EMU appoints Mary Krahn Jensen as vice president for enrollment and strategic growth

Eastern Mennonite University has named Mary Krahn Jensen EdD to the role of vice president for enrollment and strategic growth. Jensen has been associate provost of EMU’s educational site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for the past six years, where she has overseen the successful launch and development of a growing aviation program and several other new professional and graduate certificate programs, as well as the revitalization of graduate teacher education programs.

She previously served as associate dean in academic affairs at Bethel University, St. Paul, Minnesota, and in student life leadership and counseling positions at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.

“I am delighted that Mary has accepted our invitation to serve,” said President Susan Schultz Huxman. “Her expertise and leadership success in Lancaster, especially her insights around advancing strategic growth through focused research, cross-sectional collaboration, and tailored marketing strategies is the right combination to meet our current realities at EMU.”

Jensen has a proven record of expertise and success in recruitment, organizational realignment, collaborative decision-making, and entrepreneurial educational programming at Lancaster. She has engaged with expanded promotion, development of and recruitment for EMU’s academic and professional offerings in Lancaster among area K-12 educators, industry leaders, non-profit and civic organizations, and alumni.

“Over the past six years, I have come to love who EMU is and who we are becoming together,” Jensen said. “I also believe wholeheartedly in introducing as many students as possible to the potentially transformative experience an EMU education provides, and this role in marketing and recruitment goes straight to the heart of that. I look forward to thinking deeply and well with a broad team of colleagues about how to create and promote a sense of belonging from a prospective student’s first interaction through their matriculation.”

In her new role, Jensen will lead development and implementation of integrated and strategic enrollment plans for undergraduate, graduate, pre- and post-graduate, and transfer student recruitment. As the institution elevates its racial/ethnic diversity recruitment initiatives, she joins an administrative team working to fulfill the university’s vision to be an equity-minded and inclusive community of belonging, opportunity, and empowerment. She will provide oversight to admissions, athletics, and marketing and communication.

Huxman noted Jensen’s range of experiences and success in collaborating with multiple constituencies, including academic partnerships with area institutions and professional partnerships with private companies. “Mary’s passion for creating healthy environments for her team to thrive while achieving aspirational program goals that included community and business partnerships is a special set of skills for success vital in engaging new enrollment environments,” she said. 

Jensen holds an EdD in organization development from the University of St. Thomas. Her doctoral research and following publications examined the impact of self-awareness on the leadership practice of educators. She also holds an MS in counselor education from John Brown University, and a BS in music education from University of Northwestern-St. Paul [Minn.].