UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State has appointed Clark V. Brigger as executive director for Undergraduate Admissions, effective Feb. 2, after a national search.
Rob Pangborn, vice president and dean for undergraduate education, announced the appointment to the University Board of Trustees at the January meeting.
Brigger brings extensive leadership experience to the position, both as an administrator in higher education and an officer in the U.S. Navy. He comes to Penn State from the University of Michigan, where he served as senior associate director for Undergraduate Admissions. In that role, he conducted data mining and analyses and enrollment modeling and reporting. He developed strategies to enhance communications with prospective students and improve student recruitment and retention operations.
Brigger received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Before his tenure in admissions, he served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years in a variety of leadership and management positions, including as chief operating officer for a Navy reconnaissance squadron and program manager for the Joint Staff Satellite Communications Division. He spent the last three years as executive officer of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Michigan.
Brigger will provide strategic leadership and management of undergraduate admissions processes to meet university-wide enrollment goals, including oversight of marketing and recruitment programs, application and evaluation processes and coordination with all academic colleges and campuses.
“Attracting a highly qualified and diverse student body to the University is an important and challenging proposition in the context of today’s higher education landscape,” Pangborn said. “We are fortunate to have brought someone with Clark Brigger’s talent and leadership experience to join our enrollment management team at Penn State.”
Anne Rohrbach retired as the executive director for undergraduate admissions Sept. 30.