Associate Director of Admissions

Bennington College, a liberal arts college distinguished for its pioneering initiatives in higher education, seeks an Associate Director of Admissions to join a creative team of professionals committed to making the college admissions process a powerful introduction to the values of an uncompromising education.  

The Associate Director will be joining Bennington after the most successful admissions cycle in the College’s history, representing the College to individuals and groups on and off campus and assuming central responsibility for designing and managing the recruitment, admission, and cultivation activities for a specific geographic region. The Associate Director develops relationships with prospective students, high school guidance counselors, teachers, schools, and community-based organizations, and evaluates applications from the region.This role also develops and manages several administrative systems which may include: communications, training, events and/or other areas based on the interests and strengths of the successful candidate. Members of the Bennington admissions team share an abiding curiosity and faith in the intellect of young adults and understand admissions as potentially more than a way into college—it is, at its best, the beginning of a college education.

Bennington serves a diverse student population inclusive of members of ethnically/racially minoritized, international, LGBTQIA , and disability communities as well as diverse gender identities, socioeconomic backgrounds, religions, and political beliefs. Our staff and faculty also reflect diverse and intersecting backgrounds and identities. All employees are expected to be respectful and responsive to these differences in the service of building community that promotes student and employee success. Each individual (faculty, staff and students) will be accountable for upholding these values.  The College’s approach to pluralism and inclusivity—both as fields of inquiry and practice—is to prioritize flexible thought, and to invite the examination of access, value, power, and privilege through its institutional policies and areas of study. We encourage applicants from diverse realms of interest, backgrounds, experience, and accomplishment to apply. 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of admissions experience 
• A commitment to building a diverse, inclusive, equitable and anti-racist community
• An appreciation for a liberal arts education
• Strong interest and aptitude for mentoring admissions counselors and students
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities, organizational skills, and a capacity for self-starting
• Strong technology orientation; experience with Google Apps, MS Office Suite, and social media as well as the ability to learn proprietary applications and to strengthen database proficiency; experience with Slate is preferred 
• Ability to engage in thoughtful and high-volume email exchange as well as online events and other virtual engagement 
• The position normally demands substantial travel during the academic year although this will depend on public health protocols in the wake of COVID-19
• Valid driver’s license

This position requires successful completion and acceptable results of a background check.

The College

Bennington College is a laboratory for innovation in higher education. At Bennington, learning and making—on campus and in the field—are inseparable, and its graduates are noted for their outsized impact on the world’s stage. This campus celebrates the ongoing making of work—shared on walls, in shows and performances, in lectures and readings, and in conversations—and believes that equity, diversity, and inclusivity are vital to a collaborative community. This position captures, contributes to, and reflects the ethos of this creative community.

Nestled at the foot of the Green Mountains in Vermont, the campus consists of approximately 370 acres. The College was named one of ten with the best architecture by Architectural Digest.  From campus, it is a short drive to the cultural offerings of the northern Berkshires in Massachusetts, Albany, New York, and many of Vermont’s top recreational centers. New York City, Boston, and Burlington, Vermont are all within three and a half hours by car.