By Matt Thacker
Danielle Bristow has been responsible for welcoming incoming freshmen to U of L for years. As assistant director of Admissions, she has overseen freshman orientation for the past five years, but this summer’s group of new students will be her last.
Bristow will be moving to Missouri during the summer as her husband begins his residency in emergency medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. She said she hopes to work for a college in St. Louis and find a position similar to the one she has now. However, she said she will miss working at U of L.
“I love what I do,” she said. “It’s been a great experience here.”
Bristow has helped to organize programs such as Welcome Week, Campus Preview Day, Student Orientation Staff and Accolade, which is aimed at honors and scholarship students. She also served as adviser for commonGround. According to executive director of Admissions Jenny Sawyer, Bristow leads a team of over 100 student workers and volunteers in the recruitment and orientation programs and has impacted more than 10,000 students at U of L. She won U of L’s Outstanding Performance Award in 2004.
“Danielle is a critical part of our Office of Admissions staff and has been instrumental in U of L, improving its freshman profile,” Sawyer said. “Her personal commitment to diversity and to our students has been of real value in our office and has been felt throughout the campus community.”
U of L plans to do a national search and have someone ready to take over for Bristow before she leaves. Bristow said the position requires four years of experience and a master’s degree.
“We will look for someone with strong skills in student training and leadership development as well as programming experience,” Sawyer said.
Two other high-profile job searches are currently ongoing for an assistant vice president for Campus Life and director of Career Services. Denise Gifford temporarily holds the position of assistant vice president for Campus Life after Al Herring was appointed to run the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution earlier this year.
On U of L’s Web site, Denise Gifford stated that the main purpose of her position is to “support an enriching, safe, and diverse environment that maximizes student learning and development, and complements the research-focused academic programs of the university.”
The deadline for applications has already passed, and the university has received more than 25 résumés. Gifford said a selection committee, which includes SGA representatives, has been appointed and hopes to meet this week to begin sorting through the candidates.
SGA executive vice president Bill Brammell said he would like to see a “pro-student” candidate selected who will listen to student concerns and work well with the SGA.
U of L is also looking for candidates for director of the new Career Development Center. U of L’s Web site states the selection committee will be searching for a “seasoned and nationally recognized” director. The position is expected to be filled no later than June 1.
