The Judson College Admissions program has undergone several changes this fall in an effort to improve Judson’s ability to effectively reach prospective students.
“The senior administration of the College and our Admissions team spent hours last year discussing ways we could improve the processes we use to recruit students. With help from a very gifted outside consultant, we determined that we were ready to try new things, including looking to use our personnel in the most effective way possible to improve overall enrollment,” said Susan Jones, Senior Vice President and Dean of Students.
Tyne Olkie (‘05) has been named Interim Executive Director of Enrollment Services. Olkie began work in the Admissions Office in 2011 and has previously served as an Admissions Representative, Assistant Director of Enrollment Services, and Director of Admissions. Olkie supervises the operations of the Admissions and Financial Aid Offices and coordinates integrated strategies to improve new student enrollment in on-campus programs.
Rebecca Watford (‘14) joined the Admissions staff as a recruiter in 2015 and has recently been named Director of Admissions. As Director, Watford will train and supervise admissions representatives and work closely with the Marketing and Communications Office on communications strategies for Admissions, including new email marketing initiatives that target prospective students and their parents.
Bridget Horton, who formerly served as the Administrative Assistant in the Financial Aid Office, now serves as Office Manager for the Admissions Office. Leah Washburn, who served in this position for two decades, has accepted a new position as Enrollment Coordinator for Distance Learning, a role in which she continues to work closely with staff members in Admissions and Financial Aid.
To the recruiting staff, we added Mary Milliron (‘16) and Alesia King (‘16), who joined current admissions representatives Jessca Weller and Amy Collins. Anna Henderson (‘16) and Haley Pham (‘15) have been assisting the Admissions Office as “road runners” and will complete their terms at the end of this month.
The Admissions Office also welcomed Christy Sherbrook as Telecounseling Coordinator. She will continue to coach and recruit for the Judson Eagles volleyball team but will assist the Admissions Office during her off-season. Sherbrook brings much experience to the position; she increased the enrollment of competitive prospects with targeted admissions and financial aid strategies as Assistant Director of Admissions and Recruitment at Cumberland School of Law at Samford University from 2008-2011.
Melena Verity joined our staff in July as Acting Director of Financial Aid. Verity brings more than sixteen years of financial aid experience to this position and previously served as the Director of Financial Aid at Maryville College from 2014-2015 and at Tusculum College from 2010-2014. The financial aid program has already benefited greatly from her leadership and experience.
“I am thrilled to have all of these exceptional women as Admissions team members,” said Olkie. “We are already working hard to increase enrollment and are looking forward to a wonderful incoming class of 2017!”
The hard work of the new Admissions team combined with the implementation of improved strategies have resulted in a record number of applications at this point in the recruiting cycle.
Applications are currently being accepted for Spring and Fall 2017. Please contact the Admissions Office at 1-800-447-9472 for more information about the application process or to refer a prospective student.