University Times

A search committee to find a new director of the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid (OAFA) has been formed. Long-serving OAFA director Betsy Porter last fall announced her plans to retire June 30. (See Sept. 29 University Times.)

Search committee members are: Juan Manfredi, vice provost for Undergraduate Studies, who is the chair; John T. Delaney, dean of the Katz Graduate School of Business and the College of Business Administration; Jacqueline Dunbar-Jacob, dean of the School of Nursing; Gerald D. Holder, dean of the Swanson School of Engineering; Deborah A. Rupert, OAFA senior associate director; Susan Shaiman, chair of the University Senate admissions and student aid committee and a faculty member in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and John A. Twyning, associate dean of Undergraduate Studies in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

Pitt has engaged Lahti Search Consultants to aid in the search.

“Lahti Search is a firm that specializes in searches for admissions officers,” Manfredi noted. “This is a national search. This is very important position at the University.”

Last month, Pitt posted ads in all the major publications, such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Manfredi said. “We’re at the preliminary stages of identifying candidates. If anybody has any nominations, they are most welcome to send them to me or to Lahti Search.”

The real work of the search committee will begin March 1, when nominations are due, Manfredi said. “We hope to have a good set of candidates by then, although we won’t stop looking at people,” he said.

Provost Patricia Beeson has charged the committee to submit to her three unranked candidates. Manfredi said he hopes to have someone in place this summer.

He said, “This is different than the search for a dean, for example. This is a high-profile staff position that is not as well-defined. Universities are different: Here we have a director of Admissions and Financial Aid; some other places call it vice president of enrollment or dean of admissions. It’s not as clear-cut a description as a dean.”

Manfredi said the expectation is to hire a candidate who has experience running a successful admissions operation. “We want someone who can build upon our successes, and promote our visibility. We want somebody who knows how and where to recruit students. The demographics in the eastern part of the United States are not good; every year there are fewer high school graduates. So we have to be ready to go out of state, because that’s where the students are,” he said.

“Also, these days, financial aid is a very technical subject, so we need someone who understands it. This requires knowing all the federal regulations and all the things we have to do now.”

In addition, the new hire has to be familiar with the high school landscape, he said.

“He or she needs to know how to say the right things to the high school guidance counselors, because they have tremendous influence in where somebody goes to college.”

According to the job description, which is posted on line at www.lahtisearch.com, candidates should possess proven leadership, motivational and management skills, and have experience and demonstrated success in enrollment management at a significant level of responsibility within a complex institution. An advanced degree is essential, with a doctorate preferred, the job description states.

Nominations for the position of director of Admissions and Financial Aid should be submitted to Barb Friedhoff of Lahti Search Consultants at barb@lahtisearch.com, or to Manfredi at manfredi@pitt.edu.

Resumes will be reviewed until the position is filled; for assurance of full consideration, materials are due March 1.

—Peter Hart