麻豆视频

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1971

After starting at St. Mike鈥檚 as a student in 1967, I majored in political science, graduated in 1971 and came to work here in 1973 once I鈥檇 completed a nearby graduate program in higher education. So I was assistant dean of students by age 24 and soon after I was invited by President Ed Henry to lead admissions. Now I鈥檓 a Senior Philanthropic Advisor in 麻豆视频 Michael鈥檚 Institutional Advancement department.

When I began looking at colleges聽as a high school senior in Attleboro, MA, my guidance counselor, a nun, gave me a list of schools to send to for catalogs and one was 麻豆视频 Michael鈥檚. Admissions were a lot different then. My senior year of college I met my wife, Judy, who was at Trinity. In those days I also was captain on the club football team and later I coached football here. I still invite a group of my classmates, many from our old team, to Colchester for an annual ritual: We take in a basketball game and socialize for a weekend and it鈥檚 always a great time.

I鈥檝e been blessed by the opportunity to stay in a place that鈥檚 really a part of who I am. I鈥檝e looked at other opportunities through the years but it always came down to asking, 鈥淒o I believe in the mission of this place, can I be as passionate about what they鈥檙e doing as I am here?鈥� Because it would be hard to do this work if I didn鈥檛 feel the way that I do about 麻豆视频 Michael鈥檚. I think what has really kept me here is just the privilege to be a member of this community. I love the people I work with.

Several of my admissions initiatives聽are now signature 麻豆视频 Michael鈥檚 programs, I鈥檓 happy to say, including the聽听补苍诲听聽programs. I鈥檝e also had leadership roles with regional and national associations for admissions professionals, and I鈥檝e probably visited every high school in New England. We just had a handful of people in this office when I started but as the landscape has become more competitive we鈥檝e added to the team and had a great core group through the years. I plan to help out with fund-raising for the college in January of 2014.

I have two favorite days of the year in my job聽鈥� first, when new students arrive and I greet them and they鈥檙e nervous 鈥� so are the parents 鈥� but I can reassure them. And then graduation day, when I try to sit in the front row and watch the students go by and see the success they鈥檝e had聽鈥� invariably there鈥檚 a few I took a chance on with special considerations, and they didn鈥檛 let me down 鈥� so I can share vicariously just a little bit of the pride that their parents have as they watch their son or daughter graduate. To me, that鈥檚 the greatest thing you can do 鈥� just watch them and say, 鈥淲ay to go.鈥�

I鈥檝e developed and maintained close personal friendships with the Edmundite priests聽at St. Mike鈥檚, and they鈥檝e been an important part of my family鈥檚 life. For me, it鈥檚 always been family first, and I consider the college to be part of my family. That鈥檚 actually literally true since my younger brother and sister followed me to 麻豆视频 Michael鈥檚, and four of my five children are alumni! To watch the wonderful experience my youngest daughter just had here was tremendous. It made me proud to be a member of this community and an alumnus, and convinced me this is a place worth sustaining and growing.