Reporting to the Director of Admissions, the Assistant Director of Admissions acts as the primary liaison
between CalArts and prospective students and families. In collaboration with the Director, Program
Directors, Faculty, Deans, and Communications, the Assistant Director recruits and guides admitted
students through to matriculation, providing support and ongoing communication to prospective students
and families throughout the application, review, and admission processes. Externally, the Assistant
Director represents the Institute generally as well as the Office of Admissions and their designated School
via information sessions, office hours, college fairs, high school events, visual and performing arts
classes, audition and portfolio events, CalArts-hosted events, and other recruitment activities. Internally,
the Assistant Director communicates and collaborates with other offices across campus regarding student
needs, and provides cross-training on programs and practices of their assigned school to their
Admissions colleagues. It is critical that the Assistant Director maintain comprehensive knowledge of
contemporary art and culture and terminology, both generally and as it relates specifically to the assigned
school, and that they cultivate a holistic comprehension of the various schools' mission statements,
programs, curricula and artistic vision and how these mesh with CalArts as an Institute.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS (including but not limited to)
Student Counseling:
● Advise a diverse domestic and international pool of prospective students on CalArts’ academic
programs and campus experience, application, and portfolio and/or audition processes through
regular communication with applicants, families, and counselors, including personalized check-ins
with candidates throughout the application process
● Provide feedback and recommended resources to prospective students, rejected applicants, and
other applicants on their application materials, and assess their fit with CalArts programs
● Provide general counseling and information to prospective students regarding financial aid
resources, connecting students with Financial Aid staff for additional support
● Respond to individual student concerns regarding a breadth of unique needs and circumstances
requiring a high level of discretion, and connect students to appropriate resources
Recruitment:
● Prepare yearly recruitment strategy plan in collaboration with the Director, Deans, Program
Directors, and upper administration to address enrollment needs, based on data and industry
trends; seek out new and relevant methods of connecting with prospective students
● Maintain and strengthen existing relationships for student pipelines, and identify new recruitment
pathways with the potential to yield high caliber applicants from around the world
● Travel extensively for up to several weeks at a time, representing all programs for recruitment,
including management of personal travel arrangements and expenses reports; as needed, plan
travel for faculty or alumnx representatives
Marketing and Communications:
● In collaboration with Director, develop targeted advertising strategy for all programs within the
assigned school and help to manage the advertising budget; cultivate and maintain relationships
with relevant cultural and media outlets to promote CalArts offerings and events
● Create content to promote program-specific events of interest to prospective students and the
broader arts communities, championing new initiatives and highlighting unique strengths
● Work with School and Enrollment Management leadership to refine admissions marketing
materials, and manage creative work by CalArts' design office and freelancers to ensure projects
are delivered on time
● Support school social media presence and generate engaging email campaigns which share
pertinent information about the institute, and upcoming recruitment events
Event Planning and Participation:
● Represent and discuss all aspects of CalArts at a wide range of local and national recruitment
events; conduct regular information sessions on and off-campus, and online, including on-
campus tours as needed
● In collaboration with the Director of Admissions, plan and facilitate a range of on and off campus
events, including hiring and training student and alumnx event staff, and collaborating with
Communications to ensure appropriate media coverage
Review Coordination:
● Work with Review Coordinator and Enrollment Management Operations team to ensure accurate
and timely processing of submitted applications and portfolios/auditions, to manage faculty
portfolio reviews of prospective student work, to complete pre-screenings as needed, and
manage portfolio review sessions; collaborate with School and Admissions team to plan and staff
auditions
● Alongside the faculty, review and interview applicants and document feedback on application for
potential student counseling, and provide personal insight and advice regarding applicants
● Organize and track all internal reviews in order to monitor progress toward enrollment goals and
maintain active communication with the applicant pool and program directors
Enrollment Management:
● Provide clear, personal insight into admissions data, as well as into each assigned program’s
unique advantages or disadvantages in the higher education landscape
● Generate and monitor internal tracking documents to monitor progress toward enrollment goals
● Monitor and work with applicant data in Slate: run and organize reports, track applicant
processing, yield, and enrollment management, clean up applicant records and request missing
applicant materials
● Provide and document feedback on recruitment events and tactics to improve future seasons
Minimum Qualifications
● Bachelor's degree required, preferably in an arts related field.
● A minimum of 3 years of relevant and progressive experience
● Experience with Slate or other CRM preferred
● Experience in MS Office and Google suites
● Experience as a practicing artist preferred
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
● Well-developed understanding and demonstrative knowledge of current recruitment practices
and needs of admissions within an art institute or similar higher education institution.
● Strong interpersonal, leadership and empathetic listening skills
● Ability to interact effectively with a diverse community of internal and external constituencies
demonstrating tact, diplomacy, discretion and good judgment.
● Excellent written and oral communication skills.
● Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple
projects and see projects through to a timely completion.
This position is available immediately. If you are interested, please follow the interfolio prompts to apply:
California Institute of the Arts shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a) and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities, and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.
