Brian Wayne is the Manager of Graduate Admissions at the University of Mississippi, leading recruitment and enrollment initiatives with a formal emphasis on student professional development and academic growth.
Research Interests
- Systemic Barriers in the Tech Funnel
- Inter-Institutional Pipeline Development
- Digital Identity & Sense of Belonging
Biography
Brian Wayne serves as the Manager of Graduate Admissions at the University of Mississippi, where he leads strategic recruitment and enrollment management initiatives. With a steadfast commitment to institutional excellence, Mr. Wayne aligns admissions processes with the university’s core mission of fostering student professional development and academic growth. In this role, he oversees the complete enrollment lifecycle, design-engineering outreach strategies that attract high-caliber scholars to the institution's diverse graduate programs. His leadership emphasizes creating structured pathways that support candidates from prospective inquiry through to formal matriculation, ensuring every student is positioned for long-term scholarly success.
Prior to his current appointment, he cultivated extensive experience in academic administration, specializing in enrollment analytics and strategic student engagement. Beyond his institutional responsibilities, Mr. Wayne is a distinguished leader within the broader graduate enrollment management community. He lends his expertise internationally and regionally as an Executive Committee member for both the Council of Historically Black Graduate Schools and the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools.
Additionally, he serves as the Mississippi State Representative for the Southeast Graduate Admissions Professionals, the prominent regional chapter of NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management. Mr. Wayne holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation from Elizabeth City State University and a master’s degree in information technology from the University of Arkansas at Grantham.
Education
M.S. Information Technology, University of Arkansas Grantham (2021)
B.S. Aviation, Elizabeth City State University (2008)
Ed.D. Education, Ana G. Mendez University