By: Chelsea Marquis, Staff Writer
Jared Cash was named USM’s Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing on July 1st, 2019 and has been working with other leaders to assume his new role. He oversees a wide range of departments and their directors, which includes “Admissions, Athletics, Student Financial Services, Marketing, Jobs for Maine Graduates, the Department of Analysis, Applications, and Institutional Research, Registration & Scheduling Services, Gear-Up, Upward Bound and Veterans’ Upward Bound”, according to an article published on USM’s official website.
Cash is familiar with USM from working at the University of Maine at Farmington, and has found that the people around the Portland area are similar to those from his hometown, Norway, Maine, which has made the transition to this position easier, said Cash.
Since Cash is responsible for so many different departments, it can be difficult to define his role. Cash said that all his roles essentially focus and work together on how to increase enrollment and retention. He said that he asks himself, “what are the components that come together to create synergy that can help break down the barriers to student success?” and works with other leaders in the department to figure that out. “I like to think of myself as a coach. I do a lot of visioning and strategy, as well analysis and future-thinking,” Cash said.
Raised in Naples, Maine, in a family of mill and woodworkers, Cash was a first generation college student in his family, along with his two brothers. Since childhood, education was always part of the picture for him and his brothers. “Education is something that stays with you, empowers you, and helps you navigate the unknown,” Cash says. This motivates him to be in higher education, to give other Maine students as many opportunities as possible to pursue an education.
In his senior year of college at Bates, he built a house in his hometown and continues to live there. He says the hour-long commute is worth it so that his daughters get to have the experience of growing up in a great town. “I’ve been anchored in Norway my entire life, and there’s a reason for that. I admire the quality of life Maine towns have to offer, and I’ve brought up a young family in that town, and that’s part of the reason I make the hour-long commute every day,” Cash said. He and his family spend a lot of time outdoors and love winter sports. In his free time, Cash enjoys doing woodworking and teaching his daughters about woodworking, skiing, and golfing. He also serves on the Oxford Hills school board. While attending Bates, Cash played football which he said gives him a unique perspective of the needs of student-athletes.
Cash’s most recent role before this was the vice president for Enrollment Management and External Relations at the University of Maine at Farmington. Over the years, he has worked at other positions such as the scholarship director for the Mitchell Institute and academic positions at Bates College. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics at Bates College and his Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at Northeastern University.
When asked about what he looks forward to about his role at USM, Cash said: “I look forward to the momentum that is happening here, seeing the residential options expand…I look forward to seeing us continue to put all the ingredients together, the affordability and career connections, and providing academic excellence. There are very few places who can put all of those together.” Cash is grateful to be working under leadership which he said has created a positive upswing in terms of enrollment for the university in the past few years.