Jeff Blahnik

Jeff Blahnik

Jeff came to the University of Oklahoma in 2014 and has served as Director of Admissions, Executive Director of Admissions and Recruitment, Associate Provost for Enrollment Planning, and now Vice President for the Division of Enrollment Management. In 2015, Jeff was charged with merging two departments and formed the Office of Admissions and Recruitment, which handles the admission, recruitment, enrollment forecasting, and marketing for domestic and international undergraduate prospective students. In 2019, Jeff was named Senior Associate Vice President, which includes oversight of the Office of Financial Aid (which includes the Student Financial Center and Scholarships Office) and the Office of the Registrar, as well as Enrollment Marketing and Communication, Veteran Student Services, and the Office of Admissions and Recruitment.

OU has recently experienced a surge in interest among prospective students and has had record-setting freshman enrollment and retention numbers.

Jeff graduated magna cum laude with degrees in political science and philosophy from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he received memberships in the Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Sigma Nu honor societies. He then earned his Juris Doctorate from Marquette. Previously, Jeff has worked in financial aid at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and in admissions at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Jeff grew up near the Mississippi River in southeastern Minnesota. He and his wife, Ruthy, enjoy living in Norman with their four children.

My best advice for a high school junior or senior preparing to apply to college:

Everyone will tell you it’s important to think about what career you are going to be able to pursue with the major you are interested in. It is! However, it is also equally important to realize that you are going to excel the most in an area that aligns not only with your natural strengths but also where you have real passion and interest. In other words, it is more likely you will be great at something that you want to be great at than great at something you are tepid about. Do research on the colleges and their major programs, talk to those in the fields you think you may want to pursue, and be honest with yourself to find that perfect fit. Success takes grit, and it will be easier to have that needed perseverance when you really love what you are doing!