After a three-semester long search, Longwood hired Jason Faulk to be the new dean of admissions.
“About a year and a half ago, the decision was made to have a shift in leadership,” said Jennifer Green, associate vice president for student enrollment and success. “We opted to wait a little bit in starting the search, just in terms of timing it was a purposeful decision to wait a little bit.”
Longwood held three search periods before finding and hiring Faulk, according to Green.
“We had our first search (in spring 2016), and we had a strong candidate, and, unfortunately, he did not accept the position at the time,” Green said. “We decided to go back out during the summer months to search again, but we did not get a strong candidate pool. We decided to stop the search at that point and rebooted it in the fall.”
The third search occurred during the fall 2016 semester, around the time of the vice presidential debate, according to Green.
“It was not intentional, but it coincided with the debate ... I think the debate may have had a positive impact on getting a good, strong candidate pool,” said Green.
The process of finding a new dean involved a search committee and three phases. First, applications were opened and a small group was chosen for interviews, ultimately leading to a final group of candidates who were brought for additional interviews on campus.
“There was a search committee that had primarily faculty members, as well as representatives from various departments,” Green said.
The final candidates were brought to campus in December and Faulk was hired mid-December, according to Green and Faulk.
“My initial interview was the mid of December, and I accepted the position right before break,” said Faulk.
Green said, “We were able to offer and solidify Jason (Faulk) as our dean on, I believe it was Dec. 16.”
She emphasized the importance of having a dean of admissions.
“I think having a direct leader of the unit is important because it’s going to help both vision and day to day management in the entire process,” said Green.
According to Green, having a dean of admissions will affect both current and prospective students.
“For prospective students, it’s certainly the day-to-day management and Jason (Faulk) also brings some very innovative ideas,” Green said. “(For) current students, I think there’s going to be an impact. I think he’s going to have a great relationship with student ambassadors and with other students that may be interested in participating in the recruitment process, as well as faculty and alumni.”
Faulk said he was unsure before visiting, but knew he wanted to be at Longwood as soon as he stepped on campus.
“When I initially accepted the interview, I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” Faulk said. “When I set foot on campus the family atmosphere drew me in. Everyone was so friendly and warm, and I knew I wanted to be part of that.”
Green spoke very highly of Faulk.
“I think it’s really about the partnerships students will see on campus, and realizing the benefits of a diverse class he will bring in to join the current students and carry on the Longwood Legacy,” Green said.
Faulk said his goals are to continue to grow enrollment while maintaining the culture of Longwood and recruit more out-of-state students.
“Longwood has a lot of great traditions, and I want to continue that,” Faulk said. “As far as recruitment goes, I want to have more students from out-of-state. As students, I think you would benefit from having some from New Jersey or Texas in the classroom with you and bring their diverse views.”
Faulk also wants to improve the retention rate at Longwood, which he says starts during recruitment.
“Retention starts in recruitment. We need to get students (that) are the best fit for Longwood, and for who Longwood (is) the best fit for them, and then make sure they utilize all of our great student support services here,” said Faulk.
Additionally, Faulk plans for more student involvement in the recruitment process.
“My plan is to have more students at Longwood, who hopefully have had a positive experience at Longwood, be part of the recruitment process. Students know their own communities, friends, organizations and schools back home better than we do. We want to work with students, particularly out-of-state students more,” said Faulk.
Faulk also indicated that he is open to any ideas students have to improve their school or further improve the recruitment process.
He said, “I’m super excited to be part of the Longwood Family, and if anyone has any ideas on how to grow enrollment or our campus culture, my door is always open.”
Longwood named Jason Faulk the new dean of admissions after initiating three separate search periods stretched over a year and half.