Enrollment official Steve Hahn to leave UW–Madison

Steve Hahn, vice provost for enrollment management, will step down from his role early in the new calendar year. He has accepted a position with Huron Consulting Group.

Hahn has served as vice provost since April 2015 and was interim vice provost for two years prior to that.

Hahn first joined UW–Madison in 2003 as chief information officer for the Graduate School, transitioning to assistant dean for graduate admissions and academic services in 2010. Overall, he has worked in university admissions and academic services, information technology and enrollment management for over 20 years.

“Steve has done a tremendous job leading the Division of Enrollment Management, and we will miss him greatly,” Provost Karl Scholz says. “The combination of his knowledge of the student life cycle and his expertise in technological advancements makes Steve an incredibly valuable colleague to our campus and to the UW System as a whole. His creativity and dedication were essential to the university’s growth, while ensuring that we remain accessible to Wisconsin students.”

Since fall 2013, Hahn’s first as interim vice provost, overall undergraduate enrollment has grown steadily, reaching 31,186 students this year. The university has also set records each year in the number of applicants, receiving 43,921undergraduate applications for the current freshman class — a growth of 48% since 2013.

In addition, the division has launched innovative programs such as the Badger Promise transfer program, the Wisconsin Prime program, and the optimization of the Student Information System (SIS). Under his tenure  the university also joined the Common Application, where Hahn was a board member.

Most notably, Hahn oversaw the creation and implementation of Bucky’s Tuition Promise, which covers four years of tuition and segregated fees for Wisconsin-resident incoming freshmen with annual household income of $60,000 or less — roughly the state’s median family income.

In the program’s second year, Bucky’s Tuition Promise brought 848 new students to campus, up from 796 in its first year. Bucky’s Tuition Promise students make up about 20 percent of UW–Madison freshmen and new undergraduate transfer students this fall.

Scholz plans to commence a search for the next vice provost immediately.

The vice provost for enrollment management, who reports to the provost, provides leadership in planning, developing, executing and assessing a strategic undergraduate enrollment management plan for the university. The position is responsible for overall administration and vision for the Division of Enrollment Management, which comprises the Office of Admissions and Recruitment, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and the Office of the Registrar.