March 02, 2012
Admissions director finalists to visit campus
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Three finalists seeking to become director of undergraduate admissions for Southern Illinois University Carbondale will visit campus in the next few weeks.
The candidates are Katharine Suski, serving now as the interim director of undergraduate admissions; Adrece Thighman-Nabe, associate director of admissions at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota; and Pamela Reeder, recently associate registrar at The Ohio State University in Columbus.
Each candidate will make a 15-20 minute presentation during a forum that is open to the campus community. Each candidate is to address “A Vision for Growth in New Student Enrollment.” This presentation should give each candidate an opportunity to present her vision of the challenges and opportunities at SIU Carbondale for enrollment growth both in quantity and quality of student. All presentations will be in the John C. Guyon Auditorium in Morris Library.
Suski makes her presentation at 1 p.m. on March 6. Suski, an SIU Carbondale alumna for both her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees, has been part of the University’s undergraduate admissions office since 1999 when she became an admission coordinator. She was a campus visit coordinator from 2002 to 2007, when she became associate director of undergraduate admissions. Since August 2010, Suski has been interim director of undergraduate admissions. Her responsibilities in that position include managing the non-salary budget, leading a staff of more than 40 people, developing long-term strategies for enrollment planning, implementing new technologies to automate the admissions process, and to play an active role in student recruitment at various open houses and collegiate expos as well as representing the University at professional gatherings.
“The director (of undergraduate admissions) needs to look at the big picture and have the ability, knowledge and skills to lead the team to success,” she wrote in her application letter. “Most importantly, the director must have a passion for what she is doing. My résumé shows I am capable of succeeding at every aspect of this position, and my past job performance demonstrates I am willing to work tirelessly to see my alma mater flourish.”
Thighman-Nabe makes her presentation at 9:45 a.m. on March 14. Thighman-Nabe is a two-degree alumna of St. Cloud State University, the university where she is currently employed, and she has been a member of that school’s enrollment management team since 2000. She began as coordinator for the Communities of Color Outreach program there. She became assistant director of admissions in 2002. She became associate director of admissions in 2007. In that position, Thighman-Nabe hires and acts as mentor to her staff of professional and student employees. To that end, she created recruitment territories and developed a new training manual and orientation process. She created several outreach initiatives, including an “Exploring Women’s Leadership” conference.
“I have nearly 12 years of progressively responsible higher education experience in student services and admissions,” she wrote in her application letter. “I personally possess a high degree of self-motivation and solid understanding of enrollment management issues and trends relating to achieving goals.”
Reeder makes her presentation at 2:15 p.m. on March 14. Reeder holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, and a master’s degree from Cleveland State University in Ohio. She began her professional career in 1992 as assistant registrar for Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. She held that position until 1997, when she moved on to become a consultant. In 1998, she was a financial aid technician at Alpena Community College in Michigan. More recently, she joined the admissions team at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio. She began there as interim director of admissions and manager of admissions and records. She served as interim director of the customer service center there in 2007, leaving to become associate registrar for public services and academic records at The Ohio State University. When she re-located, she held her position, working remotely, until 2009.
“Throughout my career, I have worked in a wide range of student services areas …” she said in her application letter. “As a seasoned manager, I am an advocate for continuous quality improvement, seeking out new ideas for improving processes and services, leading by example while empowering staff to accommodate students’ needs without compromising academic integrity.”