Emporia State University hosted an open forum on Feb. 29 for students, staff and faculty to learn more about prospective Director of Admissions candidate Dr. Christopher Lambert. A second candidate had previously been scheduled for the forum but was withdrawn from consideration.

The Director of Admissions position was posted on Jan. 11 of this year and demands a wide variety of responsibilities: development of a comprehensive recruitment plan,  internal organization of the admissions office and staff and the construction of a pipeline of prospective students incoming to ESU. 

The position places a premium emphasis on a data-driven approach for admission, likely in light of a severe decrease in enrollment at ESU and a pivot towards stronger data collection as a result of the Kansas Board of Regents’ Academic Portfolio Review in 2022. 

While the position recommends qualifications of a master’s degree and five years of experience in the field, Lambert recently obtained his PhD in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University in August 2023. He is currently serving as Vice President of Enrollment Management for the South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, a boarding high school. 

Previously, Lambert held a higher education admission position at the University of South Carolina-Darla Moore School of Business as its Director of Graduate Admissions for three semesters. He also serves as Director of Enrollment Management Services for five years at the University of South Carolina-Palmetto College. 

This has been the first and only open forum hosted for the position to date.