Robert J. Gould
Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management
Augsburg University (MN)

What drew you to the world of college admission counseling?
The multifaceted nature of the admission counseling world is what attracted me at first. Working on strategy, analytics, student engagement, marketing, affordability, major challenges in higher education, student success, and talent management keeps me engaged and interested.

What is your favorite part of the job?
The freedom to lead with my strengths of “winning” and “accommodating” is my current favorite part of the job. This shows up in many ways, from achieving cycle-end results to retaining enrollment team members by building “belonging” into our organizational structure.

How has NACAC played a role in your career?
In 1991 I attended the NYSACAC Summer Institute at Skidmore College (NY). That very first experience through NACAC opened my eyes to the importance of a network of diverse individuals working together to imagine new approaches to issues in higher education.

NACAC’s agenda continues to strategically align with my leadership around “belonging” for the team I work with and for new incoming students. NACAC continues to play a significant role in my career through my involvement in the Ad Hoc Committee on Centering Student Voices in the Development of Equitable Admission Practices and Elevate Equity 2023.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing our profession today?
Dismantling the tenets of white supremacy in higher education enrollment management to create the best experience for the students at the table today.

When you aren’t working, what do you like to do
Engage in social justice efforts, cycle in and around the Twin Cities, and visit my adult children in Manhattan and Martha’s Vineyard.

If you could be any fictional character, who would it be and why?
There are many nonfictional characters that I would choose —like Rumi, Big Daddy Kane, bell hooks, Nellie Francis, and my grandfather—because of the tremendous legacy each has created.

 

Published March 27, 2023