For years, Admissions has been in the corner of Demuzio Campus Center (DCC), allowing easy access to Ding, the Work Office, Residence Life Office and Snack Bar for potential students and Admissions employees. However, it has recently moved to the Jaenke Alumni Center. While there are some small complaints from students that work at Admissions regarding this recent move, these issues are not ignored. It may seem like this is a sudden change, but this has been a well thought out decision for the past few weeks, and the department moved on Feb. 8, 2019.
Director of Admissions Justin Norwood believes that the move will be “the best way to utilize and engage for new student enrollment,” as that is an area Blackburn College would like to improve in. The new facility that Admissions is in is also, according to Norwood, an easy place to find, as it’s right off the road on University Street. Norwood went on to say, “Accessibility will be much better for those looking for Admissions.”
One of the biggest reasons for the move, according to Norwood, was because DCC is a large hub for students already; therefore, privacy happens to be a common issue. There are families that will have issues they would prefer to discuss in private, such as financial aid information or extra needs for the prospective student. In DCC, there was only one meeting office where families could talk to Admissions in private. In Jaenke, however, there are other offices in which families could discuss private information with Admissions, making it so that there may even be multiple prospects at one time.
Furthermore, Norwood hopes to use this change positively on potential students: “Being able to utilize the history of [Blackburn College]. Walking them through Blackburn’s history [in Jaenke]. Getting information of what our alums are out there doing and being able to present that information to prospective students.” Norwood believes that showing prospects this type of information will help Blackburn come off in a more prestigious light.
But as with any type of change, there are some criticisms. Junior Student Ambassador Daniella Miller works in Admissions, and she is not a fan of the move. Miller stated, “I don’t think we should have moved to Jaenke, because they put us in a smaller office and didn’t cut any of our staff.” Miller’s complaints of the smaller workspace do not go unheard, though, as Norwood encourages any student to talk to him about their opinions regarding this recent move.