Dr. Paul Kohn serves as the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology. With Dr. Kohn’s leadership, the Enrollment Management team has made significant contributions to Georgia Tech's growth and success since he joined the Institute in August 2010.
Prior to his role at Georgia Tech, Dr. Kohn served as the Dean of Admissions and Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Arizona. Under his leadership, Arizona achieved unprecedented milestones, setting records for new freshmen admissions and fostering diverse and inclusive freshman classes. Dr. Kohn's journey in education began with teaching biology at Sarah Hale High School in Brooklyn, New York. He later pursued higher education, earning his bachelor's degree in Animal Sciences from Cornell University and his doctorate in educational psychology, specializing in testing, measurement, and statistics. His research focused on vocation and college choice among high school students.
As the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management, Dr. Kohn oversees critical departments, including Undergraduate Admission, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Registrar, Summer Inititaives, and Enrollment Marketing and Communications. His strategic acumen and dedication to student success have played a pivotal role in shaping Georgia Tech's enrollment landscape. Dr. Kohn has led initiatives to enhance risk mitigation, inclusive excellence, access, and campus community engagement in student recruitment and success.
During his tenure, Dr. Kohn has been instrumental in driving remarkable growth at Georgia Tech. Under his guidance, undergraduate applications have more than tripled, increasing from 14,000 to over 50,000. He has expanded the first-year class size from 2,300 to 3,750 and significantly boosted the incoming annual transfer population to over 1,400 students, a 50% increase. Dr. Kohn's has played a pivotal role in improving gender and ethnic diversity, surpassing 40% women in the first-year class, and increasing Black undergraduate enrollment to 9% and Hispanic undergraduate enrollment to 10%.
Dr. Kohn's commitment to enhancing the campus experience is reflected in his successful initiatives. He has decreased the admit rate from 50% to 20%, ensuring that Georgia Tech continues to attract the best and brightest minds. Dr. Kohn has also facilitated an increase in campus visitations to over 20,000 while improving the campus visitation experience, a critical factor in student yield. His early efforts led to the construction of a modernized auditorium for visitor information sessions, further enhancing prospective students' visit experience and thus applications and yield.
In addition, Dr. Kohn has championed the implementation of advanced information technology platforms such as Banner 9, DegreeWorks, Advisor Link, CourseLeaf, CRM platforms, and chatbots. His transformative approach includes incorporating business analytics, adopting the Common App to expand reach, employing the CSS Profile to optimize financial aid resources, and expanding initiatives like the Tech Promise program for low-income Georgia families.
Dr. Kohn's influence extends beyond Georgia Tech; he has been a key player in national and regional initiatives, co-founding the Coalition for College, and being an early partner with RaiseMe and the American Talent Initiative.
As a leader, researcher, and advocate for student success, Dr. Paul Kohn continues to make a lasting impact on the lives of students, the people he works with, and the institution he serves.