Douglas Christiansen

Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions; Assistant Professor

Ph.D., University of Utah, Salt Lake City

Joined faculty in 2007

Douglas L. Christiansen is Vanderbilt University's vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions, as well as assistant professor of public policy and higher education in the Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations at Vanderbilt's Peabody College.

In his role as vice provost, Dr. Christiansen serves as the university’s chief enrollment strategist, overseeing the offices of Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Aid and Undergraduate Scholarships, Enrollment Management Information Systems, The University Registrar, and Vanderbilt Institutional Research Group (VIRG). He also oversees the Chancellors and Cornelius Vanderbilt scholarship programs and the ENGAGE scholars program. In addition, he is responsible for the development and implementation of a new 10-year strategic plan for all major student enterprise-wide computing systems that fall within the Provost’s purview. Before he was recruited to Vanderbilt in the summer of 2006, he served as assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

Prior to joining Purdue in 1995, Dr. Christiansen was associate director of Student Recruitment and High School Services at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration, a master's degree in public administration, and a bachelor's degree in political science.

Dr. Christiansen is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counselors, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the College Board. During his tenure in these organizations he has given countless presentations at their state, regional and national meetings. In addition he is a member of The College Board’s National Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century, is a member on the Advanced Placement (AP) National Advisory Committee and is on the Trustee appointed membership committee for the College Board. As an active member of these organizations, Dr. Christiansen has also been appointed to several sub-committees and task forces on topics including access to higher education and ethical admissions and financial aid practices.

A frequent speaker and conference panelist, Dr. Christiansen has also presented nationally at the North American Enrollment Management Institute and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and internationally at the Higher Education SAP summit. He also consults with universities throughout the United States on enrollment management and revenue-generation funding models. He has conducted more than 120 consulting engagements working directly with presidents, trustees, enrollment professionals, and faculty on enrollment related issues.

In addition to Dr. Christiansen’s administrative responsibilities, he is an active researcher and professor. He has taught at the college level for over a decade and has served on numerous masters and doctoral committees.

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Leadership, Policy & Organizations

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