PRESS RELEASES

Bryant Group Places Dean for Enrollment Management at Wabash College

October 21, 2026

Dallas-based executive search and leadership advisory firm Bryant Group conducted a nationwide search led by the firm’s President, Chris Bingley, resulting in Tyler J. Wade of Indianapolis, Indiana, securing the role of Dean for Enrollment Management at Wabash College. Wade, a 2012 Wabash graduate, has served as interim dean since June.

Wade was a political science major at Wabash and earned a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Miami University in 2014. He returned to his alma mater that year as an admissions counselor and quickly moved up to associate director of admissions. In 2019, he took on additional responsibilities as interim director of financial aid during a transition, and he led the implementation and launch of the Slate CRM system to streamline the office’s communications and business practices.

In 2020, Wade moved to Dallas to launch a regional recruitment office for the Southwest. Since that time, applications from Texas have more than tripled, the College strengthened its long-standing partnership with IDEA Public Schools, and Wabash’s Latino/Hispanic student population grew by 40%. Texas now sends 15 to 20 new students to Wabash each year. Wade returned to Indiana in 2024 and now recruits from Central Indiana, while still traveling to Texas to maintain relationships and recruit young men to Wabash.

Since 2023, Wade has also served as director of pre-college programs, supported by Lilly Endowment Inc. The College’s summer programs — Playbook for Life, Molecules to Medicine and Pathway to Your Future — have served more than 250 high school students since 2022.

When former Dean for Enrollment Management Chip Timmons left the College in June, President Scott Feller appointed Wade interim dean. Since then, Wade has revised the College’s financial aid strategy and partnered closely with the Athletics Department on recruitment ahead of the fall 2027 class.

“One of the things that made him stand out in the field of candidates is the fact that he’s held about every job at every level of the admissions process,” Feller said. “He’s recruited hundreds of young men to Wabash; served as interim director of financial aid; led the implementation of Slate as the College’s CRM; moved to Texas to build our out-of-state pipeline; directed our pre-college programs for the last several years; and served as interim dean.”

“This is my dream job. My mom is the reason I looked at Wabash, and a handwritten note from the president is the reason I came. That tap on the shoulder changed the course of my life,” Wade said. “I’ve spent 12 years trying to be that for young men from Indianapolis to the Rio Grande Valley, and ultimately that’s the job: find the young men who will thrive here, wherever they are, and show them what’s possible. The country is asking hard questions about how boys and young men are doing. Wabash has an answer, and we need to be telling that story louder than anyone, and we need to keep telling that story.”

“The mission of the College starts in the admissions office. The class we build each year, and who we invite into this community, is how Wabash lives out what it says about itself. None of this is mine alone. Texas, Indianapolis and the pre-college programs were built by this team, and I’m grateful to President Feller for his trust,” Wade added.

About Wabash College

Founded in 1832, Wabash is a private liberal arts college for men. Begun when a group of Dartmouth-educated ministers founded it on what was then the western frontier, the College has for nearly 200 years educated countless doctors, lawyers, business leaders, teachers, scientists and entrepreneurs. Its 900 students come from 31 states and 28 countries, governed by the Gentleman’s Rule and united by meaningful traditions. With a faculty nationally ranked for accessibility, innovative WabashX programs and a first-destination placement rate north of 95% over the last decade, Wabash delivers exceptional outcomes — graduates earn an average mid-career salary of $155,800, tops in its peer associations. Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 1 National Liberal Arts College in Indiana and anchored by an endowment of approximately $515 million, Wabash stands today on remarkable institutional strength.

Advancing Great Leadership

Bryant Group, based in Dallas, Texas, and with associates located across the United States, specializes in executive search and leadership advisory for higher education, healthcare and nonprofits with an emphasis on advancement leaders and other executives. In 1988, Bryant Group founder Chris Bryant started one of the country’s first search firms specializing in philanthropy recruitment. Now under the leadership of CEO Sally Bryant, the woman-owned firm has a long history of recruiting, developing and coaching great leaders. Bryant Group has impacted more than 10,000 leaders and served more than 300 organizations across the U.S. and Canada.