As vice president of enrollment management, Tom Bear guides the institute’s student recruitment, admission, financial aid, and enrollment management efforts.
Prior to Rose-Hulman, Bear oversaw enrollment strategy and operations, including management of the offices of financial aid, student accounts, shared services, early outreach and engagement at the University of Notre Dame, first as executive director for student financial strategies and later as senior director for enrollment management.
Before joining Notre Dame in 2012, he was vice president of enrollment services at the University of Evansville for seven years, and assistant vice president and dean of admission at Evansville for four years. He also spent 11 years in a variety of roles in the Ivy Tech Community College system — first as registrar at the Columbus campus, then as manager of student support services in Indianapolis, and finally as dean of student affairs in Evansville. Bear started his career at Adrian College in Michigan and the Walden School in Louisville, Kentucky.
He is involved with ACT as a member of the Indiana State Council and serves on the Education and Higher Education advisory councils. Bear also chairs the Assessment Instruments Committee of the Character Collaboration, seeking better holistic admission practices and hhe serves on the Private College 529 Board, addressing college access issues.
Bear earned a doctorate in education from Indiana University after receiving a master’s degree in public administration and bachelor’s degree in sociology from Indiana State University. He and his wife, Susan, have three children.