Chris Connor

With over twenty years of experience in higher education, Chris’s experience includes leadership roles in undergraduate and graduate education both from an institutional and academic unit perspective. He currently serves as the Assistant Dean and Chief Enrollment Officer in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY). In his current role, he focuses strategically on all aspects of the graduate student lifecycle including new program development, international and domestic recruitment for both traditional and online programs, enrollment planning, financial aid leveraging, diversity programs, graduate and undergraduate student professional development and alumni engagement. During his tenure, the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences graduate enrollment has risen 24% to the highest in school history despite reported U.S. national declines.

His past positions at the University at Buffalo include serving as Assistant Dean for Graduate Enrollment Management Services, Interim Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Director of Graduate Recruitment Services, Functional Project Lead of UB 2020 Student Services Transformation Initiative, Associate Director for Admissions and Student Services in the Department of Economics and serving as Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Communication.

Chris’ research interests focus on Strategic Graduate Enrollment Management (SGEM) and identifying key components, synergies, and more importantly the critical differences between undergraduate and graduate enrollment management. He also has published and presented both nationally and internationally on numerous topics related to enrollment management. Connor, internationally recognized for his work in enrollment management, is also known for co-leading a global research project (with Joshua LaFave) which resulted in the higher education industry accepted definition of graduate enrollment management.

Connor, internationally recognized for his work in enrollment management has received several awards and distinctions. Most recently, Chris was awarded the 2019 Chancellor’s Award for Professional Service by the State University of New York (SUNY) system and the operations under his direction were awarded the 2020 IELTS Best Practices Award in International Enrollment Management.