NEW STAFF
STAFF LEAVING
Vitoria Rea - Financial Aid Advisor
STAFF PROMOTIONS
Monica Juneau - Manager in SFO
Cheryl Swift - Senior Student Account Specialist
Mirjan Laci - Senior Student Account Specialist Birthdays
Byron Lewis
Abbi Pfister - April 1
Anna Gomez - April 2
Meredith Dawson - April 2
Cindy Castro - April 3
Myriah Garcia - April 13th
Paola Sotomayor - April 15th
Claudia Favela - April 27th
Lorinda Lamb - April 29th Ron Moss Sylvia Wiseman - 11 years Ginger
Oravsky - 9 years Rod Del Rio - 9 years Stephanie
Nonemacher - 8 years Stephen Forrest - 7 years Cheryl Swift
- 4 years Abbi Pfister - 2 years Monica Juneau - 1 Enrollment Services Highlights SWAT
- Tony Tillman is chairing a group of staff to address retention of our current
students. Enrollment Services, Residence Life, Dedman College Advising,
and the Dean of Student's office will work together to contact continuing
undergraduate students who have not enrolled for the fall term. The
outreach is to offer assistance to students, should there be a barrier to their
enrollment.
Anniversaries
Transfer Initiative - Nancy Skochdopole in conjunction with Financial Aid, the Altshuler Learning Enhancement Center, Residence Life, and the Hegi Career Center will sponsor a event for accepted transfer students. The event will be held on May 26th. Academic Advisors will be present to assist these students in identifying any deficiencies they may have that must be completed before matriculation. The goal is to work with the student to complete these course in the summer.
Summer School - The Summer School Office has been actively promoting enrollment in SMU's three summer school programs - SMU-in-Taos, SMU Abroad, and SMU-in-Dallas. To date the enrollment for summer school 2009 is a few percentage points ahead of enrollment at this time last year.
Spring Brings Students to SMU - March and April are the busiest month in Admission. Students are invited to campus for Scholar Day - interviews for President and Hunt Scholarships, for Mustang Days, two day event for admitted students, and for Springfest, a Saturday targeting junior's in high school beginning to explore their college options. All of these events have been well attended, breaking previous records. "Our programs went extremely well and we are pleased with the overwhelmingly positive response we received from parents and students" remarked Byron Lewis, Associate Director of UG Admission. The Admission staff is doubling their efforts as the deposit deadline approach on May 1st.
Custom Regalia Displayed in Blanton -
Stop by the first floor of Blanton and take a peek! The implementation of SMU’s custom regalia for May, required candidates to order their caps and gowns on the Herff Jones website by Sunday, April 5. Since the robes are still in production, it is important to have an accurate count to ensure that the appropriate number of gowns are made. At the Sunday’s deadline approximately 1,680 advance orders were placed: 81% of bachelor candidates, 64% of masters candidates, and 72% of doctoral candidates.
VIPs -
Very Important Ponies
Some of our VIPs this month are:
Monica Juneau - has initiated a project for Student Financial Services with regard to the retention of imaged records. Because of her forethought, she will be the project lead for the group that will develop a timetable for purging imaged records. Thank you, Monica! Pat Woods
Gretchen Voight - I probably don't have to tell you this but Gretchen is the best in all the land to work with at SMU. Kudos to Gretchen -- she's helpful (very helpful) at every turn. Phyllis Payne
Cheryl Swift and Marcia Miller - Thank you for taking the lead to contact currents students with financial holds on their enrollment. This outreach will make a big difference in our work with students with outstanding balances.
Myriah Garcia - I just wanted to let you know that Myriah is really an asset to the Registrar's Office. Steve and I appreciate the promptness and follow through on everything that she does. She shows professionalism in her work. Cheryl Moore
Stephany Coleman - WOW! It is amazing how quickly you were able to make the Economic Assistance Loan a reality for our students. It shows your commitment to customer service and your understanding of the value of these loans to our families. Thank you!
Summer School Office - Thanks to all who contribute [to the Summer School Kick Off]. We're making progress toward getting summer school truly "institutionalized" here. Tom Tunks Hooray to all of you for doing such a great job. So far the numbers look quite impressive! John Whaley Thank you for the good news [on summer enrollment figures], John [Hall]. Congratulations to all of your good work in bringing this about, and in a precarious time, too. Tom Tunks - SSO is Kathy Rowe, Nancy Skochdopole, Mary Beard, Shahnaz Khaja, Kelli Anderson, Todd Chiscano, Mike Adler, and Suellen Turner.
