Veteran academic recruiter joins Brenau executive team

GAINESVILLE - Brenau University announces the appointment of north Georgia native C. Ray Tatum to its top student recruiting, admissions and enrollment management position effective July 1.<br /> <br /> Reporting directly to Brenau University President Ed Schrader, Tatum will serve as vice president of enrollment management for the 3,000-student doctoral degree-granting university, its five campuses and nationally heralded online programs. Tatum also will have responsibilities for planned expansions to other campuses and for growth in both undergraduate and graduate studies.<br /> Ray Tatum, enrollment management vice president<br /> <br /> Tatum comes to Brenau from Mercer University in Macon, where he served as assistant vice president and director of admissions since 2007. In addition to his 11 years at Mercer that included other enrollment management experience, he has spent more than 25 years in the field, including admissions, enrollment and recruitment positions at Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and two other Georgia-based institutions: Reinhardt College in Waleska and Shorter University, his undergraduate alma mater, in Rome. For three years he also worked as regional account manager in the Macon office of JP Morgan Chase Education Finance Corporation, a private student loan provider.<br /> <br /> "Ray Tatum has made a significant leadership contribution to Mercer's outstanding record for recruiting and retaining students, and we are delighted that we can tap into that expertise at Brenau," said Schrader. "He certainly knows the geographic area from which Brenau historically has drawn a majority of its students, but he also knows how to expand our reach into other locales to help us attract a broader base of undergraduate and graduate students."<br /> <br /> At Brenau, the vice president of enrollment management has responsibility for development, oversight, and management of all university enrollment and recruiting programs and the related advertising and marketing activities. That includes supervising and supporting both university personnel engaged in those activities as well as a myriad of external vendors and resources, like the large, complex partnerships with agencies responsible for student search, enrollment, and recruiting services.<br /> <br /> The university also plans to expand relationships with universities in China, India and other regions of the world