Organizational changes to enhance our enrollment, marketing, and communications efforts
Dear Lumberjacks,
I am pleased to share some significant organizational developments that reflect our university vision and commitment to strategic finance. After much assessment, consultation, and deliberation, we are optimizing how we organize and structure our enrollment, marketing, communications, and related efforts to most effectively recruit and yield students, elevate our profile as the nation’s leading engine of opportunity, and sharpen our operational focus and stewardship of resources.
Effective January 2025, the existing team in University Marketing will be reorganized and embedded into four existing functional areas: Enrollment Management, Communications & Media Relations, Academic Affairs, and University Finance and Operations. This holistic approach will allow us to harness the talent of our dedicated staff, align strategic decision-making with the relevant operational functions, clarify workstreams and eliminate duplication, and position NAU to best realize our vision.
I want to underscore that with this adjustment there will not be layoffs; instead, the organizational changes shared here are designed to align form with function and enhance our ability to pursue strategic goals by investing the time, talent, and energy of our people in the areas of greatest impact.
Overview of new organizational structure
The key features of this organizational change are listed below.
Strategic Enrollment & Marketing (formerly Enrollment Management):
Enrollment management efforts are fundamental to our strategic vision—to broaden access and propel success for students from all backgrounds—and are inseparable from our financial health, as tuition and fee revenues, generated through a strategic enrollment mix, are our largest funding stream. As such, appropriately resourcing our enrollment enterprise and ensuring it is positioned for success is among our foremost priorities.
The newly enhanced Strategic Enrollment & Marketing team will take on the majority of marketing, creative, and operational services from University Marketing, bolstering our ability to communicate with and engage prospective students throughout the recruitment funnel, which starts from their first contact with NAU up until they begin classes. Ultimately, through a cohesive suite of strategies and services, this team’s goal is to recruit and enroll more students across sectors—Arizona resident, out-of-state, and international students—to entrust their educational futures to NAU and benefit from our exceptional academic programs.
Leading this work will be our Vice President for Strategic Enrollment & Marketing, Anika Olsen, who has overseen tremendous innovation and impact for NAU. Over the last three years, her accomplishments include the implementation of the Access2Excellence and Admissions Pilot programs, which have contributed to our record Arizona resident enrollment at NAU. Anika’s record of visionary leadership will be crucial in building this team and helping us reach our enrollment goals.
Strategic Communications (formerly Communications & Media Relations):
Focused on amplifying NAU’s achievements and contributing to broader awareness internally and externally of our university’s impact, Strategic Communications is an essential component of our organization. A core goal of this work is to elevate NAU’s profile and share our value proposition, as we advocate for vital support and partnership from constituents in Arizona and throughout the nation. To advance this work, some creative and brand services from University Marketing will be repositioned to elevate our strategic communications efforts, building out the existing team in Communications & Media Relations.
Kimberly Ott, Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications, will oversee this work. She has been a dedicated partner and has done much to amplify and share the stories of NAU’s success for many years. Under her direction, I am confident that NAU will maintain its momentum and continue to be recognized as among the nation’s preeminent engines of opportunity in higher education.
Academic Affairs:
Given the scope of our academic enterprise and the need for integrated strategies, communications, and services in NAU Online and the Center for International Education in particular, several marketing personnel will move to Academic Affairs. This will create a strong bridge between Academic Affairs, Strategic Enrollment & Marketing, and other divisions. In addition, this team will partner on cross-cutting communications and marketing efforts taking place across our academic colleges, elevating their distinctive identities while ensuring cohesion and consistency with our overall brand and vision.
This highly collaborative group will work under the leadership of Senior Vice Provost for Academic Operations, Dr. John Georgas. Their work will be instrumental in helping NAU Online grow as a key component of our access ecosystem, contribute to continued growth in NAU’s international endeavors, and provide valuable services that benefit all Academic Affairs.
University Finance and Operations:
Finally, our Printing Services and Trademarks and Licensing operations will be moved to University Finance and Operations to more closely align with similar activities taking place in the areas of Campus Services and Activities and Contracts, Purchasing, and Risk Management. Under the leadership of Bjorn Flugstad, Senior Vice President for University Finance and Operations, these units will continue to provide exceptional services and generate revenue for the university, and their strengthened connection with other auxiliaries will promote collaboration across our business enterprise.
Strategic finance in action
By repositioning existing resources into strategic areas of emphasis, I am confident that we will effectively advance our strategic finance framework—sharpening our focus, investing in impact, raising revenue, and containing costs.
Strategic finance in action, as I said at the outset, does not mean a decision to downsize in any area. Instead, it is thoughtful work to ensure alignment, cohesion, and impact. Because every dollar we spend—in recruitment, marketing, paid media, or any other forum—should be the best dollar we can spend to deliver equitable postsecondary value and generate revenue that will sustain and elevate our work.
So, while much excellent work has been taking place thanks to the efforts of our colleagues throughout the university, we believe that even greater impact is possible when the form of the organization is optimized to fit its function. The immediate strategic finance benefits of this change are clear: We will invest our people’s time in areas of greatest impact and do so with a sharp focus and close alignment to our strategic roadmap, Elevating Excellence.
As noted above, several areas will have their capacity bolstered by bringing existing personnel, expertise, and operational budgets to contribute to initiatives that we believe have the highest potential for impact. In total, this represents an effective new investment of more than $13.5 million in institutional resources toward these efforts.
Naturally, in making this shift, some legacy work will need to be deprioritized or sunset. These adjustments will be managed carefully and in close collaboration between divisional leaders and colleagues throughout the university, knowing that work in one area has consequences in another. Ultimately, this organizational change will put us in a stronger position, investing in essential areas, generating efficiencies, and positioning our people for success—not because we are trying to do more with less, but rather because we will be doing more of the most impactful work with the resources and talent we have available.
The road ahead
In closing, I would like to share my appreciation for the leadership of Harlan Teller, who has served as Chief Marketing Officer at NAU since 2019 and will be retiring in early 2025. I am grateful for his efforts to strengthen our university’s brand and reputation and to develop a talented team who will now pivot their work in this new organizational structure to further advance our goals.
With these changes, I am confident that we will strengthen our reputation, reach a broader audience, and support long-term growth and enrollment—all while remaining responsive and adaptable to the changing landscape of higher education.
In partnership,
José Luis Cruz Rivera
President