
- The use of data driven/data informed strategies
- Initiatives that promote inclusive excellence and belonging
- Comprehensive marketing strategies which promote institutional visibility for prospective students and other external audiences
“We are dealing with a lot of headwinds at this point, everything from lower birthrates to inflation to the enrollment cliff,” Langston said. “Our strength is all of us coming together, supporting one another collaboratively and in partnership to do the important work for the students we serve.”
Langston sees enrollment management as a circle. It begins with gaining the interest of prospective students—possibly as early as their sophomore year in high school—and then shepherding them through to graduation and becoming involved alumni.
“It’s a life cycle and in order to be successful, we have to eliminate silos, come together to support one another and market and promote the institution aggressively,” Langston said. “I think that has a great story to tell, and I want people to know just how great a place this is to be.”
