As a featured panelist, Ewa will provide a department specific example, Career and Student Employment Services, of integrated assessment, planning and resource allocation in Student Affairs at Western Michigan University. Ewa Urban is an associate director for assessment and technology in Career and Student Employment Services at Western Michigan University, where she leads the department’s assessment planning and reporting activities and manages the strategic planning process for the unit. Ewa’s interests include intercultural communication and international students’ higher education experiences, outcomes, and career transitions. Her research was published in the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, International and Intercultural Communication Annual, Communication Studies, and the Journal of Student Affairs and Practice. Ewa has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and an MA in Communication from Western Michigan University as well as an MA and a BA in English and Linguistics from the University of Silesia in Poland.
Jennifer Smolnicky has worked in higher education admission and enrollment management for over thirteen years. Her experience includes undergraduate admission operations, marketing, communication plans, organizational leadership, and various management positions in enrollment management. In her current role, Jennifer works with the Division of Enrollment Management to create and implement strategic goals as they relate to the transfer population and the university’s overall strategic enrollment plan. Jennifer has presented on various topics related to transfer enrollment and admission management in her affiliation with IACAC (Indiana Association for College Admission Counseling). She serves as a mentor with the IACAC Mentoring Program and is a member of NACAC.
Through her research and data analysis, Carly Hendrix Mullins has been an integral part of UNT’s default prevention team since its inception in 2010. She has written much of UNT’s procedural documentation for managing student defaults, and she oversees staff training for lending and default prevention. Carly’s diverse knowledge of financial aid has served a vital role in streamlining UNT’s direct loan and state lending processes.
Marilyn Landrum has been with the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) for almost thirteen years. She is responsible for the development and administration of MDHE’s default prevention and debt management initiatives, including the MDHE Default Prevention Grant Program. She also provides MDHE “Smart Habits for Student Retention and Default Prevention” training to financial aid professionals. Ms. Landrum currently serves on the NCHER (National Council of Higher Education Resources) Debt Management Committee and financial literacy sub-committee. She has served as chair of the Default Prevention Team for Mapping Your Future. Ms. Landrum also played a major role in submitting a report to the Missouri state legislature regarding credit card solicitation on college and university campuses.
In her nineteen-year career in financial aid, Rebecca Rose has held many positions such as financial aid counselor, loan education specialist, and assistant director. Her primary responsibilities are to develop, implement, and continue the success of the award winning “I Otto Know This!” financial literacy program at Syracuse University. She holds a master’s degree in education from Elmira College with advanced certificates in training of trainers, human resources development and is a certified personal financial manager.
Mary Dana Hinton is the president of Hollins University and president emerita of the College of Saint Benedict. Active in the national higher education arena, she is a member of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Interfaith Youth Core, Saint Mary’s School and the Teagle Foundation. She founded the Liberal Arts Illuminated Conference. In 2021 she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Hinton’s scholarship focuses on African American religious history, higher education leadership, and inclusion in higher education. She is the author of “The Commercial Church: Black Churches and the New Religious Marketplace in America” and frequent op-ed contributor across higher education publications. Dr. Hinton earned a Ph.D. in religion and religious education from Fordham University, a Master of Arts degree in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas, Lawrence and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Williams College.
Jean is the Executive Director of the Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching at Grand Canyon University. Her research focuses on enhancing student learning in the online classroom through innovative instructional and assessment strategies, and she explores strategies for integrating efficient online instruction in a manner that maximizes student learning, satisfaction, and engagement. In addition, she has interests in the development of effective faculty evaluation models, perception of online degrees, data analytics, and faculty workload considerations. Jean is an active presenter and consultant in the field of online education and serves on various editorial boards including the Journal of Educators Online, eLearn Magazine, InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching, and Journal of Instructional Research. In addition to authoring numerous journal articles and chapters, Jean co-authored (along with Tobin and Taylor) the book Evaluating Online Teaching: Implementing Best Practices.
Annie has worked in the field of distance education since 1991, focusing on learning design and faculty development. As the director of an institute focused on learning design for distance education, Annie guides her college’s strategic vision and planning for online learning. She works with various stakeholders to plan and implement online degree and certificate programs tailored to the needs of working adult professionals. Annie serves on numerous university committees focused on strategic planning, policies, and procedures related to the university’s distance learning initiatives, and has been a member of the university faculty senate since 2007.
Tom’s work focuses on using technology to extend the reach of higher education beyond its traditional audience. He advocates for the educational rights of people with disabilities and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Tom serves on the editorial boards of The Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration and the Journal of Interactive Online Learning, and he has published in many areas related to distance education, including copyright, evaluation of teaching practice, academic integrity, and institutional project management.
Debbie has worked in advancement for more than 30 years, much of that time in higher education. She has created or enhanced operations, communications, donor relations and stewardship programs at Chautauqua Institution, the University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Florida. She also has built communications and development programs for a Catholic high school, an art museum, and a health center development office. Currently, she works part-time for Rutgers University Foundation, writing feature stories on alumni and donors, and proofreading and editing to her heart’s delight. In addition to being a stewardship and donor relations consultant and freelancer, she is also chief inspiration officer at EDiT!, providing editorial direction, inspiration and training to advancement professionals. With her lifelong love for writing, her positive energy and sense of humor, she helps to take the pain out of drafting advancement communications. A founding board member of the Association of Donor Relations Professionals, she chaired the international conference in 2011 and has a consecutive streak of presenting at every ADRP International Conference, as well as some that took place even before ADRP was formed. Debbie has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in journalism, thanks to her […]
