The Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as well as the Office of Student Financial Assistance were recently integrated into the undergraduate college as part of the Renaissance Plan.
The Renaissance Plan, which seeks to reduce class sizes and central administrative overhead among other goals, was originally announced nearly eight years ago.
“We really want a single set of values to guide everything we do,” Green said. “We’ve been making the College exactly like the other schools in the university.”
In recent years the Student Activities Office, along with the Center for College Advancement and the Department of Athletics and Recreation, the Career Center, the Office of Residential Life and the Registrar, was brought into the college.
“This move is entirely consistent with initiatives over several years to bring into the College those functions that directly affect its academic and support missions,” Vice President and General Secretary to the President Paul Burgett said. “Bringing all these functions under the roof of the College enables the College administration to coordinate services to students more coherently, efficiently and in a manner that is consistent with its educational mission.”
Newly appointed Director of Admissions Gregory MacDonald as of March 1 welcomes the department’s collaboration with the college. “We’ll have a lot more tools in our toolbox to select and enroll students of a higher caliber,” MacDonald said. “It will make things a lot easier.”
Through becoming a part of the College, the department of admissions will be able to use alumni, faculty and college staff more effectively in recruitment work, according to MacDonald. In addition, faculty, staff and coaches will have a greater say in admission’s publications.
MacDonald attributes some of this year’s record breaking number of applicants — 10,550 — to working within the College. “That’s got to be a part of it,” he said. “This is the first time we’re ever admitted less than 50 percent of applicants. This is the most selective we’ve ever been.”Green agrees that the College played a role in the rise in applicants. “Admissions is really on the front lines in some respects,” he said. “They bring our message to those that don’t know it. If we are more consistent at showing people what we’re about, the more successful our admissions will be.”
“I don’t think we’ve ever been stronger,” he added.Better communication
Director of Wilson Commons and Student Activities Anne-Marie Algier feels that the biggest success of becoming part of the College is in opening up lines of communication.
“It helps when we can meet and discuss things that affect all of us,” Algier said. “It’s really beneficial to let people know what’s going on. We’re trying to let other parts of campus see what wonderful things students are doing.”
Algier also attributes UR’s quick response to September 11 to becoming integrated into the college. “It helps when you already have these relationships in place,” she said.
Student Activities, which was integrated into the College nearly two years ago, has sought to redecorate the PepsiCo Plaza on the first floor of Wilson Commons with the help of the university architect Paul Tankel.
“It’s been very beneficial for our office,” she said. “They’ve helped us to get the new furniture in the Pit that we desperately needed.”
“We come together weekly and we have a better understanding,” MacDonald said.
“We are going to be working on what [the] message needs to be in order to attract students of the highest caliber.”
“Once you get everybody together, we can access our programs,” Green said.
“We’ve got a lot going for us and I think our potential is finally starting to be realized,” he added.
Schnee can be reached at cschnee@campustimes.org.
