David has further experience serving at Azusa Pacific University, Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village and Fuller Theological Seminary, totaling over 30 years working with high school, undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of student recruitment and retention, marketing, academic partnerships and diversity initiatives. Photo Credit: Azusa Pacific University – Office of the Chaplain
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (Cal State San Bernardino) – California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) announced today the appointment of David Dufault-Hunter, Ph.D., as the university’s first-ever vice president for strategic enrollment management and marketing. Dufault-Hunter will assume the newly created position on Sept. 3, 2024.
“I am pleased to share with you the name of Cal State San Bernardino’s new (and inaugural) vice president for the newly formed Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing, David Dufault-Hunter, Ph.D.,” said CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales in a campus-wide email.
Dufault-Hunter joins CSUSB from Cal State Northridge (CSUN), where he has served as the associate vice president for enrollment services since 2020. In this role, he played a key part in establishing a unified structure for enrollment services at CSUN, encompassing admissions, student outreach, financial aid, the university registrar, and strategic communication for enrollment. He also oversaw the development and implementation of a comprehensive enrollment plan for the university.
Prior to his position at CSUN, Dufault-Hunter held leadership roles in admissions and student services at Azusa Pacific University, Oaks Christian School, and Fuller Theological Seminary. He brings over 30 years of experience working with high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in areas such as recruitment, retention, marketing, academic partnerships, and diversity initiatives.
Dufault-Hunter holds a Bachelor of Science in Speech from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Azusa Pacific University.
The creation of the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management and Marketing reflects CSUSB’s commitment to proactive strategies in a competitive enrollment landscape.
“Our enrollment decreases are not unique to our campus, but they are still impactful,” Morales said in the email. “In addition, we can anticipate increased competition from other universities in our state for the potential student population here in the Inland Empire.”
The new division will focus on optimizing strategies for attracting first-time freshmen and transfer students, enhancing the onboarding process for admitted students, and ultimately increasing enrollment yield. It will encompass the offices of financial aid, admissions, the registrar, orientation, first-year experience programs, and outreach and student recruitment.
To further support these efforts, the university will realign its communication strategy. The Office of Strategic Communication, previously under the vice president for university advancement, will join the new division and be renamed “Marketing and Communications.” This shift signifies a renewed focus on student recruitment and marketing outreach, while still maintaining its core responsibility of crafting university messaging.
“This is all a part of being a university which reviews the data, including trends, and uses that information to re-shape its actions while remaining true to our overall mission: to serve the people of the Inland Empire with access to a first-class education with topflight faculty on a campus offering state of the art facilities in which to learn and study,” Morales concluded.
The university expressed gratitude to the search committee and all those involved in the selection process. A campus welcome for Dufault-Hunter will be scheduled for the upcoming fall semester.
