Jeff Rickey

Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

Topic Areas: (not comprehensive) Admissions Trends, Financial Aid, Financing College, SAT (and additional admissions test issues), Stealth Applicants, Student Recruitment

A national leader in college admissions issues, Jeff Rickey is in demand as a faculty expert in media outlets nationwide.

Rickey has been the dean of admissions and financial aid at Earlham College since 1998. He holds a B.S. in economics. He joined the admissions profession in 1986, serving as dean of admissions at George Fox University until 1998 and serving private colleges with consulting services from 1990-1993. He is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), and currently serves on the Finance Committee. He is also a member of the College Board and of AACRAO and on the Advisory Board of the Education Conservancy. Rickey is a regular speaker at conferences and parent programs and assists colleagues from other colleges on personnel and office structure issues.

Rickey is a ready resource for the national media on a variety of issues and trends relating to college admissions. Recently he was widely quoted in relation to the release of NACAC’s National Commission on Standardized Testing in Undergraduate Admissions report, after sitting on that blue ribbon panel.

He was also one of the first admissions deans to recognize the effect of technology on the admissions process, identifying and tracking the rise of “stealth applicants,” leading to an in-depth report in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Among recent placements, in addition to the Chronicle include the New York Times, Inside Higher Ed, Lawlor Review, Tampa Tribune, and Indianapolis Star.

Rickey’s expertise and ability to quickly explain complex issues also makes him an excellent resource for radio and television coverage.

Jeff and his wife Debbie, director of Earlham's Graduate Programs in Education, have three children, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, and two grandsons. Jeff enjoys golf, choral singing, cooking, and reading. Check out his eclectic bookshelf on Facebook. His photographs have been published in the Chronicle of Higher Education and his singing can been heard on the Wee Sing collection of nursery songs for babies.

Contact Jeff Rickey at 765/983-1600 — E-Mail Jeff