As the Director of Admissions, Friday, July 15th was a very big day for myself -- it was the very first Admissions Open House my team and I coordinated since my hire date back in November. The Open House was a HUGE success!
We had a total of 40+ attendees (not including all of the help)! We were pleasantly surprised to have students who traveled from Texas, Arkansas, Ohio, and elsewhere. Each student/prospect was given a token of our appreciation for attending the Open House -- a stainleless steel mug with the Forest Logo on it and inside the mug we placed a packet of Churchill's coffee that was custom printed to say Forest Blend. The gifts were a hit! We also had 5 door prize drawings throughout the evening for all attendees. The enormous amount of support and assistance that we received from faculty, staff and students was overwhelming and words cannot express express my appreciation and gratitutde. Hats off to Kim (Assistant Director of Admissions) and Ronda (Admissions Administrative Assistant) because they have their hands full with me -- my perfectionism and anal tendencies often create additional work and frustrations. I believe that presentaion is extremely important, so everything had to be 'just right.'
So, let's talk about the cake. We had quite a fiasco with the cake and I almost had an anxiety attack in Sams Club. I'm still not sure what those idiots were thinking when they decorated a sheet cake with a 5x3 decoration/screen. Imagine the sight of that! Could it get any worse? Of course.... all of the cake decorators had gone home for the day. What a mess! The solution? Well, they tried to make it look better with some additional text and balloons. However, in all reality, the cake now looked worse. Our only option was to get back to the school and pre-cut the cake, serving only slices. I was so very disappointed. Even some of the students at Forest know how particular I am. The Student Council President laughed at me when I said the cake was bad -- he said, "Kelly, is it bad or is it Kelly bad?" LOL. Well, he did agree with me -- it was officially bad. I had to move beyond that frustration because the Open House was to begin in less than an hour and a half.
Other than the cake dilemma, everything else seemed to go perfectly. There was an enthusiasm amongst everyone that just created a warm, inviting and pleasant environment. My boss was pleased and when he's smiling, I'm smiling! I am honored to be serving in this capacity. I feel as though this is an opportunity of a lifetime. I am truly blessed!
In closing, I thought I would share an e-mail I received from one of the attendees...
Dear Ms. Kuert-
Hello, my name is Mike L. and I attended Forest Institute's open house last Friday evening with my mother Barb. I just wanted to thank you again for the opportunity to speak with us. For me, the open house was a great success and Forest Institute was everything I had hoped it would be. You were all very warm, informative, and unitimidating and I certainly appreciate that. Moreover, if you see Adam around please extend my thanks to him as he gave us a great tour.
If/when you come to the St. Louis area to recruit please let me know, it would be great to touch base again. Hope you have a great week and I hope to keep in touch.
Sincerely,
Mike L.
P.S. Thank you for the great coffee mug, etc. and for the Barnes and Noble gift card that my mother won, they will both certainly come in use for us both.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Risks for a Dream
Last week, I watched the movie, Million Dollar Baby. I was hesitant to renting it because I'm not a huge fan of boxing. However, I had heard a number of good reviews and I am a Clint Eastwood fan. As many of my friends know, I appreciate company. I don't like to be alone on too many occassions, but this evening I was completely alone and enjoying some 'me' time. I made a fabulous dinner and sat down to watch my movie, while also enjoying a glass of my favorite wine, Marco Negri.
The overall story line is that this young lady (played by Hillary Swank) has a dream to win a championship in boxing. Being a woman, the challenges seemed great in recruiting the one and only coach she wanted, whose role was played by Clint Eastwood. She was a persistent young lady and began training herself in an effort to pursue her dream. Throughout the movie, a narrator often gives insight into the sport of boxing and what the characters might be feeling or facing internally. At one point, the narrator stated, "There's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." Wow! What a powerful and empowering statement.
I must admit that I've put a great deal of thought into that statement since then too. Why? Well, we all have dreams and many of us have not shared those dreams with our peers or our family. I don't speak of my goals and dreams because I fear that I won't accomplish them, which will then create a sense of failure. Therefore, there is a safety in taking the necessary risks in attempting to make my dreams come true -- because no one sees or knows of those dreams but myself. What are your dreams? Are you willing to take the necessary risks? I know I am, and I hope to inspire those who I meet along life's journey to dream big and take risks! Make your dreams come true, and remember, "There's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."
The overall story line is that this young lady (played by Hillary Swank) has a dream to win a championship in boxing. Being a woman, the challenges seemed great in recruiting the one and only coach she wanted, whose role was played by Clint Eastwood. She was a persistent young lady and began training herself in an effort to pursue her dream. Throughout the movie, a narrator often gives insight into the sport of boxing and what the characters might be feeling or facing internally. At one point, the narrator stated, "There's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you." Wow! What a powerful and empowering statement.
