An Update on Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Leadership

UCLA Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

To:  Deans, Directors, Department Chairs, Administrative Officers, and Student Affairs Staff

Dear Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce that Monroe Gorden Jr., who currently serves as associate vice chancellor for administration in UCLA Student Affairs, has agreed to serve as interim vice chancellor of student affairs, effective July 1, 2016, following Janina Montero’s retirement. Also at that time, Associate Vice Chancellor Youlonda Copeland-Morgan will become vice provost for enrollment management, reporting to me.

As student affairs’ chief administrative officer, Monroe supervises the departments of the registrar, student loan services and collections, the career center, and the offices for ADA/504 compliance, students with disabilities, grants and program development, student affairs development, technology center and student affairs information technology. He also manages the administrative components of Student Affairs, including budget and compliance. As UCLA’s ADA/504 compliance officer, he coordinates and monitors campus compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Monroe is a versatile and innovative leader. He has maintained student affairs’ budget stability during turbulent times and has increased the division’s administrative efficiency through projects such as the consolidation of IT services. He has managed a wide range of initiatives on topics such as health insurance and graduate student career services, and he chaired a campuswide committee to develop our Bruins for Life program.

Before joining student affairs as chief administrative and financial officer in 2006, Monroe was manager of legal contracting at United Healthcare and assistant general counsel at Tenet Healthcare. He earned his B.A. in political science from UCLA and his J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law.

I am confident that Monroe’s keen analytic abilities, knowledge of UCLA and student affairs, and strong systemwide relationships will ensure his success as interim vice chancellor. At my request, and to ensure continuity in student affairs services and programs, Monroe has agreed to serve for two years.

Over the past seven years, enrollment planning and management have become more strategically significant than ever. Competition for the most qualified undergraduates has intensified nationally, putting new emphasis on our efforts to recruit the most exceptional students from all backgrounds. Furthermore, in the wake of sharp drops in state support for the University of California in 2009 and 2010, UCLA decided to increase the admission of non-resident undergraduates over and above our enrollment of California residents in order to increase revenues and add another dimension of diversity. Now, in light of President Napolitano’s commitment to increase UC enrollment by 10,000 students over the next three years, we have to plan carefully how to absorb our share of the total.

This is why I have asked Youlonda Copeland-Morgan to report directly to me. As vice provost for enrollment management, she will work closely with my office on all aspects of undergraduate enrollment planning, which will enable us to align our undergraduate enrollment plans with our academic and financial plans.

Since Youlonda joined UCLA as associate vice chancellor for enrollment management in 2011, she has restructured and reinvigorated our outreach, admissions and financial aid efforts in order to make them more strategic. We have exceeded our goals for non-resident student enrollment, and increased admissions and enrollment of students from underrepresented ethnic minority groups. Under Youlonda’s leadership, we have implemented a first-rate branding and communication strategy, improved our communication with prospective students and their families nationally and around the globe, established stronger ties with Los Angeles-area schools, and created a collaborative with the Los Angeles Unified School District that benefits students, teachers, school staff and UCLA. Her efforts have strengthened our pipelines for transfer students from California community colleges and raised vital scholarship funds.

Youlonda came to UCLA from Syracuse University, where she was associate vice president of enrollment management. A nationally recognized expert in enrollment management, Youlonda is on faculty at USC’s Rossier Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice, and held leadership roles in enrollment management at Syracuse University, Harvey Mudd College and Occidental College. Her term as chair of the board of trustees of the College Board spawned a wave of initiatives focused on equity and diversity. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and an M.B.A. from the University of La Verne.

Student affairs and enrollment management will remain highly integrated. An organizational analysis is underway, and I will keep you informed of any further changes. Please join me in congratulating Monroe and Youlonda and offering your support. We are grateful for their outstanding leadership.

Sincerely,

Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost