April Cambero
Editor-in-Chief
The University has hired Alaina Dunn as vice president of enrollment management. She started last month.
Dunn,who served previously as assistant vice president of admissions for Palo Alto University, replaced Eric Bishop, who held the position on an interim basis.
She said her interest in coming to La Verne was both practical and personal.
“I saw a place where I could do good,” Dunn said. “It immediately felt like a place I knew. It felt comfortable, it immediately felt like community.”
As vice president of enrollment, Dunn she will oversee the offices of financial aid, admissions for all programs. She will also work with advising and career services offices.
Dunn said she does not have a specific plan yet for increasing the University’s enrollment, which has been steadily declining for the past five years. Though she said she has identified a couple of strengths so far.
“One is you have really strong staff in leadership roles in different divisions, especially in admissions,” Dunn said. “You also have a new (interim) president who is bringing a lot of energy and enthusiasm for innovation, so that is going to be really good as well.”
Last year the University celebrated the appointment of a new president, Pardis Mahdavi, who started in fall of 2023. But Mahdavi resigned from the University in June of this year, less than a year from when she started. Former University trustee Mark Hicks served as interim president during the summer. And Risa Dickson, who began her term as interim provost early this year, was named the second interim president to serve until a new permanent president is appointed.
Dunn said she hopes enrollments at the University will grow across all student populations, from traditional to non-traditional to online.
Dunn added that she is really excited to partner and build connections with everyone on campus, and her door is open to anyone and everyone.
April Cambero can be reached at april.cambero@laverne.edu.
April Cambero is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is the Fall 2024 editor-in-chief for the Campus Times and has also served as social media editor and staff writer.
Chris Rogers is a junior photography major with a minor in art history. He is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and photography editor of La Verne Magazine. He is also a freelance photographer and movie stills photographer. He discovered his love for photography at a young age as he and his family traveled the world in their goal to reach all seven continents. They were fortunate to reach their seventh continent in the winter of 2019. He have a deep love for photography and loves being able to tell an entire story through one still image at a time. His work can be found at ChrisRogersPhotography.com.
