
Joseph E. Howard, MS
- Vice President for Enrollment
Education
- MS, Organizational Leadership (2009)
Mercyhurst University (PA) - BA, Sociology (2003)
Mercyhurst University (PA)
About Me
As Vice President for Enrollment, I provide leadership for Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate and Continuing Studies Admissions, the University Registrar, and Student Financial Services (including Financial Aid and the Bursar).
My team and I are responsible for shaping the university's overall enrollment strategy, encompassing recruitment initiatives, admissions policies, financial aid strategies, yield management, and data-driven analysis and predictive modeling. We collaborate with colleagues across the university to help prospective students and their families understand the value of a Widener education and work as champions to remove obstacles to enrollment and matriculation.
As a scholar of higher education, I also support campus stakeholders in understanding the demographic, competitive, and public policy landscape influencing the broader field. As a first-generation college student, I am especially committed to initiatives that expand opportunities for students from under-resourced and underserved backgrounds, advancing our mission to foster social mobility.
I value collaboration and innovation and strive to cultivate these capacities in others. Additionally, I enjoy engaging current students in our work, particularly those with interests in data science and analytics, providing them with meaningful, real-world experiences that contribute to the university's success.
Research Interests
- Machine learning
- Data science
- Admissions
- Financial aid
- Access and equity
- Institutional effectiveness
Publications
- Meizlish, D. S., Wright, M. C., Howard, J., & Kaplan, M. L. (2018). Measuring the effect of a new faculty program using institutional data. International Journal for Academic Development, 23(2), 72-85.
- Bastedo, M. N., Howard, J. E., & Flaster, A. (2016). Holistic admissions after affirmative action: Does “maximizing” the high school curriculum matter? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 38(2), 389-409.
- Wright, M. C., & Howard, J. E. (2015). Assessment for improvement: Two models for assessing a large quantitative reasoning requirement. Numeracy: Advancing Education in Quantitative Literacy, 8(1).
- Howard, Joseph E. (2015). Stata command reference. https://bit.ly/3B1HrlF
News
In the Media
- Higher Ed Dive
- Philadelphia Business Journal
- Delaware County Daily Times
- NBC10
- Delco Today