Manhattan College Appoints Karen Vahey as Vice President for Enrollment Management

Manhattan College has announced the appointment of Karen Vahey, Ed.D., as vice president for enrollment management. Vahey, a seasoned enrollment management professional with more than 25 years of experience, will begin her new role on December 1, 2023. 

"We are delighted to welcome Karen Vahey to Manhattan College," said Milo Riverso ’81, Ph.D., P.E., president. "Karen's expertise in strategic enrollment management and her commitment to the transformative power of higher education make her the ideal person to lead our enrollment efforts in the years to come."

Vahey comes to Manhattan College from New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where she served as dean of admissions and financial aid since 2014. At NYIT, Vahey oversaw all aspects of the admissions and financial aid process for the university's New York campuses, as well as its global campuses in Abu Dhabi and Vancouver. She also developed and implemented strategic enrollment plans that resulted in significant increases in applications and enrollment.

Vahey is a strong advocate for access, diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education. She oversaw the selection and data analysis of NYIT's first ever Campus Climate Survey. While at NYIT she served as a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) Committee on Centering Students in the Development of Equitable Admission Practices, among many other memberships. Her research on tuition discounts and tuition resets were featured in “The College Stress Test: Tracking Institutional Futures Across a Crowded Market,” from Johns Hopkins University Press (2020) and in the Chronicle of Higher Education. 

Before joining NYIT, Vahey served as interim director of enrollment management at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. Earlier, she spent five years as director of undergraduate admissions at St. John’s University in Queens. During the first nine years of her academic career, she held various positions in Fordham University’s office of undergraduate admissions. 

"I am thrilled to join the Manhattan College community as its vice president for enrollment management," said Vahey. "As a first-generation college student and Pell recipient, I am particularly cognizant of making higher education as accessible as possible and am deeply committed to the College’s focus on respect, inclusivity, and social justice. I believe in the power of higher education and am grateful to have the opportunity to impact the lives of current and future Jaspers."

A resident of Bellmore, NY, Vahey earned her doctorate of education in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a master’s degree in education, administration and supervision, and a bachelor’s degree in English from Fordham University.