Meaghan Arena named Vice President for Enrollment and Student Experience at Nazareth College

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ROCHESTER, NY (12/06/2018) Nazareth College has named Meaghan Arena as the College's new vice president for enrollment and student experience. Arena comes to Nazareth with 16 years experience in higher education enrollment management and graduate and continuing education. She will begin her role on February 18, 2019.

"Nazareth College has tremendous momentum," said Arena, "and I am honored to step into this new role and help continue the success the College has enjoyed in the last few years, as we strive for a seamless approach to delivering on the promise of an excellent student experience."

President Daan Braveman said, "I join the entire Nazareth community in welcoming Meaghan to the College. Her experience and vision in this forward-thinking position - unusual among small colleges - will provide the strategic vision and leadership for the College's enrollment and student experience programs, ensuring an integrated and dynamic student experience from application through graduation."

Arena previously served as vice president for enrollment management at SUNY Geneseo, where she led all facets of the undergraduate and graduate admissions, international student and scholar services, and financial aid. During her tenure at Geneseo, she met enrollment success by creating and implementing a data-driven, strategic recruitment plan to counter the realities of the current New York market.

Arena began her career in college admissions at Cambridge College in Springfield, Mass., along with Westfield State University, before moving into her vice president role at SUNY Geneseo. She also has nearly a decade of teaching experience in marketing management and student development theory and enrollment management at Cambridge College and Stony Brook University.

"I've had the honor of teaching graduate students at Stony Brook University since 2014," said Arena. "Teaching student development theory, which stresses the importance of bringing theory to practice, has me eager to take on my new role that allows me to work directly with departments impacting the student experience, while appreciating the many linkages between enrollment management, the student experience and retention."

Arena earned her doctorate in education (concentration in higher education administration) from Northeastern University, her master's degree in education from Cambridge College, and her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Delaware.

Nazareth College's academic strengths cross an unusually broad spectrum of 60 majors, including education, health and human services, management, the fine arts, music, theater, math and science, foreign languages, and the liberal arts. The coeducational, religiously independent, classic campus in a charming suburb of Rochester, N.Y., challenges and supports 2,300 undergrads and 700 graduate students. Nazareth is recognized nationally for its Fulbright global student scholars and commitment to civic engagement. Rigorous programs, an uncommon arts and sciences core, experiential learning, career skills, and a global focus prepare graduates for not just one job, but for their life's work.