Dr. April Bush joined RNL in 2014 and offers more than 15 years of on campus experience in higher education. Her areas of expertise include undergraduate admissions, scholarship and financial aid leveraging, recruitment event planning, staff training, and strategic planning for marketing and communications. While at RNL, April has consulted with over 50 different institutions including HBCUs, HSIs, and both public and private colleges/universities. April regularly presents at RNL conferences, events, and webinars to provide thought leadership.
Previous Experience
Prior to joining RNL, April served as director of admissions at Converse College (SC), where she was responsible for new student recruitment and marketing efforts. In addition, she helped develop the strategy for a tuition reset, assisted with the writing and development of all communications pieces, presented financial aid sessions, managed the recruitment staff. Under her leadership, the college experienced a 25 percent enrollment growth. In addition to her time at Converse, April has served several different types of institutions and served in various roles as part of the regional AACRAO association and SC state organization for independent colleges.
Education
April received her Ph.D. in higher education administration and her master’s degree in education with a specialization in enrollment management from Capella University (MN). She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Erskine College (SC).
Connect with April on LinkedIn
Recent Presentations and Insights
- Meeting the Enrollment Needs of First-Generation College Students
- Webinar: Boost Your Enrollment Efforts with Slate Optimization
- RNLNC 2022 Presentation: Five Things an Enrollment Manager Needs to Know and Do Now
Quotes from April
“As a first-generation college graduate, college changed my life. I’m proud to every day help students have this transformative experience. Getting students the assistance, and communicating it effectively, is crucial. Students can easily become overwhelmed, and if we don’t get them the right resources, effectively, we will lose them.”
“To keep things on track with your enrollment and retention strategy, you have to monitor your resource deployment closely. You also have to look at the big picture of what students are receiving, and plan for the future. One thing I love to do is imbed myself in the communications that an institution is sending (basically, I become a student). I can see from the student perspective the big picture of engagement, and how we can do better.”