Biography

Roger J. Thompson
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
Indiana University

As Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Dr. Roger J. Thompson is responsible for all areas related to the recruitment and retention of students.  This effort is implemented through the following Office of Enrollment Management (OEM) departments:  Office of Admissions, Office of Enrollment Planning and Research, Office of First Year Experience Programs, Office of the Registrar, Office of Undergraduate Scholarships, Office of Student Financial Assistance, and the Office of Systems Design and Development.  These departments are responsible for providing services to prospective students, currently enrolled students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Indiana University.

During Dr. Thompson’s four year tenure at Indiana University, the quality of the freshman class has grown to the highest level in the history of Indiana University.   The average high school GPA has reached 3.7, and the SAT has increased 91 points to 1203 in the last four years.  Additionally, new financial aid programs, including the 21st Century Scholar Covenant and the Pell Promise, have been developed and implemented to help low and middle income families with the cost of attending Indiana University.  Further, a new approach to merit based scholarships was introduced and implemented in the Fall 2007 semester for students beginning in Fall 2008.  The result of this program has led to nearly doubling the numbers of Indiana residents with a 3.75 high school GPA and a 1300 SAT in two short years.  This new attention and direction to recruiting the best and brightest has led to not only enrolling the most academically talented freshman class in IU history, three years running, but the most diverse freshman class in the history of the institution.  Record application growth from approximately 22,000 to over 33,000 applicants, and student enrollment growth continues to build at Indiana University due to the outstanding work of all team members in the OEM.

Prior to arriving at Indiana University, Dr. Thompson served as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Alabama, where enrollment reached record levels in terms of freshman class size, diversity, quality, and total enrollment.   Dr. Thompson served the University of Alabama for eight years beginning in 1998, when he arrived from the University of Southern California where he served in a number of capacities during the 1990’s.  Before joining USC, Dr. Thompson served two other institutions as an advisor and student affairs professional.  He has made numerous presentations at state, regional, and national conferences and is leading a new research agenda at Indiana University focused on student persistence, college affordability, and pre-enrollment characteristics as a predictor for student success.

A native of the West coast, Dr. Thompson earned a B.A. in Broadcasting from California State University, Long Beach, an M.S. from the University of Central Missouri and a Doctorate in Higher Education Policy and Administration from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Thompson can be reached at vpem@indiana.edu.