Daniel Meyer, vice president for admission and financial aid at DePauw University in Indiana, was named vice president for enrollment management at St. Thomas this week.
Meyer will start by the end of July and will succeed Associate Vice President for Enrollment Marla Friederichs, who is retiring after 26 years at St. Thomas.
“I really think the admissions and financial aid staff have really done a tremendous job over Marla’s entire career of really pushing St. Thomas to the forefront,” Meyer said. “I’m in a position of strength to say, ‘OK, what can we do to make St. Thomas that much better?’ I think that’s exciting.” 
Meyer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history, sociology and education from Lakeland College in Howards Grove, Wisconsin, in 1979, where he also began his career as an admission counselor. He earned his master’s in sociology from the University of Texas.
Meyer has worked in enrollment-related leadership positions at Lon Morris College (Texas), Marietta College (Ohio), Alfred University (New York), Albion College (Michigan), St. Norbert College (Wisconsin) and St. Mary’s College (Indiana). Since March 2010, he has served at DePauw.
As a member of the Catholic College Board of Trustees, Meyer said he knew of St. Thomas for a number of years, and said it has all of the right ingredients to be “tremendously successful” in the future.
“St. Thomas is an institution that I see has kind of that next great urban American university. Its location in the Twin Cities really enhances the education product for the students that we serve,” Meyer said.
For his first six to nine months at St. Thomas, Meyer said he doesn’t have a blueprint for financial aid and admissions and will focus on listening to the common themes that arise.
“Eventually, I think we need to maybe admit fewer students than we have in the past. We need to expand our markets outside of the Twin Cities and Minnesota,” Meyer said. “But those are two big-picture things, and there are a lot of other things that will just unfold over the next six to nine months.”
Despite the change in climate, Meyer said he is excited to make the move from Indiana to Minnesota with his wife, Anne. For the past four and a half years, the couple has been living apart during weekdays because Anne teaches in Granger, Indiana while Daniel lives in Greencastle, Indiana.
“This position actually provides an opportunity for us to be back together under one roof, which I’m really looking forward to. I hope she is too,” Meyer said.
Bjorn Saterbak can be reached at sate3878@stthomas.edu.