Full Steam Ahead

Cathy Davenport '87 keeps the admissions process moving forward

September 11, 2007

Cathy Davenport '87 at a summer campus visit session for prospective students.

When asked to describe herself, Acting Dean of Admissions Cathy Davenport '87 says matter-of-factly, "I'm a doer."

That quality, along with her operational nimbleness, has allowed her to take over the helm of the college's admissions process after the recent departure of Christopher "Seth" Allen, who became dean of admission and financial aid at Grinnell College in Iowa last month.

While her job title may be new, many of the processes—both operational and strategic—are already well-known to Davenport, whom Allen could always rely on—especially since her office was right next door.

"I don't know it all, but I have excellent resources," she points out. "We have a highly skilled, diverse and professional admissions staff of about 20 people who are prepared to step up to the plate and use this as a 'growth' opportunity for assuming new areas of responsibility. We also have excellent mentors and advisers within the Dickinson community whom we can call upon for support."

One of her mentors, Dr. Robert J. Massa, vice president for enrollment and college relations and an admissions veteran, will be on campus for the fall semester before leaving to assume an American Council on Education fellowship at a community college this spring semester.

Continuing the Momentum

The college has formed a search committee to find a dean of admissions and financial aid, who would be in place this summer, in time for next year's admissions cycle. Candidate recommendations will be forwarded to Massa.

Between now and then, the class of 2012 must be created, and Davenport is committed to building on the college's admissions success.

"It's about more than numbers. Getting the right fit between a student and the college? It's a critical part of our admissions process," Davenport notes. "With the increasing number of applications, we can be more selective in finding students who best match the Dickinson Dimensions," habits of mind and action that define a Dickinsonian.

Davenport herself has been a beneficiary of the "Dickinson experience," and the issue of access to higher education is more than just an abstraction to her. Along with her three brothers and sisters, she was the first generation in her family to attend college.

For the three years immediately following graduation, she worked in admissions, doing high-school visits and student interviews and learning how the process works from the ground up.

Later Davenport returned to the classroom, earning an M.S. in education and certification in secondary-school counseling from the University of Pennsylvania. Before long she was back working for Dickinson.

Davenport's turn at the helm will enable her to draw upon the skills she acquired as a Dickinson student and her many years of admissions experience, not to mention the earned wisdom of a mother of three boys. Davenport observes, "Big challenges mobilize and focus your energies."