Longtime higher education admissions and enrollment management professional Ed Gillis has joined the George Washington University as its interim vice provost for enrollment management, the university announced.
In his role, which began Monday, Mr. Gillis is responsible for overseeing GW’s undergraduate admissions, graduate enrollment management, Office of Student Success, Office of Student Financial Assistance, Office of Student Systems, Services and Analytics and Career Services.
Mr. Gillis most recently was dean of enrollment management at the University of Miami (UM) before retiring in 2014.
“I am grateful that Ed has agreed to bring his expertise to GW while the university searches for a permanent replacement,” Provost Forrest Maltzman said. “President LeBlanc had the benefit of working alongside Ed for many years at the University of Miami. He has a track record of directing enrollment strategies that strengthen a university’s academic and research missions and provide the foundation for a high-quality student experience.”
In his most senior roles, at UM, Mr. Gillis managed a team of 120 enrollment professionals and is credited with recruiting diverse, academically talented and successful classes of students, contributing to UM’s rise as a prominent research university.
Beyond higher education recruitment, admissions, enrollment and retention, Mr. Gillis’s experience, spanning more than 40 years, includes marketing and public relations, alumni affairs, financial aid, registration and student employment. In addition to UM, he held roles at Emmanuel College and Grahm Junior College, both in Boston, and Bentley University, in Waltham, Mass.
“I have always enjoyed working with students and easing their transition into postsecondary education and beyond,” Mr. Gillis said. “I am thrilled to join the GW community, and I look forward to helping the university advance its mission of educating the next generation of leaders.”
Distinguished in his field, Mr. Gillis has taught many years at the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions, received service awards and held leadership positions with the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Southern Association for College Admission Counseling and New England Association for College Admission Counseling, among others.
He earned an M.Ed. in higher education administration from Suffolk University and a B.S. in sociology from Boston College.