Anna Seahill
Contributor
amseahill@willamette.edu
Jeremy Bogan, former Vice President and Dean of Admissions at Willamette, has been an integral part of the University community ever since his arrival in early 2016. However, on Aug. 14, Willamette President Stephen Thorsett announced that Bogan accepted a position at Salem Health. He now serves as the business relations manager in the Information Services Department of the hospital, conveniently located across the street from campus.
Bogan’s departure is bittersweet, as Thorsett noted in an Aug. 14 Bearcat Bulletin Featured Announcement: “We will miss his unfailing good cheer, his caring attention to students from before they apply until after they graduate and his enthusiastic support of Bearcat athletic teams.” The transition has been smooth, thanks to Interim Dean Mary Randers and the rest of the admissions team.
Randers, who is the former director of admission and the admissions counselor at Willamette, believes that the department will continue to succeed in its mission of student recruitment, both for next fall and for the following years.
This focus on both the short and long term also involves searching for Bogan’s permanent replacement. It will be a multi-step process. Currently in the early stage of organizing a hiring and search committee and outlining the job description, according to Randers.
Randers said in an ideal individual to fill Bogan’s shoes will be engaged, motivated and receptive—someone willing to take on the chal-lenge of balancing the management of staff and interpretation of admission data while maintaining an active role in the President’s Cabinet.
Juggling these important duties can be daunting, but Randers still considers the start of each school year to be an exciting and hopeful time.
She said, “Our team is already traveling to college fairs and visiting high schools to connect with prospective applicants. Our first Cardinal and Gold Day is coming up in October. Our new and returning admission ambassadors just went through training last week…We have big goals set for ourselves this year, but we also have a lot of great support from the whole campus community to help us achieve them.”
The consideration that students show for one another and for staff is what inspired Randers to pursue her career at Willamette out of all higher education institutions. She said, “The students I meet through the work we do are one of the biggest reasons that I feel lucky to work here.”