GCSU to Centralize Graduate Enrollment Efforts

Looking ahead, growing enrollment within the university’s graduate programs remains one of the institution’s primary goals for 2025 and beyond. To support that mission, all graduate enrollment operations will be centralized beginning March 15. 

“Combining the resources and expertise of our graduate and undergraduate admission processes will provide the pathways we need to grow our graduate student enrollment,” said GCSU President Cathy Cox. “Directing all enrollment strategy through one unified vision will help us maximize the reach of the 32 different graduate programs we offer and take The Graduate School to the next level.” 

GCSU’s new graduate enrollment team will be led by Shanda Brand, who will serve as the interim director of Graduate Admissions & Enrollment Management. Formerly the College of Education’s director of Graduate Programs, Brand has had great success in recent years with the College of Education, where she maintained the largest graduate enrollment at Georgia College. There, she also streamlined the admissions process, expanded access to broader student audiences and developed/implemented the Graduate Student Orientation Program. She’s now primed to bring that same enthusiasm and focus to the university as a whole. 

Parris Story, assistant director of The Graduate School, will provide oversight to a comprehensive range of academic functions, including serving on university committees, supporting retention efforts for graduate students, overseeing hiring of graduate assistants and representing The Graduate School in research initiatives. 

The graduate enrollment team is also growing.

From a group of three, the team is currently up to five employees — including Caitlin Vinson, Cassie Napier and Stephanie McDade, in addition to Brand and Story — following strategic reclassifications of existing roles. Three additional staff members will also be added through newly created positions soon. 

The team will operate out of the first floor of Parks Hall and work under the leadership of Senior Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Joel Robinson, who played a pivotal role in helping to increase freshman applications more than 44% since 2022. Robinson and his team will offer invaluable support and guidance during the upcoming transition. 

“Our faculty strive to provide graduate learners with the same personalized learning experience that students find here on campus, and this transition will help expand those options in a significant way,” said Dr. Holley Roberts, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “By leveraging the expertise and success of our undergraduate enrollment management professionals, the focused and centralized Graduate School recruitment and enrollment efforts are intentional in moving us towards the strategic goal of growing graduate enrollment.”