W. Eric Sykes left Boston to become the Bobcat charged with leading Quinnipiac into its next chapter of student enrollment and admissions.

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“I am extremely proud to be joining Quinnipiac University as the vice president of enrollment management this fall and look forward to working with the dedicated staff, faculty and students to meet Quinnipiac’s enrollment goals,” Sykes said.

Sykes will replace Greg Eichhorn, who left the university in June 2019 after only three years with the university. In an interview with the Chronicle last May, Eichhorn said his decision to leave was made after talking to President Judy Olian and Former Provost Mark Thompson.

“At this time, we kind of both agree that strategically wise, in the direction they want to go, it is best that I finish up the year,” Eichhorn said in the presence of Associate Vice President for Public Relations John Morgan. “They’re going to move in a different direction, especially in terms of the strategic plan.”

The strategic plan has many goals for admissions, including increasing geographic diversity and increasing the number of underrepresented minorities.

“It is exciting for me to be joining Quinnipiac at a time when the institution has so clearly adopted a forward-thinking approach and I hope to contribute to a data driven exploration of how we can best maximize the student experience from recruitment through graduation and beyond,” Sykes said.

Sykes, who will join the university officially on Sept. 16, worked to enhance geographic diversity in his time at Emerson College as associate vice president of enrollment management and dean of admissions, according to a press release from Jenifer Brown, interim executive vice president.

The fall 2018 admissions data said Emerson’s student body comprises 18% international students while Quinnipiac has 2% international students.

Syke’s other strengths include a holistic approach to admissions. At Emerson, he was able to weave multiple administrative branches together to help achieve the university’s “strategic goals” according to the press release.

“Eric’s hallmarks are partnership and collaboration across the university community, weaving Admissions efforts with the work of Financial Aid, Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, Finance, and the President’s office – all in pursuit of the institution’s strategic goals,” Brown stated.

Prior to his time at Emerson’s associate vice president of enrollment management and dean of admissions, Sykes worked in institutional research at Emerson and Xavier University.

He also taught psychology at Dickinson College where he taught classes such as advanced research methods, personality, cross-cultural psychology and stereotypes and prejudice. Sykes holds an M.S. from Purdue University in social and personality psychology with a concentration in psychometrics.

“Eric’s background and experiences have given him a deep appreciation for the importance of working in teams and across traditional administrative and academic boundaries,” Brown stated.

Quinnipiac’s early decision deadline is Nov. 1, so Sykes will have to hit the ground running, ready to review the applications of the next batch of Bobcats.

“I believe that collaborative engagement is the cornerstone of enrollment success and I look forward to working with dedicated partners across the institution to meet Quinnipiac’s enrollment objectives in the best possible way,” Sykes said.