Darrius Douglas named College of DuPage Dean of Enrollment Management
With an extensive background in college administration, Darrius Douglas is more than prepared to take on his new role of Dean of Enrollment at College of DuPage.
"I believe in helping out others in this capacity I'm in," he said. "My goal in education is to create policies and procedures and to guide individuals toward a path for their own success. I also hope to create certain parameters that revolve around accessibility, affordability and attainability for today's students."
Prior to coming to the college, Douglas earned his master's in management information systems and Ed.D. in higher education and organizational change from Benedictine University. He served as vice president of enrollment management at New York Film Academy, where he oversaw financial aid department registration, enrollment management and marketing for campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Italy and Australia. He also fulfilled similar roles at Tulane University and New Mexico Military Institute, which further primed him for his endeavors at COD.
"We did some pretty wonderful things at all of my previous stops," he said. "I think those stops have prepared me well to assume this role here at COD and also to implement some strategies that I believe will help us make more of an impact on people's lives during the pandemic."
Douglas' primary goal for his first year is to create a solid foundation for the departments in his charge in order to maximize student success.
"Our number one goal at any time is to look out for the best interests of our students and prospective students by ensuring that our policies and procedures are in line with the needs of today's 21st century students," he said.
Full-time student enrollment is also a priority for Douglas, though the goal doesn't just consist of maximizing enrollment numbers.
"We also want to see to it that those full-time students fulfill that two-year journey here and get to walk across that stage eventually, where their family and friends can congratulate them, and they can start their next journey in life," he said.
As a former College of DuPage student himself, Douglas firmly believes that students just want to know what to do to succeed.
"We have a host of great individuals that work in the administration," he said. "And I think we're all on the same page, where ultimately, we want to see our students graduate and move on into their careers, and it feels good to know that I'll have a small part to do with that."