From: Charles F. Zukoski, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kedra Ishop as Vice President for Enrollment Management at USC, effective August 1. Dr. Ishop is a nationally renowned expert on admission and enrollment in higher education with a strong focus on building excellent incoming classes of vibrant scholars. She will bring her thoughtful, compassionate, and inclusive leadership to this critical position at the university.Dr. Ishop comes to USC from the University of Michigan, where she served as Vice Provost for Enrollment Management. This was a new position at Michigan, and during her six-year tenure there, she consistently advanced a student-centered vision, while overseeing undergraduate admissions, financial aid, new student programs, and the registrar. To support this work, she expanded the Enrollment Management support structures to include Marketing and Communications, Enrollment Research, Data and Analytics, Strategic Initiatives, and Operational Effectiveness. She managed a staff of more than 200 employees and a budget that exceeded $20 million.Dr. Ishop enjoys working directly with students, their families, and her colleagues—and in helping them realize their aspirations and dreams. She also understands the vital role that enrollment plays in the life of an institution, and how her leadership helps determine its engagement with the community.
Prior to Michigan, Dr. Ishop spent 17 years at the University of Texas at Austin, where she rose to the position of Vice Provost and Director of Admissions. In that capacity, she oversaw undergraduate and international admissions, and graduate admissions processing, while collaborating with leaders across the campus to build and strengthen the university’s new enrollment management system.
Dr. Ishop holds three degrees from the University of Texas at Austin: a bachelor’s in sociology, a master’s in higher education administration, and a Ph.D. in educational administration. As an undergraduate, she first volunteered in the university’s admissions office, before spending three years in a para-professional position dedicated to student-led diversity recruitment initiatives. She later began her professional career in that same office as an admissions counselor.
After leaving the Austin campus for four years—during which time she managed UT’s admissions offices in Dallas and Houston—she returned to her alma mater, where she was promoted to Associate Director of Admissions and oversaw the admissions review and selection process. After completing her doctorate, she became the Vice Provost and Director of the Office of Undergraduate and International Admissions.
Dr. Ishop is a founding member and university sponsor of the College Board Access and Diversity Collaborative. She has served on the College Board Low Income Task Force and the International Baccalaureate North America College and University Relations Committee. She has contributed to the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice Conference, the Harvard University Summer Institute on College Admissions, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Dr. Ishop’s appointment follows a national search. I am grateful to Dean Elizabeth Daley of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Dean Amber Miller of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences for co-chairing the search committee. I would also like to thank the committee members for their excellent contributions.
A native of Texas, Dr. Ishop has described herself as a “small-town athlete,” and has played volleyball, softball, and flag football. She enjoys a range of outdoor activities, including cycling, kayaking, camping, and hiking.
She comes to USC with her husband, Jon, and their two sons, Aedan and Zachary. Her eldest son just graduated from high school and went through the college application, enrollment, and soon-to-be ‘gap year’ process—reminding her how meaningful and important this process can be for so many families around the country.
It is this empathetic perspective and attentive approach—coupled with Kedra’s decades of exceptional experience—that President Folt and I are so happy to welcome to the USC community.