I must admit that I've put a great deal of thought into that statement since then too. Why? Well, we all have dreams and many of us have not shared those dreams with our peers or our family. I don't speak of my goals and dreams because I fear that I won't accomplish them, which will then create a sense of failure. Therefore, there is a safety in taking the necessary risks in attempting to make my dreams come true -- because no one sees or knows of those dreams but myself. What are your dreams? Are you willing to take the necessary risks? I know I am, and I hope to inspire those who I meet along life's journey to dream big and take risks! Make your dreams come true, and remember, "There's the magic of risking everything for a dream that nobody sees but you."
Monday, July 11, 2005
Heat Wave...
Back in June I was accepted to do a presentation at the NACCAP Conference (North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals) being held on a college campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had attended the conference last year, so I was anxious to see some of my friends/colleagues and network with some new folks. There were a number of familiar faces on my flight from Chicago into Grand Rapids, so my excitement continued to grow. This was going to be a great conference…
Upon arriving in Grand Rapids -- I found they were having a heat wave. Phew, was it hot! While shuttling over to the college that was hosting the conference, I received a phone call from the gal I would be rooming with at the conference. She gently broke the news to me that the dorms were not air conditioned. My heart fell… All I could think to say was, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Oh no, she wasn’t kidding. The dorms were like concrete saunas, something of which I could not do for 4 to 5 days. The school did offer us fans; however, you had to rent them! Again, I’m not kidding. PLUS, we were told we would have internet access and didn’t. Internet access is a must for me when I'm traveling -- I keep in close communication with the office via e-mail while I’m out of the office and I like to keep up with my e-mails. At this point, I'm laughing internally because it seems as though things just couldn't get worse. However, a lucky break was on the way.
Before I knew it, dinner time had arrived. I tried to freshen up, which seems almost impossible when you’re literally drenched. Oh well. I headed to the dining hall and met up with an admissions team from California that I had met on my flight earlier that day. They had glorious news -- the college had a hotel on campus. Here is where being the Director of Admissions and having a company card came in handy. Oh yes, I checked into the hotel and bummed a ride to the airport to get myself a rental car. What a day!
Anyways, the conference goes on and before I knew it -- the morning had arrived for my presentation. My topic was Bright Ideas, Brilliant Results: Creative Marketing and Strategic Networking. I was super excited and yet extremely nervous. Attendance was much, much more than I had ever anticipated -- approximately 80 people packed into that room. Oh me of little faith, I came prepared with only 25 copies of my handouts. LOL. The room was not air conditioned, so I ended the presentation just a tad bit early. As you may have already guessed, I don’t do well with extreme heat…. Overall, I was pleased with how things went. All of the attendees were asked to fill out evaluations, so I could only hope for the best. I received a number of praises, chatted with a few of the attendees then quickly returned to my air conditioned hotel room to cool off and check my e-mail. All was well!
Upon arriving in Grand Rapids -- I found they were having a heat wave. Phew, was it hot! While shuttling over to the college that was hosting the conference, I received a phone call from the gal I would be rooming with at the conference. She gently broke the news to me that the dorms were not air conditioned. My heart fell… All I could think to say was, “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Oh no, she wasn’t kidding. The dorms were like concrete saunas, something of which I could not do for 4 to 5 days. The school did offer us fans; however, you had to rent them! Again, I’m not kidding. PLUS, we were told we would have internet access and didn’t. Internet access is a must for me when I'm traveling -- I keep in close communication with the office via e-mail while I’m out of the office and I like to keep up with my e-mails. At this point, I'm laughing internally because it seems as though things just couldn't get worse. However, a lucky break was on the way.
Before I knew it, dinner time had arrived. I tried to freshen up, which seems almost impossible when you’re literally drenched. Oh well. I headed to the dining hall and met up with an admissions team from California that I had met on my flight earlier that day. They had glorious news -- the college had a hotel on campus. Here is where being the Director of Admissions and having a company card came in handy. Oh yes, I checked into the hotel and bummed a ride to the airport to get myself a rental car. What a day!
Anyways, the conference goes on and before I knew it -- the morning had arrived for my presentation. My topic was Bright Ideas, Brilliant Results: Creative Marketing and Strategic Networking. I was super excited and yet extremely nervous. Attendance was much, much more than I had ever anticipated -- approximately 80 people packed into that room. Oh me of little faith, I came prepared with only 25 copies of my handouts. LOL. The room was not air conditioned, so I ended the presentation just a tad bit early. As you may have already guessed, I don’t do well with extreme heat…. Overall, I was pleased with how things went. All of the attendees were asked to fill out evaluations, so I could only hope for the best. I received a number of praises, chatted with a few of the attendees then quickly returned to my air conditioned hotel room to cool off and check my e-mail. All was well!
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