OBU Welcomes Brantley as Director of Admissions

July 28, 2015

OBU recently welcomed Will Brantley as director of admissions. He began his duties effective July 20.

Brantley comes to Bison Hill from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, where he served as a senior enrollment counselor beginning in February 2011. He earned a bachelor's degree from Union with a double-major in psychology and youth ministry in 2001 and a master's degree in intercultural studies in 2015.

"I'm really looking forward to working with the great people that are part of the admissions team as well as the rest of the OBU community," he said. "I'm excited to help take OBU into the future. I know that the best days are in front of us. I'm excited to help cast a vision of what undergraduate admissions can do to help propel OBU forward."

"I don't see a need to come in and scrap everything that has been working well for so many years," he said. "But I hope that I can come in with fresh eyes and a few new ideas to help tweak a top notch admissions office and help grow enrollment even more."

Bruce Perkins, associate vice president for enrollment management, is excited to have Brantley join his team. "Will is coming to us from a sister university that has experienced solid growth and sound leadership," he said. "He is familiar with successful processes and has been mentored by individuals who are well-respected in the industry. This experience coupled with his own personal skills, character and vision will serve our university well. I am very excited about him joining our team and look forward to working alongside him."

Brantley believes the transition to Bison Hill was the right move for him and his family. "From my first conversations with Bruce, I could tell that the Lord was at work at OBU," he said. "When my wife, Jaime, and I came to campus to interview, we could sense the presence of the Lord on campus. Also, the people here were great and there was a real sense of community that drew us here. The Lord drew our hearts to OBU because of the Christ-centered mission, and He used the people of OBU to make that calling clear."

As director of admissions, Brantley said the most significant aspect of his job is to keep the admissions team motivated and encouraged. "Admissions is hard work and can be very taxing and draining," he said. "There are many long days and long nights, travel away from family, and putting your heart and soul into recruiting students."

Brantley sees some of the challenges facing Christian higher education as tremendous opportunities for the University. "As the world continues to push back against Christians and our faith, we have a greater opportunity to serve those students who want a Christ-centered education. As long as we hold firm to our faith and center ourselves around Christ, we have a tremendous opportunity to present students with a different type of education."

Brantley grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife, Jaime, have been married for 12 years. They are the parents of twin six-year-old boys named Aiden and Conner. He enjoys watching them play soccer, baseball and basketball, as well as playing board games and watching movies as a family. He enjoys building Legos with his sons and is an avid sports fan.