Vice President for Enrollment Services La Toro Yates, Ph.D., Builds on Kean’s Enrollment Growth

Kean’s new Vice President for Enrollment Services La Toro Yates, Ph.D., joined the University last month. A New Jersey native, he began his higher education career as an admissions counselor at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, where he earned his undergraduate degree. Yates, who earned an MBA and originally expected to go into business, said he realized early on that higher education admissions was a place he could help students and families. He recently sat down for an interview with Kean News.

Q. You’ve spent most of your career in higher education enrollment services, most recently at the City University of New York’s Hostos Community College in the Bronx. What interested you in this field?

I began working in admissions at a young age, and it clicked. For me, it was something I’ve tried to do throughout my life, help people like me make slightly better decisions than I did. When I was 17, my family was very supportive, but I had to figure out a lot of the college selection process on my own. It’s been a joy to work with first-generation students like myself and help them and their families understand how to make the best college choice. I just want to try to make it better for those who come behind me. I’ve been able to help my family utilize education as the vehicle to grow out of poverty, and build brighter futures for the next generation.

Q. How do you view Kean’s enrollment? What interested you in taking this position at Kean?

Kean’s enrollment, now at 18,000, has steadily increased during a time when college enrollment nationally has been in trouble. That was one of the things that caught my attention. And  over the years, when I would drive through or by the campus, I saw this amazing place growing one building at a time. A colleague sent me a clip of President Repollet’s first state of the University address, and I was really impressed by the way students, faculty, and staff reacted to what he was saying. I realized there were some amazing things happening at Kean, and I wanted to become a part of it.

Q. How will you build on Kean’s growing enrollment?

The first thing to understand is Kean is moving in the right direction. But there’s been a lot of talk nationally about an enrollment cliff – the number of students graduating high school has been projected to decrease, which is happening now. What Kean has to do, like many colleges and universities, is look at other opportunities – transfer students; students who have some college; adult learners; and international students. It’s about creating opportunities for students, removing all barriers, and looking at places in and out of state where there are opportunities to increase the number of students interested in higher education. From an admissions and recruitment standpoint, I think the right things are happening.

Q. What do you see as Kean’s greatest strengths?

First are the academic programs, including specialty programs like design and architecture, and our expanding offerings in the health professions, such as pre-licensure in nursing, which we think is going to be huge. Our business program at Kean is AACSB accredited, and we have a historically strong teacher education program. Our movement toward becoming an R2 research institution is also very important, as well as Kean’s role as an anchor institution. Students are working on research with faculty which can impact the local community, region and state. It shows Kean is purposeful in how we build connections for our students to succeed, once they graduate and enter the workforce.

Kean’s student services are also a great strength. Our Wellness Center, and programs like Supera, EOF, Bridge to Success and others provide resources to help our students persist, semester to semester through graduation. Sometimes, a student has what may seem to others like a small question, but for that student, it could feel like an overbearing thing they can’t figure out. I remember those moments myself. I think Kean University does a great job of pointing students in the right direction when they need help.

You also hear about diversity a lot when you think about the Kean University experience. It’s one thing to have a diverse group of people – but when you see students walking together, and you see them engaging with one another and with faculty and staff, I believe that is a true strength of the University.