The University of Iowa has hired an associate vice president for enrollment management, a new administrative position to orchestrate the UI’s efforts to recruit and enroll students.

Brent Gage starts at the university on Dec. 15. He comes from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he has been the associate provost for enrollment management since August 2009. During that time, Gage increased the number of enrolled freshman into UAB by 39 percent, to 1,773 in the latest class, and bumped the first-year class’s average ACT to 25, according to his resume.

There are 4,666 students in the class of 2018 at the UI, the largest first-year class at the university. That class also has the highest ever average high school GPA of 3.63.

Gage says he will rely on “sophisticated data analysis” in his approach to a recruitment and enrollment strategy at the UI.

“As a pre-eminent institution in the state of Iowa, we need to make sure that every student who has a passion for learning knows how the University of Iowa can provide them with the opportunities to build their future and achieve their goals,” he says. “The university has a key role in cultivating the ideas that will build the future of this state, and we need to make sure that Iowa students are given the best opportunity to learn, grow and become the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and thought leaders.”

Gage will oversee the admissions and financial aid offices at the UI. He will report to UI Executive Vice President and Provost Barry Butler. His contract is for five years, with an option to renew, and his starting salary is $220,000.

“We’re very excited that Brent Gage will join the University of Iowa. He’s a nationally respected enrollment management professional who has risen quickly through the ranks," Butler says. "Under Brent’s leadership, the university will put an emphasis on student growth. We offer top-ranked academic programs, expanded scholarship support and a breadth of extracurricular opportunities to enhance student success.”

At the UI, Gage will be charged with contributing to the development of strategic enrollment management plans and assuming direct accountability for undergraduate enrollment goals. He says he’s excited by the challenge.

“The University of Iowa has a clear understanding of the current challenges that face higher education, and its approach is to take an active role to move the university forward in a dynamic and evolving landscape, and ensure that the University of Iowa continues to be a leader providing students an exceptional educational experience,” Gage says. “My unique set of skills will only add to the long and proud tradition of this great institution as we look toward the future.”

Gage has been involved in admissions and enrollment since the mid-1990s. A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, he started as an admissions and financial aid counselor at Eastern Illinois University, then moved to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2000 to be associate dean for undergraduate admissions and operations. He moved to Northern Illinois University in 2006, to be assistant vice provost for enrollment services, where he stayed three years, before taking his current job at UAB.

Gage earned a master's degree in higher-education administration from Eastern Illinois University and a doctoral degree in higher-education administration, leadership, and foundations from Indiana State University.

“I look forward to working in close collaboration with the faculty to build a campus culture of student recruitment that allows Iowa to effectively communicate the incredible opportunities that are available for prospective students,” Gage says.