For Immediate Release
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Gross to help center organization’s focus on students while strengthening partnerships, broadening membership, and advancing equitable practices.
Falls Church, VA, (Feb. 28, 2022) – Bryan Gross, vice president for enrollment management and marketing at Western New England University, is the new president-elect for the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC).
Mr. Gross, a forward-thinking leader and advocate for international students, takes the helm at a time of significant change for higher education. With seismic shifts brought on by technology, consumer mindset, and the pandemic, Mr. Gross says supporting all of the diverse member groups in their efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of the students they work with will remain the center of AIRC’s focus.
“Western New England University’s campus is culturally richer thanks in many ways to the support and advocacy of AIRC. Bryan’s leadership roles are adding to our student experience and more broadly, to the growth of international education opportunities throughout the field,” said Dr. Robert E. Johnson, president of Western New England University.
“AIRC has done so much to advance a wide array of international enrollment management practices. Our results have been making a generational difference by giving students from other cultures opportunities to earn a degree in the US, which inspires me beyond measure. I believe deeply in the mission of AIRC and am honored to serve the organization as president-elect of the board of directors,” Mr. Gross said.
For nearly two decades, Mr. Gross has used his many roles in higher education to bring positive experiences to students’ lives. His career spans international and domestic admissions, financial aid, marketing, student affairs, and more, affording him a broad understanding of student needs and how academic administrators can meet them. Most recently, he helped design AIRC's Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion Declaration, an essential part of the future direction for the organization and its members.
“Bryan is a natural collaborator adept at forming partnerships and cultivating a culture of teamwork. He will be instrumental as we continue to enhance our position as advocates for international students by strengthening our relationship with government agencies, expanding our membership, and advancing equitable and inclusive practices in our field,” said Brian Whalen, executive director of AIRC.
About Western New England University
Western New England University (WNE) is a private, nationally ranked, comprehensive institution with a focus on preparing work-ready and world-ready graduates. Founded in 1919 in Springfield, Massachusetts as a division of Northeastern College, WNE’s 215-acre suburban campus serves more than 3,700 students, including over 2,500 full-time undergraduates. More than 47,000 alumni have earned degrees through its 90+ undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs at Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Engineering, and Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and School of Law. Students come from 39 U.S. states and territories and 23 countries. Of 45,104 living alumni, 30% remain within the region, residing in the four Western Massachusetts counties and northern Connecticut.
WNE is classified among nationally ranked universities in US News and World Report, and among the Top 100 Undergraduate Engineering programs, and in the Doctoral/Professional Universities category in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.