Rob Bielby

Rob brings 10 years of experience in higher education and analytics as he leads colleges and universities through transformation in their enrollment strategy, recruitment campaigns, student-retention solutions and financial aid policies.

Understanding your market and your institution’s value proposition in that market is the path to success in student recruitment.”

About Rob

Rob takes student and consumer data and applies advanced modeling and econometric techniques to pinpoint business problems and identify effective solutions for higher education institutions. He blends an understanding of financial aid awarding, analytics and broader recruitment strategy to advise on the overall enrollment process. Rob has also developed cutting-edge analytic techniques and operational standards to respond to market volatility.

During his career, Rob has:

• Helped streamline pricing structures across a multicampus private research institution after a merger, growing the undergraduate headcount and total net revenue for multiple consecutive years through student recruitment services and financial aid optimization.
• Stabilized financial aid, recruitment, and enrollment structures and efforts for a private Catholic university in the Midwest after multiple years of turnover, increasing undergraduate enrollment and net revenue for two consecutive years during the pandemic; increasing total net revenue; and expanding services to grow transfer, online and graduate enrollment to achieve long-term strategy goals.
• Collaborated with a public research university, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to grow its overall application and enrollment volumes, with a particular focus on underserved populations (low income, rural and students of color) from the state of Virginia.

Prior to joining Huron, Rob served as executive vice president of client success at Whiteboard Higher Education, which was acquired by Huron in 2021. He also held business development and analytics roles at Gongos Inc., a business strategy consultancy, and various analyst roles at higher education and research institutions.

Rob holds a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. He earned a master’s degree from Stony Brook University and two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Michigan-Flint. He has published extensively in academic books and journals in the areas of higher education research and policy as well as in statistical methodology.