Tina Falkner is the Director of the Office of Student Finance for Academic Support Resources (a large unit comprised of the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Student Finance, the Office of Classroom Management, One Stop Student Services, Continuity and Compliance, and an internal web development team) at the University of Minnesota. Prior to…

From calls to close borders to intolerance for non-citizens, growing nationalism within the US and other countries threatens the global nature of higher education. How are college counselors advising students in this new political climate? And are there differences depending on where counselors reside in the world? "The Journal" asked…

When one thinks of seminal publications in college admission, the first piece that comes to mind is B. Alden Thresher's "College Admissions in the Public Interest" (1966). Thresher's work, relevant to this day, is credited with being the foundational document of the admission profession. McDonough and Robertson's 1995 study, commissioned by NACAC,…

Academics are all used to the idea that they have special ethical obligations. They may also, as administrators, recognize special administrative ethical obligations. But they do not like to think of themselves as businessmen, concerned with selling, and few of them indeed have thought directly and hard about the ethical constraints on marketing…

In this article, the author talks about the cultural bind on the American male. The process starts with conception. If the spermatozoid that fertilizes the egg contains only X chromosomes a girl will be produced. If a single Y chromosome out of the 24 produced by the father is included, the baby will be a boy. From this point on the girls have a…

Marilee Jones has resigned as a dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after admitting that she had misrepresented her academic degrees when first applying to work at the university in 1979. As one of the nation's most prominent admissions officers--and a leader in the movement to make the application process less…

As chief admissions officer at two small colleges, the author has been responsible, in part, for ensuring that entry-level admissions counselors are trained properly. He learned through trial and error, and has adapted his methods to be increasingly sensitive to the learning curve of new employees. His thoughts about training new admissions…

This article presents an interview with Joe F. Head, Dean of University Admissions and Enrollment Services at Kennesaw State University (KSU) in Georgia, who has more than 35 years of experience in admissions and enrollment services. After completing an M.Ed. in higher education at Georgia Southern University, Head immediately landed a position as…

All of the admissions research says that prospective students and their parents want to know something about the mysterious people who do the professing. They want to ask questions in a public forum; they want to visit classes; they want private meetings with department chairs; and they want admissions people to call them on the phone to explain…

This article highlights the experiences of three college admission counselors as they went through the process of career change. Transferable skills are discussed, as well as what each author misses and does not miss about admissions work. (GCP)

This document is a personal account of a college admission professional that traveled to meet perspective students. Out of 44 schools that he visited, the final school left him with a powerful impression of what this process is for young people and those who make their living working with them. Most people agree that today?s college admission…

Provides overview of the vital role a sound admission program plays in helping an institution fulfill its mission. Notes that, in the future, admission directors will need to implement the concept of strategic planning, and that strategic decision making will be needed in the future student recruitment environment. (NB)

Regardless of the setting, prospective students should put their best foot forward when they talk with admissions officers. Many college admissions programs refer to the campus encounter as an "information session" and tend to be less formal, but the students are well-advised to be prepared to promote themselves. (MLW)

Increased pressure to "position" the institution, create an image, and "structure" potential students' first impression of the college has caused admissions professionals to participate less in the institution's central mission. Competition among colleges has also overstimulated the higher education market and created confusing pricing schemes,…

Based on information from survey data and personal interviews, offers 16 suggestions for college admission professionals from high school counselors. Concludes by asking college admission professionals to recognize the role played by high school advisors, to give advisors information they can use and pass on, and to consider the value of their…