The last candidate for vice president of enrollment management, Josh Norman, held an open meeting to discuss why he is qualified for the position and what his plans are.

He finished his daylong interview process with an open interview with other faculty members.

Norman said he already has a plan if he is chosen for the position, which is broken down into five steps.

Those steps include building a campus culture, which advocates Eastern and helps recruitment; working with the director of admissions to standardize and simplify events and processes; creating an enrollment plan, which focuses on marketing the university; increasing efficiency in the enrollment management process; creating demand driven courses; investing and utilizing technology to drive efficiency, and increasing retention and graduation rates.

Norman talked about his background, involving his time in the air force and how it led to him earning rewards. He said he was airman of the year for his unit and earned quarterly awards.

He outlined his workday as a way to show how organized he is.

Norman said from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. he works, from 5-7 p.m. he spends time solely with his family, from 7-9 p.m. he ties up any loose ends he may have left from his work day, and he is in bed at 10 p.m. no matter what is going on, so he can be up early to prepare for his day.

Norman said he feels a connection to Eastern since he has family members who are alumni, and this drives him to want this position.

“I want to be there to make the decisions that help us,” Norman said.

He said he wants to get as many people as possible involved with getting prospective students to come to Eastern.

Norman said Eastern has the strength of connecting with potential students once they are on campus, but the university needs to take better care of bringing prospective students over to campus.

Norman also said the university needs to promote itself more.

He said the university has a diverse amount of student run organizations and needs to promote the unique experience that Greek Life offers.

Norman also said Eastern should promote the diversity on campus, citing the international student’s video and how Eastern is the second safest university in the nation.

He said it is just as important to draw the students who want to go to Eastern, as it is to get the parents on board.

Norman said the parents would like to see how the university can be their second home and how it is paying attention to students and not just the parents.

One of the first things Norman said the university needs outside help with is its image. He said it is hard to be the Harvard of the Midwest when only a few students know about Eastern and all it has to offer.

Norman said he thinks he is the best fit for the position but also wants the best for the university.

“If there is a better candidate, please get them on board,” Norman said.

Samuel Nusbaum can be reached at 581-2812 or at scnusbaum@eiu.edu.