The Hottest Seat on Campus

An essential aid for training sitting and aspiring admissions officers in the skills required to succeed in higher education today

The college admission deanship — often called "the hottest seat on campus" — requires navigating institutional politics, legal hurdles, revenue allocation, and more, all while overseeing enrollment that meets demographic and financial objectives. A seat with high turnover, its opportunities for professional growth, in terms of extending networks, burnishing leadership credentials, and gaining invaluable institutional insight, are nevertheless unmatched. In The Hottest Seat on Campus, veteran counselor Angel B. Pérez helps newly appointed and rising admission deans get a handle on the role's core expectations and nuances for success.

As CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Pérez knows firsthand how underprepared deans can be for the 'business' side of their job. Drawing on his own experience, as well as from interviews with current and former admissions leaders who represent a range of perspectives and institutions, Pérez demystifies the deanship and shares strategies for building teams, leading through crisis, navigating shared governance, leveraging the power of storytelling, and self-management.

Pérez points to the deeper characteristics and qualities that make for enduring success as a chief enrollment officer and admissions counselor, such as self-awareness, reflection, and the ability to ask the right questions before offering solutions. Grounded in Pérez's clear sense of the diverse skills practitioners need, the book offers an action plan professionals can quickly adapt to their own contexts.