Photo by Kevin Merinsky
Rick Longo, an experienced leader in higher education recruitment and a Pratt Institute alumnus, has been selected as the Institute’s new vice president for enrollment management.
Longo will begin the role on July 30, 2021. As the senior administrator responsible for enrollment marketing, recruitment, the Institute’s financial aid strategy, and admissions processes he will maintain and enhance Pratt’s reputation for excellence and attracting the best and brightest students.
“Rick has a successful track record and dedicated career in admissions, with a focus on art and design higher education,” said Pratt President Frances Bronet. “He has inspired and fostered positive change during his 30 years of management experience, as well as provided new and innovative ways to build audiences through robust development, implementation, and evaluation of recruitment, enrollment, and retention strategies. It is with great pride that I note that Rick began his career in admissions at Pratt as an admissions counselor.”
As vice president for enrollment management, Longo will partner closely with deans, chairs, and the administration to advance the priorities of the Institute. His efforts will be especially essential in recruiting talented, diverse, and unique students to Pratt who will contribute to a vibrant environment for young artists, designers, makers, and scholars.
“Pratt has played a significant role in shaping and guiding my life,” Longo said. “The critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills I developed as a student have served me well throughout my career. My development as an art student, my activities as a student leader, and my engagements with faculty, staff, and students gave shape to my future and inspiration to my career path where I am dedicated to challenging, inspiring, and supporting students in their creative journeys of becoming.”
His decades of admissions leadership most recently include serving as the vice president for academic operations and vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at the University of the Arts (UArts) in Philadelphia. There he oversaw the Departments of Student Affairs, Student Financial Services, Admissions, and Enrollment Management. Prior to UArts, Longo worked at Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts, where he was executive vice president, having previously served as dean of admissions and enrollment services. He also has held leadership positions at the Swain School of Design at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and Maine College of Art. In each of these roles, he established a record of success in the development, implementation, and evaluation of recruitment, enrollment, and retention strategies.
Longo earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications Design from Pratt and continued his graduate studies in Education and Art History at Brooklyn College. He has served on committees and juries for the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design, the National Art Education Association, and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and has presented on portfolio development at conferences and workshops across the United States. In addition to his admissions work, he has hands-on experience in visual arts education, having taught studio art at the Georgia Fine Arts Academy and the Brooklyn Museum and volunteered for the community-based arts organizations Artists for Humanity and Raw Art Works.