Minnesota State Moorhead expands global reach with new leadership, international recruitment strategy
Minnesota State Moorhead is taking bold steps to expand its enrollment through strategic international partnerships and enhanced graduate program offerings.
In recent years, Moorhead has leveraged the time and talent of faculty traveling overseas to assist in international recruitment, but this month, the university is participating in its first-ever intentional, structured recruitment initiative outside the United States.
Dean of Admissions Tom Reburn and Interim Assistant Director of International Recruitment Audrey Cloe Messner are in India to attend a conference hosted by ApplyBoard, the world’s largest online platform for international student recruitment. ApplyBoard assists more than 1 million students with their educational journeys. Partnering with 1,500+ primary, secondary, and post-secondary educational institutions and working with 6,500+ recruitment partners, they drive diversity on campuses around the globe.
India is a global recruitment hub and the largest source of international students to the United States, particularly at the master’s level.
“Over the past few years, the Global Education Office and the Graduate Studies Office have worked diligently to establish the necessary framework to support international students,” Reburn said. “Minnesota State Moorhead has strategically positioned itself to welcome international graduate students by refining some of our master’s level work to align with STEM initiatives, so programs like Business Analytics, Cybersecurity, and the MBA can be offered face-to-face for international students to qualify for student visas to study at Moorhead.”
The primary goals for the global conference are to learn more about industry trends in recruitment and build relationships in key emerging markets to attract more international students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
To support international and domestic enrollment growth at the graduate level, Kerri Spiering joined the Admissions team in April as the Assistant Director of Graduate Recruitment. Messner will continue as Interim Assistant Director of International Recruitment focusing primarily on international undergraduate students.
These key investments are critical in advancing Moorhead’s strategic enrollment initiatives.
Additionally, Reburn’s new role as Dean of Admissions will assume greater visibility and authority in shaping recruitment strategies, aligning efforts with institutional priorities, and representing Moorhead in diverse external contexts. He will be more engaged in strategic oversight, innovative planning, campus collaboration, and external engagement.
Benefits of these strategic changes:
- Supports the university’s commitment to growth and innovation in a competitive higher education landscape.
- Centralizes and streamlines all admissions processes under one cohesive leadership structure, enhancing efficiency and ensuring a seamless and unified approach to welcoming students across all levels.
- Enhances the university’s position in attracting graduate and international students while maintaining robust undergraduate pipelines and partnerships.
“This Dean’s position will play a vital role in uniting our undergraduate, transfer, international, and graduate recruitment efforts, creating a more strategic and seamless approach to enrollment. With back-to-back semesters of new student growth and ambitious goals ahead, I am confident Tom’s leadership will drive even greater momentum for Moorhead’s future,” said Dr. Jason Trainer, Vice President of Enrollment Management & Strategic Initiatives.
Among Minnesota State Moorhead’s priorities are elevating its reputation and positioning itself as the university of choice for the region.
“There’s a lot of work that’s been done in the last year and will continue to be done to reposition what Minnesota State Moorhead represents both locally as a regional university and globally as a destination for international students,” Reburn said.
Reburn is a Dragon through and through, earning his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Moorhead. He has nearly eight years of experience managing one of the largest departments on campus, with 18 staff members. He also has a sincere passion for Minnesota State Moorhead.
“I look forward to representing our enrollment management structure, advocating for our division’s strategic initiatives across multiple areas of the university, and reinforcing our commitment to long-term enrollment success,” Reburn said. “I’m deeply committed to the success of Moorhead.”