In the second episode of our two-part chapters mini-series, we talk with NYGAP Chapter president Jaclyn Napoleon and TXGAP Chapter president Victor Lopez. Jaclyn and Victor tell us about the benefits of being part of a regional chapter and how to get involved. We also talk about all the existing regional chapters, so if you aren’t already part of one, this is your chance to learn more!

About the guests:

Victor Lopez is currently the Assistant Director for Graduate Professional Education & Extended Learning Initiatives at Baylor University, a role he has held since December 2020. In this capacity, Victor is instrumental in managing and expanding credit/non-credit certificate offerings at Baylor, demonstrating his expertise in program development and strategic planning within the higher education sector.

In addition to his professional role, Victor is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Educational Administration at Texas A&M University, showcasing his commitment to advancing his knowledge and expertise in the field of education. Furthermore, Victor plays a key role in the Texas Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (TxGAP Chapter), where he serves as the President. 

Jaclyn Napoleon has been the Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany (SUNY) for the past 8 years. Jaclyn earned her MS in College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University and her BA from Geneseo (SUNY). Prior to her role at Rockefeller, Jaclyn served in the Undergraduate Admissions offices at UAlbany for 12 years and the College of Saint Rose for two. 

In her current role, Jaclyn is responsible for managing marketing, communication, outreach and recruitment efforts, the application process, funding decisions, combined degrees and event management for prospective master’s and PhD students in the fields of Public Administration, International Affairs, Political Science and Criminal Justice. An active member of the campus community, Jaclyn has served on the Graduate Academic Council and Strategic Enrollment Committee on campus and is employed as a seasonal essay reader for Bright Horizons College Coach. 

Jaclyn began her involvement in NYGAP in 2016 and then took on the role of Treasurer of NYGAP in 2019. She was elected Vice-President in 2021 and President in 2023. 

This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Lauren McGowan.

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

In the first episode of our two-part chapters mini-series, we highlight the two NAGAP Special Interest Chapters: BioGAP and JGAP. Chapter presidents Brandy Wood and Colleen Sommerfeld discuss the opportunities these chapters present, how to get involved, and even how to form your own special interest chapter.

About the guests:

Brandy Wood serves as president of BioGAP and currently leads all aspects of the graduate recruitment and admissions counseling for the Indiana University School of Medicine Graduate Division. She manages a team responsible for retaining and preparing graduate students from diverse backgrounds for academic, professional and personal success. Additionally, she serves as an advisor to first-year doctoral students and provides holistic services related to academic and career advising to all graduate students beyond their first-year in graduate school thru alumni status.   

Brandy holds a BS in Public Affairs Management from Indiana University School of Public & Environmental Affairs and both a graduate certificate in Human Resource Development and an MS in Technology with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from the Purdue School of Engineering. 

Colleen Sommerfeld is a seasoned professional in the field of admissions, currently serving as the President of JGAP (Jesuit Graduate Admission Professionals) and holding the position of Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. John Carroll University is one of the esteemed 28 Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States.

With over two decades of experience in admissions, Colleen has cultivated a rich background, having worked in various capacities within undergraduate admission offices and high school admission. Her passion lies in fostering relationships with prospective students as they navigate the educational landscape to find the best-fit graduate programs.

This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Lauren McGowan. 

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

Join The NAGAP Report  hosts Lauren McGowan, Marcus Hanscom, and Aaron Berger as they're off to the races discussing the upcoming 2024 GEM Summit in Louisville, KY.  Find out what makes attending Summit so powerful for your own professional development, whether you’re attending as a first timer or you’ve been knocking it out of the park for some time in GEM. You'll learn more about how the conference is structured, the can't miss activities and sessions you should attend, fun things to do in Louisville, and how you can think about getting the most out of your experience.   

This podcast was edited and produced by Dr. Aaron Berger.

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

Enrollment managers are often forced to confront difficult student situations and make tough decisions regarding how to enforce or apply a policy (or not). How do we make fair and defensible decisions when students ask to be the exception to the rule? In this episode, The NAGAP Report co-host Lauren McGowan interviews Josie LaLonde, Director of Student Experience at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto, and Nicola Woods, Director of Academic Services and Registrar for the Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto, as they share their guiding framework for making difficult decisions. 

Their “Four P’s” framework is an easy-to-remember tool to employ when you find yourself feeling unsure of where to start. This will help all enrollment professionals to reexamine the way they think about making decisions and how they connect to our institutional mission and personal values. 

About the guests:

Josie Lalonde
Josie Lalonde is the Director, Student Experience in the Registrar’s Office and Student Experience (ROSE) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, and is a senior higher education professional with over 25 years of experience in university leadership and administration. 

Josie joined OISE in January 2023 and is proud to be part of the largest and highest-ranked School of Education in Canada, with a diverse community of innovators, collaborators and leaders that have been advancing education, human development and professional practice globally for over a century. In her current role, Josie directs the activities of three broad areas: records and registration, financial aid and awards, and student experience, including career advising, wellness counselling, and academic communications and writing support. Previously, Josie helped develop and implement systems solutions as a Business Analyst in the University of Toronto’s central IT department, and led the student academic services team as the Director of Student Academic Services in the School of Graduate Studies.

Josie completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology at the University of Toronto while raising her family. She is driven by a commitment to make the University a warm and welcoming community for all our graduate students, supporting the success of students, regardless of their background or life circumstances. 

