About the Episode
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About the Episode:
Jeremy Tiers interviews Amanda Craddock, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Coastal Carolina University. The episode delivers a transparent, tactical conversation on how enrollment leaders can build trust, communicate effectively, and thrive in senior-level discussions — especially with presidents and boards. If you’re an aspiring or current VP, this episode is your crash course in executive-level communication, leadership growth, and data-informed advocacy.
Key Takeaways
- Speak the Language of Senior Leadership: Tailor your communication to emphasize high-level insights, not operational details. Boards and presidents want outcomes, not deep dives.
- Understand and Own Your Data: Mastering data analytics in higher education is essential to credibility and impact in executive settings.
- Lead with Context, Not Just Numbers: Provide enrollment reports with accompanying narratives to help leaders interpret what’s happening and why.
- Adapt to Your President’s Style: Observe their preferences for communication, cadence, and detail. Your role is to support their goals while advocating for enrollment needs.
- Educate Your Campus Partners: Presidents and boards often don't fully understand the enrollment engine — your job is to help them see the full picture.
- Prepare for the Boardroom: Confidence comes from preparation, mentorship, and experience. Knowing your material — and your audience — is everything.
- Mentorship and Peer Support Matter: Build a trusted circle of peers and mentors who understand the pressures of enrollment leadership and can offer perspective.
- Every Campus Member Plays a Role in Recruitment: Shaping and sustaining enrollment is a shared responsibility, not just an admissions function.
Episode Summary: Essential Questions and Executive-Level Lessons
What changes when you become a VP of Enrollment?
Amanda Craddock shares that her shift to the VP level wasn’t just about title — it was about learning how to zoom out. The ability to shift from operational detail to strategic vision is key when addressing senior leadership and boards. It’s less about the daily mechanics of admissions and more about articulating big-picture goals, trends, and institutional impact. For aspiring VPs, Amanda suggests practicing the art of executive summaries and learning to frame data in terms of outcomes and institutional strategy.
Coming from within the Coastal Carolina system, Amanda was fortunate to already understand the school’s data and student trends. That deep context helped her quickly adjust to speaking in boardrooms and presidential meetings. Her advice: stay grounded in national trends, read widely (The Chronicle, Inside Higher Ed, etc.), and treat every board interaction as an opportunity to lead up with insight and professionalism.
How do you effectively communicate with your president?
One of Amanda’s greatest assets in her current role is a president who understands enrollment — a former provost who managed admissions and yield directly. That context, she says, makes conversations sharper and more strategic. But what if your president doesn’t understand enrollment?
Amanda’s answer: teach them. Use key calendar moments like application deadlines and yield seasons to explain the enrollment cycle. Frame your updates in terms of “why this matters now,” and don’t be afraid to ask, “What are your goals?” This ensures alignment and creates space to advocate for what you need — whether that’s budget, staffing, or cross-campus collaboration. When faced with unrealistic goals, Amanda advises pushing back respectfully with clarity: “Here’s what we need in order to get there.”
Most importantly, Amanda emphasizes context. Whether providing early action application updates or discussing dip in in-state numbers, she always includes “why this is happening” and “what to expect next” in her weekly reports. That proactive framing builds trust and credibility with leadership.
What does it take to build boardroom confidence?
Amanda’s first board meeting came with no warning — or coaching. When she was unexpectedly tapped to deliver the enrollment report during a leadership transition, she had one week to prepare. Thanks to institutional research support and sheer determination, she pulled it off — but the experience illuminated a major gap in leadership development in higher ed.
Her takeaway: we don’t do enough to train future VPs. That’s why she now focuses on mentoring her own staff, helping them build comfort with data interpretation, presentation skills, and executive-style communication. She encourages rising leaders to learn Excel and SPSS, study national enrollment trends, and rehearse the kinds of questions boards might ask.
Amanda also emphasizes the importance of transparency. Whether the numbers are up or down, being honest and offering a plan builds long-term trust with leadership. And she always brings context — “We’re down now, but our early action deadline is two weeks away” — to show a full picture, not just a snapshot.
Connect With Our Host:
Jeremy Tiers
https://twitter.com/CoachTiers
About The Enrollify Podcast Network: The Higher Ed Pulse is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Some of our favorites include Generation AI and Confessions of a Higher Education Social Media Manager.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
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