Category Archives: Staff Highlight

Meet Our New Graduate Ambassadors

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The Graduate College is proud to announce the formation of the Graduate Student Ambassador Program, which has come to fruition with twelve Graduate Student Ambassadors for Fall 2012 and Spring 2013. The twelve students were selected from over 40 applicants. They will function as outreach ambassadors for the Graduate College and the Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC).

A photo of our new Graduate Ambassadors meeting Graduate College Staff members

All the students who were chosen are expected to draw on their own experiences as graduate students to help prospective and current grad students at WMU. They are a highly motivated group of students, involved in many activities besides their school work, so they come to the job with a full understanding of the responsibilities and rewards of this leadership opportunity. There is at least one student representing each college at WMU and their role is complex. They are expected to represent Western Michigan University, GSAC, and the Graduate College as well as their college or area to current and prospective students.
They meet bi-weekly for informal gatherings to share knowledge and ideas, but their formal role is demanding. They attend recruiting events with Mr. Tony Dennis, Director of Graduate Student Recruitment and Retention. They hold office hours to meet with students from their colleges and/or programs who have questions about graduate study in general or more specific questions about issues they may be having. While sometimes students like to be able to have a student to talk to, which is the genesis of the program, the Graduate Ambassadors are trained to refer sensitive issues back to the Graduate College or to the appropriate unit. They give campus and community tours to prospective students and answer questions to the best of their ability, based on their training and personal experience, regarding admissions, registration, graduation, and theses and dissertations, as well as navigating departmental culture, planning their graduate careers, and balancing school, work and family. They are expected to attend all GSAC meetings. All twelve will be blogging for the Graduate College on The Grad Word, and keeping up with social media to promote the Graduate College and GSAC and to communicate with current and prospective graduate students. Each has also been assigned a university-wide committee to serve on as well.
The Graduate Ambassadors for 2012-2013 are Ms. Jessica Bell, of the Occupational Therapy program in the College of Health and Human Services, and Ms. Stephanie Boltrick, an MSW student who will serve in the area of Veterans and Military Affairs. Mr. Robert Brown, MS in Accountancy, represents the Haworth College of Business; Ms. Ashley Butterfield, a Speech and Language Pathology MA student, will be serving in the College of Health and Human Services, and Mr. Ryan Clark, Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering represents the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Also serving as Ambassadors for 2012-2013 are Ms. Cindy Cross, M.A. student in Music Therapy, representing the College of Fine Arts and the Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences and Ms. Kristin Everett, Ph.D. student in Evaluation, Measurement and Research, who will represent the College of Education and Human Development. Ms. Jamie Gomez, M.A. student in Anthropology, is serving as Ambassador in the College of Arts and Sciences in the area of social and behavioral sciences. Ms. Denisha Griffey, a Ph.D. student in Geosciences, will represent the College of Arts and Sciences in the area of mathematics and sciences. Finally, we have Ms. Josie Wells, M.A. in Public Administration, who will represent our off-campus and Extended University Programs, Mr. Benjamin Williams, an M.A. student in Family and Consumer Science representing the College of Education and Human Development, and Mr. Tiantian Zhang, Ph.D. student in Biological Sciences, who will serve international students and the Haenicke Institute for Global Education.
The Graduate College is very proud to welcome these outstanding student representatives. They have all shown initiative in contacting deans, chairs, graduate directors, and staff members to introduce themselves, setting up their office hours, asking questions, and planning their bi-weekly informal meetings to get to know each other better and learn more about what the Graduate College and Western Michigan University have to offer prospective and current students. If you have any questions for the graduate ambassador who represents your college or area, please call Carson Leftwich at the Graduate College at (269) 387-8212 for contact information.

Meet Jennifer Wendling Holm

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Jennifer Wendling Holm is one of the last staff members graduate students meet in the final months before they graduate. As coordinator of theses and dissertations in the Graduate College, Jennifer is responsible for reviewing and clearing these culminating works, putting on formatting workshops to help students make sure these works meet WMU guidelines, and assisting students with scheduling and announcing their oral dissertation defenses. Jennifer revises and shepherds between 30 and 45 dissertations and 25 to 35 theses through the system each graduation period.
a photo of Jennifer Wendling Holm, Coordinator of Theses and Dissertations

It is a lot of reading and editing in a short period of time, so organization and time management are of the utmost importance surrounding graduation periods. She understands where the students are emotionally and academically at this final stage in the educational process and tries to make it as smooth as possible by being accessible to them, answering their questions, encouraging them and lending a sympathetic ear when needed. She finds it quite rewarding to see them through to the end. One of her goals is to make sure they leave the University on a high note, with scholarly theses and dissertations and a good feeling about WMU. In addition to reviewing theses and dissertations, Jennifer handles the graduate faculty nomination forms, committee forms, permission to elect forms, extend time to degree program forms and is the MIGS liaison officer for the University. She crafts the commencement copy for doctoral candidates, provides data regarding awards of doctoral and master’s candidates to University Relations and doctoral numbers and information to the Registrar’s Office.
Jennifer earned a bachelor’s degree in English from WMU and was hired full time as assistant to the vice president of research in 2000. In OVPR, her duties consisted of finding funding opportunities for the School of Social Work and various other disciplines, creating reports for the VP of Research for Carnegie Classification, writing correspondence and editing documents for staff, assistant editor for the WMU Research Magazine and Web author. Jennifer moved to the Graduate College as assistant to the dean in 2003. She was named to her current post in January 2005.
Prior to her employment at WMU, Jennifer enjoyed an assistant manager position at an independent bookseller, Bookbinder’s Bookstore and Café, near campus in Kalamazoo. She also spent a year traveling in Greensboro, North Carolina and Richland, Washington, visiting family and writing short stories. Jennifer takes pleasure in volunteering in the Kalamazoo area. She is a tutor for the Kalamazoo Literacy Council and will resume hosting a Senior Book Club at Wyndham West Retirement Community in winter 2013. She has been a student of yoga since 1996 and enjoys reading, writing, walking, hiking, kayaking and sailing.

Meet Tony Dennis

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Tony’s career in higher education began in 1990 working as an admissions counselor at Kalamazoo College. In 1993 he was hired as Assistant Director of Admissions and Orientation at Western Michigan University. In June of 1999 he was promoted to Director of Recruitment and Outreach Director/Student Services at Western Michigan University’s College of Aviation. Tony has recruited students throughout the United States and has played a significant role in recruiting some of the top underrepresented (minority) students in the country to attend WMU.

Tony has a Bachelor of Science degree and holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, both from WMU. Tony is Director of Recruitment and Retention in the Graduate College of WMU. His primary responsibility in the Graduate College is to direct graduate recruitment and retention programs throughout the university. He collaborates with department chairs, faculty, and graduate advisors to implement recruiting programs to increase the number of enrolled graduate students.  In addition, he promotes WMU as a provider of graduate education to college seniors and recent graduates of undergraduate programs, and to non-traditional students with undergraduate degrees. He serves on many university committees, coordinates retention programs, and directs the Graduate Diversity Program.