HomeExpertsMelanie Wade

Melanie Wade

Melanie Wade has 23 years of experience in enrollment management. Her areas of expertise include undergraduate and graduate enrollment, strategic financial aid, predictive modeling, campus events, communication plans, market identification and segmentation, and staff development.

Prior to joining Ruffalo Noel Levitz, she served most recently as Vice President of Enrollment Services at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA, overseeing undergraduate and graduate admissions, and a combined Student Services Center, which incorporated the offices of financial aid, the registrar, enrollment operations, and customer service for student accounts.

As a Vice President and in her prior role as Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Ms. Wade led a team that enrolled the 10 largest freshman classes in institutional history, increasing the average size of the freshman class by approximately 20 percent. In addition, the university tripled engineering enrollments, increased diversity, and enrolled the largest transfer and international classes among its competitor set. She implemented the Common Application, the Yellow Ribbon Program, borrower-based academic year awarding, and recruitment plans for the honors program, first-generation students, and international students. In graduate admissions, she reorganized the office to become a best-practice model, which led to a 25 percent increase in new student enrollment.

Melanie holds a MA in English from Binghamton University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilkes University. She has presented at the National Conference on Student Recruitment, Marketing, and Retention (NCSRMR), and the annual conferences of the Middle States Association of Collegiate Registrars and Officers of Admission (MSACROA), the University and College Designers Association (UCDA), and the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers (EACUBO).

Talk to our experts

Find the optimal strategies for your challenges. Tell us what assistance you need and we will connect you with an RNL expert for enrollment, student success, or fundraising.

Request consultation