Kelly Milazzo - What
a wonderful idea for a President's Partner Grant, the Seminar on Financial
Responsibility. I know that all of your hard work putting this together
will be noticed by the selection committee. Our students really could benefit
from this seminar. Pat Woods Staff
Angie
Flores Angelica Flores, Assistant Director of Student
Account Services and an undergraduate student at SMU, received an award for
having a grade point average over 3.5 (actually a 3.8) at the Minority Academic
Awards Ceremony. Not withstanding working full-time and
returning to school after having a family, Angie commented that she is "very
proud of it." She spoke to the group attending the Ceremony and had her
photograph taken with Dr. Turner. Laura Ries Laura
Ries will be receiving her second award from the Business Leadership Center (BLC)
in the Cox School of Business. Officially, she will be part of the
"Dean's Circle". Last year she was awarded "The Distinguished Leader" and now
it's the "Dean's Circle" so needless to say Laura is doing a wonderful job in
her MBA program!! She's being recognized at a luncheon this coming Friday April
17. Enrollment Services is proud of Angie's and
Laura's
achievements. Congratulations!
Takes Top Academic Honors
SMU Student Financial Service has installed AdvantEdge software to enhance the university's ability to manage collections of student accounts. AdvantEdge is provided by Accelerated Data Systems and is one of the top 12 mid-range collections systems.
Accelerated states that the software is "considerably more than just a collection tool." AdvantEdge allows the user to provide better customer service, send statements and letters, and to manage calls. The system provides unlimited storage of data related to collections as well as allows the user to group and organize the collection effort. This product can be customized to meet the needs of SMU and Accelerated provides extensive training on the produce software.
Student Financial Service
hope to have the new system in full operations by the end of the spring term.
Bursar Pat Woods believes that this automated process will increase collections
and allow the current staff to work more effectively and efficiently.
Important Dates
Quotation of the Month
SMU Trivia
Question
Answer
The second building at SMU was named for Bishop Atkins. It is now Clements Hall. Recruit, Retain, Rejoice The staff in Enrollment Services started their
April meeting by viewing the new videos "Face of SMU" developed by SMU Public
Affairs to enhance the recruiting of new students. The video will be shown
on U Tube as well as featured on the SMU Homepage. ""Dream Making' is what we do at SMU,"
remarked Ron Moss. Each of the students featured found the value added in
an SMU education whether in an Education Abroad opportunity, community
engagement, in the Learning Enhancement Center, or the Dedman Center.
Each of the Executive Directors of Enrollment
Services spoke on the initiatives in their area focusing on recruitment and
retention of students. John Hall said, "If you sense an issue that is a
barrier to enrollment, let someone know." His staff is monitoring
continuing enrollment. After the enrollment appointment times have
concluded, the Registrar's Office (RO) will work with the SWAT group to identify
continuing students who have not enrolled. Student registration for AARO
is being monitored through the new online registration process. "Everyone [in Enrollment Services] has come
together, working as a team," observed Pat Woods. Her staff has worked
with Stephen Forrest in RO to target students for the Economic Assistance Loan.
The Student Financial Services (SFS) staff then follows up with these students
to see if the loan is an option for them. SFS also has sent information to
families on the many payment plans available for new and continuing
undergraduate students. Marc Peterson stated, "We can and will help
students any time." If students have never applied for financial aid or if
they have but their circumstances have changed, "Give us a shot."
Financial Aid staff are working hard to award financial aid and to follow up
with families with eligibility for the PLUS loan. Telephone calls, e-mails, postcard both
electronic and paper, on campus visits, t-shirts, backpacks -- you name it,
Admission is doing it to encourage admitted students to commit to SMU. The
new Recruitment Plus computer software allows Counselors to target students to
focus the message. Ron Moss concluded the meeting by sharing his
view, "Enrollment Management at its best [right now], the energy that is being
generated from DES." He challenged the staff to continue the efforts to
Recruit, Retain, and Rejoice. SMU and Enrollment Service have risen to the
challenge of this economic downturn.
Join the SMU Community in Celebration of the 94th annual Commencement Weekend Baccalaureate Friday, May 15 Commencement Saturday, May 16
No Meeting in May
Division Meeting
May 4 - Last day of instruction
May 5 -
Reading Day
May 6-12 - Final Examinations
May 15 - Baccalaureate
May
16 - Commencement
May 25 - Memorial Day Holiday
There is nothing like a
dream to create the future.
Victor Hugo
Bishop Atkins was the Chairman of the Texas Methodist
Educational Commission from 1911 to 1914. He presided over the creation of
Southern Methodist University. Plaque in Dallas Hall states, "By
resolution of the Commission, date February 4, 1911, Southern Methodist
University was established in Dallas."
Enrollment Services
Meeting
at 7:30pm
McFarlin Auditorium
(Undergraduates only)
at 9:30am Moody
Coliseum