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Blake Bedsole

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EdD, 2013

Bedsole is the director of admissions at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.

He previously served as the vice president for enrollment management at Arkansas Tech (2018-2022), where he is the first person to serve in this position. His responsibilities included undergraduate, graduate, transfer, international and online admissions on the ATU campuses in Russellville and Ozark. He also oversaw recruiting, financial aid, marketing, and communication.

After beginning his career in higher education as coordinator of orientation and special events in the University of Alabama Office of Enrollment Services and Programs from 2006-07, Bedsole spent the next five years as director of admissions and student services in the Manderson Graduate School of Business at the University of Alabama. Achievements by the Manderson Graduate School from 2007-12 included a 59 percent increase in the applicant pool and a 54 percent increase in the Master of Business Administration degree class size.

Bedsole went on to serve as director of enrollment management in the University of Alabama Graduate School from 2012-15. The school established new record highs for applications, admitted students and enrolled students under his leadership.

Previously, Bedsole served as director of admissions and enrollment management at the University of West Alabama from 2015-17. Annual freshman enrollment at UWA increased by 30 percent during his time in Livingston, Ala. Three of UWA’s four largest freshman classes over the past 32 years were recruited during Bedsole’s tenure, and the applicant pool increased by 384 percent during a time when the institution reached its goals for academic quality and diversity.

Bedsole is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and the National Orientation Directors Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and a Master of Arts degree in higher education administration from the University of Alabama. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in higher education management from the University of Georgia.

News Featuring Blake Bedsole

by Jewel Caruso

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