Alan Byrd Named Vice Provost of Enrollment Management at UMBC

Alan Byrd has been appointed as the next vice provost for enrollment management for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), effective August 3. Byrd joins UMBC from George Mason University where he has served as the dean of admissions since 2020. 

Byrd brings more than 25 years of experience in college admissions and enrollment management to UMBC. He has an extensive track record of implementing successful recruitment and retention initiatives, and he consistently increased enrollment, improved academic profiles, expanded diversity, and enhanced student success at the institutions where he has served. 

Byrd’s commitment to college access, affordability, and student success has defined his lifetime of work as an enrollment manager. Prior to arriving at George Mason, he was vice provost of enrollment management at the University of Missouri-St. Louis where he led the university to several milestones for total enrollment, the academic profile and diversity of the student body, and graduation rates. Removing financial barriers for students was central to his accomplishments in St. Louis, where he developed innovative financial aid programs such as the UMSL Grant, Triton Emergency Grant, and the Senior Degree Completion Program. These flexible need-based programs helped eliminate equity gaps in degree completion for Pell grant recipients and reduce their average debt at graduation. 

Byrd earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in higher education administration from Southeast Missouri State University, and a doctorate in education leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His dissertation research examined noneconomic persistence barriers for low-income students at large public universities.

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