UAFS hires vice chancellor for enrollment management

The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith has hired Brooke Magallanes as its new associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. She will begin her role at UAFS March 18 with a starting annual salary of $115,000.

Magallanes will oversee the university’s efforts in enrollment, recruitment, admissions, and financial aid. The position manages the admissions and financial aid departments and will help admissions continue a two-year trend of upward enrollment, as well as UAFS’ quest to become an Hispanic-serving institution, a job posting for the position said.

“(The position will) work closely with our marketing and communications teams, and our student success and retention team, and they will be an integral part of strategic planning,” according to UAFS.

Blake Bedsole, former director of admissions, recently left UAFS to take a position similar to the associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Troy University in Alabama, a location closer to home for his family, said Dr. Lee Krehbiel, vice chancellor for enrollment management and student affairs. This led way for the university to create the new enhanced position Magallanes is filling.

“The new structure will help coordinate our use of all sources of aid more strategically; help our team navigate the major changes in federal financial aid; and assist in decision-making relative to how we take advantage of anticipated changes in the federal Pell Grant program and the Arkansas Challenge Scholarship program to leverage greater access to higher education in our service areas,” Krehbiel said.

Magallanes, 33, is a 2014 UAFS graduate with a bachelor’s degree in art with a minor in speech. Following her graduation from UAFS, she earned a master’s degree in college student personnel from Arkansas Tech University in 2016, and began her career in enrollment management soon after at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

“Stepping back onto the campus that provided me with such a rich and transformative educational experience fills me with immense joy and a deep sense of responsibility. I am honored to serve in a capacity that allows me to give back to the university that has given me so much,” Magallanes said.

Magallanes most recently worked as interim director for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the UALR. During her interim as director, UALR saw a 29.2% increase in fall 2022 freshmen, maintained the increased number of enrolled freshmen the following year and saw a 3.2% increase in new undergraduate spring enrollment, reversing a declining enrollment trend for this term. UALR’s fall 2024 degree-seeking undergraduate applications increased by 35.3%, with an 49.2% increase in admits, the news release said. Magallanes also spearheaded the creation of UALR’s first bilingual recruiting position.

“My commitment to building a welcoming and inclusive campus is more than just a professional belief; it’s a personal one, too. Leading the charge to hire UALR’s first Hispanic recruiter was a step toward creating a more inclusive and representative university community. I am so excited to continue this work at UAFS, helping the university progress towards its goal of becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution,” she said.

UAFS has two bilingual recruiters who work with students and families and host the Spanish language recruiting event, Sí Se Puede.

Magallanes’s academic and professional journey has been marked by dedication to student success, community building, transparent communications and inclusive practices, the UAFS news release said. And Krehbiel said he is confident in her ability to lead the university’s enrollment strategies forward.

Magallanes is also engaged in volunteer work and community service which she credits to a deep love of philanthropy she developed as a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority at UAFS. A Fort Smith native, she and her husband, Frankie, also a UAFS alumnus, said they were excited to be back in the Fort Smith area.

“UAFS has always been a special place for both Frankie and me. It’s where we grew as individuals and professionals. Bringing my experiences full circle and contributing to the university’s future alongside someone who shares this deep connection is incredibly meaningful,” she said.