Admissions

New Dean Named

Burdick

The College’s Class of 2008 is being guided to Rochester by a new dean of admissions and financial aid.

Jonathan Burdick, a longtime admissions administrator at the University of Southern California, was named to the post late last summer.

“The curriculum here is what really sold me,” says Burdick, whose nephew has decided to attend the University. “Meeting with faculty, administration, and students, I clearly could see that Rochester is a place where every single student has the opportunity to shape and define an individual learning experience. That’s a tremendously powerful approach to higher education.”

One of his first initiatives has been to expand the role of interviews in the application process in order to gain a more complete picture of who students are—both as people and learners.

“Rochester is not going to be the perfect fit for every student, nor is every student going to be the perfect fit for Rochester,” says Burdick. “But when you meet face-to-face with a potential student and see how self-directed and engaged in the learning process that applicant is, it’s much easier to say, ‘Yes, this student belongs on this campus; this student will thrive on this campus.’”

Burdick says that one of his favorite parts of the job is helping students find that “perfect fit.”

“I encourage high school juniors and seniors, who are just beginning that seemingly daunting search for the perfect school, to take an active role, ask questions, investigate, do the work, and don’t feel obligated to follow the crowd,” says Burdick.

“College should always be about discovering who you are and what you can contribute to the world.”