(DePaul University/Jeff Carrion)As far as first days go, this is not what Soumitra Ghosh envisioned when he was named vice president for Enrollment Management back in January. The state's shelter-in-place order kept him home on May 1, but it did not suppress his enthusiasm.
“DePaul has always been a beacon for the new and the brave, and that beacon is what drew me here," Ghosh says. “Now that I have the honor to stand next to that light, it illuminates the sense of purpose we all share—to do what must be done."
While the pandemic has changed the circumstances under which the university operates, it does not change the goals Ghosh was hired to achieve.
“We are an institution dependent on aggregate net tuition revenue. COVID heightens the urgency of that reality in the near-term, but our future sustainability has been and will continue to be built on increasing our enrollment," he says. “We will develop and deliver a balanced approach to growth in both headcount and net revenue across all segments to ensure the university can support the students we are called on to serve."
Eventually DePaul will return to normal operations, at which point Ghosh looks forward to meeting his new colleagues in person. His initial impression has him excited about the future.
“I have been immediately struck by the tremendous pride everyone takes in their work and the unparalleled commitment to DePaul and its mission," he says. “Working together, I am confident we will achieve big things."