You can contact Josie at [email protected].

Nicola Woods
Nicola Woods has over 25 years of senior higher education leadership experience and is currently the Director, Academic Services and Registrar in the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As Registrar, Nicola is responsible for all aspects of student records, grades, course evaluations, enrolment, exams and convocation for more than 1400 professional masters students in graduate business programs.

Additionally, Nicola led the recruitment and admissions operation in the University’s largest undergraduate faculty – Arts & Science. In this capacity she created innovative admission strategies to attract and admit highly qualified students from across the globe and spent many years giving high-level recruitment presentations in key markets in Asia, South Asia and across North America.

You can contact Nicola at [email protected]. 

This episode of The NAGAP Report was hosted, produced, and edited by Lauren McGowan.

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

Are you looking to expand your international graduate student recruitment efforts in South America? Listen in as The NAGAP Report co-host Marcus Hanscom has a conversation with Ana Villavicencio and Rita Moriconi, both Regional Educational Advising Coordinators (REACs) for Education USA in South America. The conversation covers South American student mobility, study abroad motivations, financial concerns, and more.

Ana Villavicencio covers the Andean region of South America (Western and Northern South America) and can be reached at [email protected]. Rita Moriconi covers the Southern Cone (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay) and can be reached at [email protected].

This episode of The NAGAP Report was hosted, produced, and edited by Marcus Hanscom.

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

We are always looking for better ways to reach our students, right? This podcast episode of The NAGAP Report is about the benefits of podcasting in graduate enrollment. Join co-host Dr. Aaron Berger and Dr. Christopher Lewis, Director of Graduate Programs at the University of Michigan-Flint, and Zach Busekrus, founder of Enrollify, for a conversation about the benefits of starting a podcast and some tips on how to launch something that will be successful for you. 

This episode was edited and produced by Dr. Aaron Berger.

Resources
Podcasting 101 - Dr. Chris Lewis - NAGAP GEM Summit 2023

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

As institutions look to grow and diversify programs and revenue ahead of the projected enrollment cliff, online education has become even more critical to the enrollment arsenal. But for many campuses, scaling online education efficiently - and quickly - can be a substantial undertaking with significant cost and resource implications. One solution? Work with an online program management (OPM) company.

In this episode, The NAGAP Report co-host Marcus Hanscom sits down with Ray Lutzky, Vice President of University Partnerships at Academic Partnerships, an OPM, to demystify OPM companies and challenge the misconceptions surrounding their role in graduate education. Join us as we examine the complexities, benefits, and challenges associated with partnering with OPM companies, shedding light on the decision-making process for institutions seeking to enhance their online offerings.

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

Join The NAGAP Report co-hosts Lauren McGowan, Aaron Berger, and Marcus Hanscom as they debrief after an exciting few days at the 2023 NAGAP Graduate Enrollment Management Summit. This year's annual conference was held at the Marriott Marquis in the heart of Times Square in New York City. Approximately 900 graduate enrollment professionals from around the globe converged to discuss the latest topics and best practices related to GEM work.

Check out all of NAGAP's upcoming events at https://www.nagap.org/events. 

This episode was edited and produced by Marcus Hanscom. 

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

Student workers and graduate assistants are an important part of our recruitment and admissions teams. But how can we ensure that we are hiring the right people, and supervising them effectively? How can we set reasonable expectations that allow for flexibility while also making sure the work gets done? In this episode of The NAGAP Report, two experienced student supervisors, Danielle Geraci Thoma and Deon Thompson, discuss what they’ve learned from years of supervising graduate assistants.

About our Guests:

Danielle Geraci Thoma is the Director of Graduate Recruitment and Student Support Initiatives in the Graduate School at the University of Texas at Austin. Danielle earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and her master’s in education in educational leadership and policy from UT Austin. Danielle has worked in higher education for over 19 years with expertise in undergraduate and graduate strategic enrollment management. Prior to working at UT Austin, she has worked at large and small institutions, including the University of Michigan and Rutgers University. 

Deon Thompson is a Chicago-born and raised, first generation college student. He completed his bachelor’s in management information systems in 2001 and MBA in 2020 from Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SUIC) and is currently working on courses towards his Master of Accountancy. Deon worked for 10 years in the payroll office at SIUC and then 8 years in the assistantship and fellowship office before moving to his current position as Assistant Director of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions.

This episode of The NAGAP Report was hosted, produced, and edited by Lauren McGowan. 

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.

The Institute for International Education released its most recent Open Doors report in November and the news was positive: the total number of international students in the U.S. grew by four percent in 2021-2022 over the prior year, bolstered by an 80% increase in newly enrolled international students. And on the graduate side, International student enrollment was up by 17 percent. 

As our institutions look to build more diverse campuses and address the forthcoming challenges from domestic demographic shifts in the United States, international students continue to be a critical part of American education.

But how do we effectively engage international students on a broad scale, particularly for small- and mid-size institutions? Or what if you or your staff are completely new to international student recruitment?

For this episode of The NAGAP Report, we’ve partnered with EducationUSA to help you understand the international student marketplace and the vast array of resources they provide to you both online and throughout the world.  Join The NAGAP Report co-host Marcus Hanscom for this conversation with Adina Archer, Manager of Operations for Global Services at EducationUSA. 

Learn more about NAGAP, the Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, at www.nagap.org.