College Tip of the Week

by Dave Goldberg, M.Ed.

Jon Burdick is former co-worker of Mr. Goldberg. We worked at USC in the late 80's.

this article is insightful and good for parents to gain insight into how admissions pro's think.

Name: Jonathan Burdick  

Position: Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid  

Institution/Organization: University of Rochester

  

In a nutshell, what is your current role?

I am responsible for new College undergraduate admission (including outreach, marketing, services, and evaluation) = about 90% of UR undergraduates, and financial aid for everyone in the College plus four of the six professional schools. 

How and why did you become involved in this (higher education/enrollment management) profession?

I grew up playing with Alex and Alice Admissions Action Figures. Seriously, I was so involved during my undergraduate years at USC in a wide range of student activities and leadership that staying to work in an exciting role seemed a natural fit. 

What sustains you professionally?  

I love it all. My job has the optimal blend of personal involvement with interesting people plus challenging problems to analyze and attack. 

What are do you believe are the most pressing development needs for enrollment professionals?

We express our operating principles ("fit," etc.) more within our community than outside of it. I believe we can create, now, a new public era of transparency and "oath-level" professionalism. 

What is the most interesting policy initiative or research project with which you have been involved?  Why?

I've most enjoyed identifying and defending the critical value of diversity on both high school and college campuses. Why? I believe the Supreme Court in 2003 affirmed the special role we have in society and issued a clear challenge to accelerate our work so that the great preponderance of American students born this year, 2010, will compete on a level playing field by the time they apply to enter college in 2028. 

What can enrollment professionals do to enhance student access and opportunities?

We can produce much more data than we have, and construct better explanatory models for enrollment success. For 20 years we've obscured our policy and political voices in the language of pure business economics. At heart I think many of us know this is wrong but we've been afraid to stand up to our own institutional leaders and boards. We can make the case for developing better instruments than standardized tests, for example-instruments that will better isolate the effects of good educational opportunities from income, thus supporting smarter secondary school investments as a public policy choice. We can help society define a wider array of values and experiences that characterize the good, smart students we meet every day.

What can enrollment professionals do to enhance student outcomes?

Accept responsibility. While we provide legitimate opportunities, even at >$50,000 per year, we have a greater obligation than we have heretofore acknowledged to design our communities in ways that ensure those investments pay off. We may need to become better therapeutic communities. Many of us need to tailor narrow missions better rather than trying to be all things to all comers. We need to deepen our perspective to embrace some alternatives in terms of timing and best practice to accommodate continuing formal education as an attainable goal for a larger number of learning styles.

We can do our jobs best if we approach each day willing to be fired for doing what's ethical and educational, rather than what is expedient and self-serving.

Profile of the Week Archives

http://www.usc.edu/programs/cerpp/profiles/Burdick.html