David Cotter

As Associate Vice President for Graduate Enrollment Management, David Cotter is at the forefront of leading the evolution of graduate and professional education at Boston University. He drives strategic efforts to ensure the continued excellence and institutional growth of BU’s diverse graduate programs.

David’s leadership is characterized by his commitment to uniting high-performing, collaborative teams across the university to redefine and navigate the rapidly transforming landscape of graduate education. He champions data-driven enrollment strategies and fosters collaborative partnerships with deans, directors, chairs, and faculty. These collaborations are crucial for optimizing recruitment, retention, and graduation outcomes, and for addressing critical areas such as new program development, strategic program realignment, holistic and inclusive admissions, enrollment analysis, yield forecasting, digital and strategic marketing, and financial planning. With agility and precision, he also provides strategic oversight for long-range graduate enrollment planning, ensuring BU’s programs remain responsive to evolving demographic, disciplinary, workplace, and global trends.

With a deep understanding of the dynamic environment in graduate and professional education, David brings extensive experience to his role. Before joining the Office of the Provost in 2016, he established and developed the Office of Graduate Affairs at BU’s College of Communication (COM), overseeing all aspects of graduate program management. His prior experience includes serving in leadership roles in graduate education at Brandeis University and Emerson College. David holds a BA in Communication and an MA in Higher Education Administration from Boston College.