Tom Rajala
Independent Consultant
Higher Education
Email: tom@scotthealy.com
Tom Rajala has spent his entire university career at three independent institutions: as Director of Admission at American University (after having held nearly every job in the admission office prior to assuming that role); Director of Admission at Boston University; and Associate Provost for Enrollment at University of the Pacific. Thus, he has experience in serving institutions of various sizes and of different foci. The common thread is that in all three positions, the primary charge was to build the size and academic quality of the applicant pool, and thus of the entering classes. The primary goals were achieved or bettered in every case. Tom’s most recent experience at University of the Pacific saw a doubling of the freshman applicant pool, an improvement in the SAT Critical Reading/Math average of 100 points, and a 15% increase in the size of entering freshman classes.
Tom’s focus has always been on developing data-informed enrollment plans at both the strategic and tactical levels, and then building and empowering a team of enrollment professionals to execute those plans. A special interest is in the area of communication media, and with the burgeoning development of new electronic communication tools this interest is more germane than ever in regard to helping colleges and universities achieve their enrollment goals.
Tom has successfully integrated admission, financial aid, and the registrar’s office into a cohesive Office of Enrollment at Pacific. The work of those offices has been informed and powered by a dynamic institutional research function that he helped develop. He is available to assist institutions with short and long term interim assignments as chief enrollment officer, as well as with special projects that involve his areas of experience and expertise.
