LIVINGSTON — The University of West Alabama has appointed its first dean of enrollment management, longtime higher education advancement administrator Bill Wagnon.

Wagnon, who has been serving as director of marketing and public relations for online programs at UWA since October, assumes his new duties July 1.

UWA Provost Dr. David Taylor recently announced the creation of the Office of Enrollment Management to unify the university’s undergraduate and graduate and on-campus and online student recruiting, admission, retention, and marketing efforts.

“In the current climate nationwide of enrollment declines and the rapidly increasing competition for both on-campus and online students, along with other factors, it is imperative that all of our efforts devoted to bringing students to UWA and retaining them work in unison,” said Taylor. “We are confident Mr. Wagnon has the broad experience and global view to bring outstanding leadership to these critical areas.”

Wagnon has more than 26 years of experience in marketing, public relations, and enrollment communications and services in the public and private university settings. Prior to joining UWA, he served for 13 years as vice president for communications at Birmingham-Southern College. He also has served as associate director of university relations at Mississippi State University, working closely with that institution’s enrollment efforts, and as a communications specialist at the University of Alabama. He began his career in various writing and editing positions at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee.

The Tullahoma, Tenn., native received his master’s degree in higher education administration from Mississippi State and his bachelor’s degree in public relations/journalism from Auburn University.

Established in 1835, the University of West Alabama is a fully accredited, four-year public institution located on a 600-acre campus in Livingston, Ala. UWA has more than 2,300 on-campus students enrolled in some 52 undergraduate and 37 graduate degree programs. The university enrolls another 2,200 students in 43 degree programs completely online, including 37 graduate education degrees, five undergraduate business degrees, and one undergraduate education degree.