ELON COLLEGE –Nan P. Perkins has been named vice president for institutional advancement at Elon College. Perkins, who has been vice president for enrollment management since 1998 and dean of admissions and financial planning since 1989, will assume her new duties April 3.
“Nan Perkins has dedicated herself to the success of Elon College since 1976, serving in many roles,” says Leo M. Lambert, Elon College president. “Under her leadership, admissions applications to the college have increased nearly 30 percent, freshman enrollment has grown from 700 to 1,000 annually and the average SAT score of incoming students has risen 90 points. In her new position she leads an advancement team that is on track to set new fund raising records, using her knowledge of Elon, her strong ties with all of our constituencies and her outstanding leadership skills in new and challenging ways to benefit the college.”
The Office of Institutional Advancement includes development and alumni/parent relations. The primary function of the division is to raise funds and communicate effectively with external constituencies. The Office of College Relations, which includes the news bureau and publications, will become part of the advancement division. It is currently supervised by Perkins in the enrollment management division.
Perkins replaces Dean Bruno, who is resigning effective April 1 to pursue other interests. Susan Klopman, assistant dean of admissions, has been named dean of admissions and will assume those duties April 3. A nationwide search for a new vice president for enrollment management will be conducted in the fall.
Perkins attended Meredith College, has a bachelor’s degree from Barton College and a master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
She first came to Elon as a part-time instructor in English in 1976. In 1982 she was named Director of Communications, serving as assistant to the president and editing the alumni magazine. She conceptualized and created the Department of Publications and Public Information, serving as its director from 1985 to 1989. In that role she also organized and directed the college’s year-long centennial celebration in 1988-89.
As vice president for enrollment management, she has supervised undergraduate, graduate and international admissions, the Office of Financial Planning and the Office of College Relations.
Perkins is a member of the president’s senior staff and is currently co-chair of the Athletics Identity Task Force which is choosing the new athletics mascot. She is a member of several higher education professional organizations and has served as a consultant on admissions and communications topics.
Perkins and her husband Edward T. Perkins live in Burlington, N.C.
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