M. Leslie Davidson Vice President for Enrollment Management

M. Leslie Davidson was appointed as Franklin & Marshall’s vice president for enrollment management in October 2023. She oversees more than 25 professionals in all areas of recruitment, enrollment and financial aid, while partnering with colleagues across campus to fully integrate the admission process with the College’s strategic plan objectives, including retention, student leadership and development, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Prior to joining F&M, Davidson served as Beloit College’s vice president for enrollment from 2019 to 2023. In that role, she aligned recruitment strategy with Beloit’s identity and led the development of new positioning, branding and enrollment marketing collateral, while building a data-informed, relationship-driven approach to recruitment that maximized analytics. She collaborated on the development and implementation of Beloit’s Advanced Mentoring Program and Career Channels, each designed to give students academic, social and career guidance from the time they enrolled until they graduated. She co-created the Beloit Action Plan, a network of academic, social and financial programs to support students during COVID-19, and served as a member of the College’s COVID-19 Task Force. She also contributed to the development and implementation of Becoming Better, Beloit’s anti-racism plan. Prior to Beloit, Davidson served in a variety of roles over 26 years at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, in Massachusetts. She concluded her tenure as chief strategy and innovation officer; prior to that, she served nine years as dean of the college, after five years as dean of admission and student affairs. 

Davidson earned her bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in English literature at Denison University and a master’s degree in administration, planning and social policy at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She expects to earn her MBA next year from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.