I am writing to share an update on how we manage admissions for graduate programs and health sciences programs. 

Currently, admissions processes in these areas are managed by the Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions, reporting to Enrollment Management. Through a series of conversations over the past several months with faculty and staff, we have come to see the ways in which separate processing teams for undergraduate and graduate programs would make admissions more understandable and approachable for applicants. 

As such, we are moving forward with a plan to change this structure to align best with applicant needs and program needs. Graduate program admissions will be managed through the Graduate School, and all undergraduate admissions (including health sciences programs) will be managed through Enrollment Management.

The consideration of this change has been led by Celia Marshik and Dawn Medley in close collaboration and consultation with the staff in the Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions, as well as key leadership and staff in health sciences programs.

Celia’s role as Dean of the Graduate School and experience as a former graduate program director in her department ideally positions her and her team to manage graduate program admissions. Additionally, her team’s close connections with graduate program directors and coordinators provide them key insight into the needs of departments in graduate admissions.

In Dawn’s role as Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Student Retention, she and her team will leverage their deep knowledge of best practices in undergraduate admissions and recruitment to support the needs of our increasingly popular undergraduate health sciences programs.  

I want to thank Celia and Dawn for their leadership in overseeing the process to consult with a wide array of stakeholders to consider and design this change. I also appreciate the partnership of the staff who were consulted. Staff and leadership in programs have shared a range of helpful questions and thoughtful comments in these meetings. Among the most important themes of these conversations are the uniqueness of admissions in each degree program, and the value of continuing clear channels of communication and collaboration across staff.

In particular, I’d like to acknowledge the leadership of Maria Campanella and Melissa Jordan. Maria has served GHSA well as its director for the past seven years, developing many advancements with her team, including auto-matriculation, creation of a communications plan, and building other systems to improve admissions processes. She will serve as a director and member of the leadership team in Enrollment Management under this new configuration. Additionally, Melissa Jordan, Senior Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, has previous experience in managing graduate admissions and will be a strong partner in managing this process. 

We are estimating a six-month transition period but we may shorten or extend that timeframe to ensure our ability to provide the necessary services to our community. However, no positions will be eliminated and some additional positions are being considered. 

Working together, I am confident we have developed a plan that will enhance admissions processes for a significant portion of our applicants and programs.Sincerely,

Carl

Carl Lejuez
Provost and Executive Vice President