About the Episode
About the Episode:
Live at the NAGAP GEM Summit, Mallory sits down with Ryan, Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management at the University at Buffalo's Graduate School of Education. Ryan shares his experiences and challenges of being a millennial manager, especially navigating the abrupt transition to remote work at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. He discusses his approach to leadership, emphasizing flexibility, servant leadership, and the importance of balancing work life with personal life to empower his team.
Key Takeaways:
- Adapting to Change: Ryan was thrust into remote management just days after starting his role, highlighting the importance of adaptability in leadership.
- Servant Leadership: Focus on prioritizing people over processes to foster a supportive team environment.
- Professional Growth: Encourages continuous learning and professional development outside traditional academic resources.
- Empowering Flexibility: Implements a hybrid work model to accommodate different working styles and life commitments, demonstrating trust and respect for team autonomy.
- Community and Connection: Underlines the importance of creating connection points for teams, even in remote settings.
- Balancing Roles: Ryan shares personal anecdotes to model work-life balance, encouraging his team to manage work without sacrificing personal responsibilities.
Transitioning into Leadership During the Pandemic
Ryan’s entry into his current role as Assistant Dean coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hired just a week before the world went remote, Ryan had to quickly learn not only his new responsibilities but also how to lead a team in a virtual environment. His approach focused on prioritizing people over processes, leaning into servant leadership principles, and fostering a culture of trust and flexibility.
He shares how he ensures his team feels empowered to perform their best by modeling work-life balance himself. Whether it’s leaving early to run his daughter’s scout troop or showing openness about managing parenting responsibilities, Ryan leads by example to normalize prioritizing personal well-being.
Building a Flexible and Productive Team Culture
Ryan explains the importance of a flexible work culture for his team, which now operates under a hybrid model. His team works one to two days remotely each week and ensures at least one in-office day for collaborative meetings and team bonding.
Rather than micromanaging, Ryan trusts his staff to use their time effectively. He encourages them to adjust their schedules to accommodate student needs—whether that’s an international student meeting at 7 a.m. or a virtual info session at 6 p.m.—without feeling overburdened.
This flexibility allows his team to provide exceptional service to their students, who come from diverse backgrounds and often have unique scheduling needs.
Managing Across Generations
With a team that spans multiple generations, Ryan emphasizes the importance of tailoring management approaches to meet each person’s needs. Some team members bring decades of experience to the table, while others are early-career professionals. Ryan recognizes that graduate enrollment management roles are becoming more common and appealing to professionals with diverse backgrounds, including marketing, communications, and admissions.
He highlights the unique opportunity these roles offer for those interested in working directly with students, collaborating with faculty, and gaining a wide range of higher ed experience.
Leveraging NAGAP Resources
Ryan credits NAGAP as an essential resource for graduate enrollment management professionals. From the GEM Certificate program offered at the summit to the annual Professional Development Institute for new and advanced professionals, NAGAP provides opportunities for continued growth and networking.
He also praises NAGAP’s virtual resources, like the Exchange message board and benchmarking data, which are invaluable for tackling projects and questions unique to graduate enrollment management.
Words of Advice
Ryan’s advice for higher ed professionals:
- Empathy First: Model the behaviors you want to see in your team, from prioritizing work-life balance to adapting to life’s unexpected challenges.
- Be Flexible: Graduate students have diverse needs—your team should, too. Build flexibility into your operations to better support both students and staff.
- Leverage Professional Organizations: Groups like NAGAP provide training, networking, and data-driven insights to help you stay ahead in a rapidly changing field.
Connect With Our Host:
Mallory Willsea
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallorywillsea/
https://twitter.com/mallorywillsea
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 made possible by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
Connect with Us at the Engage Summit: Exciting news — Mallory will be at the 2024 Engage Summit in Raleigh, NC, on June 25 and 26, and we’d love to meet you there! Sessions will focus on cutting-edge AI applications that are reshaping student outreach, enhancing staff productivity, and offering deep insights into ROI.
Use the discount code Enrollify50 at checkout.
Learn more and register at engage.element451.com — we can’t wait to see you there!
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