Position Title:
Position Status: Full-Time
Classification: Exempt
Position Summary
The Admissions Counselor is responsible for recruiting, advising, and enrolling prospective students by managing an assigned recruitment territory and providing personalized guidance throughout the admissions process. With a strong focus on proactive phone outreach and individualized communication, this position builds meaningful relationships with prospective students and their families to support informed college decision-making and drive enrollment. Reporting to the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, this position represents Catawba College through territory management, relationship building, application review, and recruitment activities while contributing to the College's undergraduate enrollment goals.
Working collaboratively with colleagues across Enrollment Management and the campus community, the Admissions Counselor helps create an engaging, student-centered admissions experience from prospect through enrollment.
Key Responsibilities
Territory Management & Recruitment
- Manage an assigned recruitment territory with responsibility for meeting inquiry, application, admit, deposit, and enrollment goals.
- Execute territory travel and recruitment activities while building relationships with prospective students, families, school counselors, and community partners.
- Utilize territory data, recruitment trends, and institutional priorities to inform outreach and recruitment strategies.
- Represent Catawba College professionally through high school visits, college fairs, community events, virtual programming, and other recruitment opportunities.
Student Recruitment & Admissions
- Counsel prospective students and families throughout the admissions process by providing personalized guidance and exceptional customer service.
- Review undergraduate applications using holistic, mission-aligned judgment while maintaining institutional policies and confidentiality.
- Maintain accurate student records and communications within Slate CRM to support recruitment, reporting, and student engagement.
- Execute recruitment and yield initiatives that support institutional enrollment goals.
- Assist prospective and admitted students in navigating the enrollment process and connecting with appropriate campus resources.
- Execute personalized communication plans using phone, email, text messaging, virtual meetings, and in-person interactions.
Campus Engagement & Collaboration
- Lead admissions information sessions and represent the College during campus visit programs, recruitment events, and enrollment initiatives.
- Serve as Counselor of the Day (COD) and support daily admissions office operations, including prospective student inquiries and campus visits.
- Collaborate with Enrollment Operations, Financial Aid, Academic Affairs, Athletics, Student Affairs, and other campus partners to support recruitment and enrollment efforts.
- Contribute to a collaborative team environment by sharing territory insights, recruitment trends, and best practices while supporting departmental initiatives.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required.
- Strong interpersonal, written, verbal, presentation, and telephone communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to confidently initiate and conduct outbound phone calls while building rapport with prospective students and families.
- Excellent organizational, time management, and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to build meaningful relationships with prospective students, families, and campus partners through personalized outreach across multiple communication channels.
- Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative team environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and the ability to learn and effectively utilize CRM systems (Slate preferred).
- Ability to travel extensively and work evenings and weekends during peak recruitment cycles.
- Valid North Carolina driver's license and ability to rent vehicles.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in undergraduate admissions, higher education, recruitment, sales, or another relationship-focused profession.
- Experience using Slate CRM or another customer relationship management system.
- Experience presenting to groups and facilitating public presentations.
- Experience at a private, tuition-driven, or liberal arts institution.
Work Environment
This job operates primarily in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and fax machines. Day and evening travel required, and job functions are routinely performed outside of the primary office on campus or in off-campus locations. Participation in admissions events in the evenings and on weekends is essential for this position.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing and movement is required. This would require the ability to lift files and file boxes, open filing cabinets, walking, and bending, or standing as necessary.
ABOUT CATAWBA:
Founded in 1851 in Newton, North Carolina, Catawba was started by German pioneers who had traveled from eastern Pennsylvania to settle in the valleys of the Haw, Yadkin, and Catawba Rivers. In 1890, Catawba became a coeducational institution, and the first woman graduate completed her studies in 1893. In 1925, Catawba moved and re-opened to its current location in Salisbury, NC, which is about 45 minutes from Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Charlotte, two hours from the mountains, and four hours from the beaches.
Today, Catawba College has 41 buildings on 276 wooded acres on a residential campus. Catawba is known for its 189 acre on-campus ecological preserve. Ranked as one of the best colleges in the south, Catawba offers 70 academic majors to approximately 1,300 students representing 34 U.S. states and 19 foreign countries. Students are instructed by nearly 90 full-time faculty, more than 83% of whom hold the highest degree in their field.
Catawba provides an education focused on an institutional philosophy of a liberal education, which entails a broad range of knowledge, intellectual and practical skills, and individual and social responsibility fostered and developed in all academic programs. Catawba is a learning community that provides students with unique opportunities to explore vocation, helping students to consider their calling, their passions, and their purpose as they prepare to reach their highest potential. Catawba’s mission is to provide “students an education rich in personal attention that blends the knowledge and competencies of liberal studies with career preparation” and to enable “students to reach their highest potential while becoming responsible citizens.” More information about Catawba College is located at www.catawba.edu.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Applicants must submit the following materials in a single file, pdf version only, to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]:
- Letter of interest;
- Current resume or curriculum vitae; and
- Contact information for three (3) professional
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Ira Dorin and Stacy Gato with any questions about this position.
Catawba College is an equal-opportunity employer. As such, the College is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status, unless allowed by law and deemed necessary to the operation of the College. The College complies with all federal, state, and local non-discrimination laws.
