Appointment of Ryan Hargraves as Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions

From: Cheryl Regehr, Vice-President and Provost
Dwayne Benjamin, Provostial Advisor on Recruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology
Date: February 1, 2021
Re: Appointment of Ryan Hargraves as Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan Hargraves as Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions, effective March 25, 2021. The Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions will work under the general direction of the Provostial Advisor on Recruitment, Enrolment, and Educational Space & Technology until June 30, 2021, after which the position will be responsible to the Vice-Provost, Strategic Enrolment Management.

The position of Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions was created following an extensive internal review of our recruitment and admissions portfolio. It recognizes the growing complexity of this area and will complement the work of the University Registrar and various other departments throughout the University.

As Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions, Mr. Hargraves will work at the institutional level, serving as an adviser to senior administration on policy and planning decisions in national and international student recruitment and admissions. He will also consult in decisions that directly impact the University’s operating budget, brand, institutional risk, and the prospective and current student customer experience. Additionally, Mr. Hargraves will provide strategic central coordination and operations management for first-entry divisions, and work to protect the institution’s interests, and support institutional and divisional goals.

The driver of a transparent, collaborative and student-centric decision-making culture across the University, the Executive Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions is responsible for:

• overseeing the development of outreach, recruitment, marketing and communications strategies to attract top students locally, nationally, and internationally;
• monitoring government, university, and secondary school policies and practices nationally and internationally that may affect the University’s ability to meet its enrolment objectives;
• evaluating the impact and developing recommendations or options for the university to consider with respect to admissions and recruitment;
• capturing and analyzing student and global market trend data that anticipates upcoming opportunities and risks, and monitoring their impact on university admissions goals and resources;
• collaborating with relevant portfolios to further the University’s continuous improvement of recruitment and admissions automation and systems;
• ensuring the quality and security of admissions data and decisions; and
• working closely with academic divisions and institutional units including University of Toronto Communications, Student Life, Planning & Budget, the Office of the Vice-President, International, and the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic Programs to advocate for regulatory and process changes and champion operational efficiency.

Mr. Hargraves brings a wealth of experience to the University of Toronto. Over the last twenty years, he has built his career in student recruitment and admissions and strategic enrolment management. Most recently the Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Vermont, Mr. Hargraves previously held several senior leadership positions in recruitment and admissions at the University of Virginia. His experience spans the range of enrolment management functions – from the development of new recruitment paradigms, to public relations and marketing, to diversity and inclusion initiatives, to on-the-ground international outreach – and he has been involved in many successful, innovative, and student-centred enrolment initiatives.

A collaborative leader, Mr. Hargraves is well-respected for his capacity to bring key players together to solve mutual challenges and further institutional objectives. At the University of Vermont, his team worked to matriculate a class representing a fifteen-year peak in yield and student quality. He is also known for his experience in organizational restructuring, equity-focused recruitment, and team leadership.

We are delighted that Ryan Hargraves will be joining us in this new position. We are confident that his innovative vision, dynamic leadership, commitment to diversity, bold aspirations and collaborative approach will be a great asset to the University of Toronto in attracting and enrolling top students from around the world.

Please join us in welcoming Ryan Hargraves to our community.