Search under way for admissions VP

University officials plan to begin reviewing applications next month to find a successor for Jim Hutto, the former assistant vice president for enrollment management and marketing.

Dr. Howard Paterson, vice president for student affairs, said he has received 80 applications for the position.

He said a committee plans to meet in March to narrow the selection to about 10 candidates for telephone interviews.

He also said he plans to invite two or three applicants for campus visits and hopes to have the position filled by the end of March.

The job, posted on higheredjobs.com on Jan. 23, “seeks a high energy, experienced enrollment professional to serve as the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing.”

Hutto stepped down from the position in December after working for the University for nine years.

“It was time,” Hutto said. “The University deserved 100 percent of my mental and physical attention. When I felt like I couldn’t give that any more, I decided it was time to retire.”

Hutto came to the University in the fall of 1999 after serving 17 years recruiting students for Troy University in Alabama. He also worked for Mercer University in Georgia and Birmingham Southern University in Alabama.

Hutto said enrollment increased by more than 60 percent during his time with the University.

“We went from around 3,000 students in 1999 to more than 6,000 today,” he said.

Hutto said he is grateful for the opportunity to work for the University.

He said he enjoyed working with the faculty and staff. He described University President Rodney Mabry as “top-notch.”

“I have to highest respect for President Mabry,” he said. “He was always supportive of everything we did.”

Mabry said Hutto was a “key player in the university’s admissions process.”

“Vice president Patterson is working hard to find a quality replacement quickly,” he said.

By Aaron May Staff Writer