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Nationally recognized admissions expert joins St. Olaf

By Amy Gage
January 9, 2006

Jerry W. Pope has been named the new director of admissions at St. Olaf College following a 25-year career in admissions at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill., that gained him national influence and recognition.

Pope was selected after a months-long, nationwide search. Pope has served as dean of admissions and financial aid at Illinois Wesleyan since 2003.

"Jerry has been involved in a broad range of regional and national professional activities," says Michael Kyle '85, vice president and dean of enrollment at St. Olaf. "He knows the college admissions program well on a regional and national level. He is a consummate professional who is both well respected and highly regarded in his field."

Among Pope's achievements at Illinois Wesleyan were boosting first-year minority enrollment, coordinating the long-range plan to enroll a more national and international student body, and serving as the campus liaison on the institution's strategic plan.

He also has extensive experience as a source on admissions issues for national media, having been interviewed in recent years by Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and Salon.com, among others.

At St. Olaf, Pope will be responsible for many of the daily operations of the admissions program, including both strategic and tactical planning. Along with Kyle, he will help put in place strategies and tactics that will increase awareness of St. Olaf College in new and expanded markets.

"Jerry cares deeply about students," says Kyle. "He is collaborative with both internal and external audiences. He will be a passionate and enthusiastic spokesperson for St. Olaf."

Pope earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Illinois Wesleyan in May 1980. Since then, he has held progressively more responsible positions in the university's admissions department, beginning as an admissions counselor in 1980 and rising from there to become an assistant director, an associate director and the associate dean.

"My first priorities will be working with the staff and getting everybody on the same page about how we promote St. Olaf," says Pope, who has moved to Northfield. "In terms of its academic rigor and reputation, St. Olaf has unlimited opportunity. It's a great investment that pays off."

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.