Published on 1/9/2012 7:30:00 AM
Betsy Porter, director of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, recently announced her retirement from the University after 33 years of outstanding service and success in her position. Under her direction, the profile, quality, and diversity of new undergraduate students has increased and improved dramatically, helping to bring Pitt to a new tier of recognition in higher education. Early in her tenure at Pitt as an associate director of admissions, Porter earned her PhD from the School of Education in higher education administration. We were interested to learn how her graduate studies contributed to her professional growth and her ability to lead the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid to its present level of success.
How did the School of Education prepare you for your career?
The school provided focus for me in terms of the role and function that higher learning should have in serving society beyond providing a general education to the public. My coursework broadened my perspectives and helped me understand our responsibilities as educators beyond our day-to-day work and the impact we can and should have in people’s lives. My studies provided a foundation and a more broadened dimension to my work and made everything more meaningful because of this expanded understanding of context.
What was your dissertation topic and was it important to your career?
My dissertation topic dealt with no-need, academic merit-based undergraduate scholarships, more specifically, with regard to institutional decisions of whether to award merit vs. need-based scholarships and grants. In the early 1980s and continuing today there is an ongoing debate in higher education about this issue. The question remains, how should institutions utilize their resources in the awarding of funds? While the support for need-based aid was and would always be critical to students, families, and institutions, merit-based scholarships were needed to recruit and retain the most outstanding students. My premise, however, needed to be supported with data.
Therefore, in the early 1980s I applied for a grant and did my own survey of institutions in Pennsylvania, asking if they were awarding merit or need-based scholarships and/or grants. I found that 80 percent were awarding institutional resources to some degree based on merit. I then received a grant from the National Association for College Admissions Counselors to conduct the survey on a national level. After the conclusion of these two research projects it became clear that in order to move the University of Pittsburgh toward a more informed decision we needed a study and analysis of our institutional data. My dissertation, therefore, surveyed University of Pittsburgh scholarship students to determine if the scholarship and/or the amount of their scholarship played a role in their decision to enroll. Did it matter in predicting enrollment at University of Pittsburgh? Did varying amounts change their perspective?
Did you have a mentor or someone to guide you?
Yes. The University is a haven for mentors, both in the classroom and in our day-to-day working environment. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with many of them. Some in the School include Emeritus Faculty Member Glenn Nelson and Professor of Social Work Erma Meyerson. And professionally, Jack Daniel, vice provost for undergraduate studies, and through various roles, Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patty Beeson. Without too much thought I could construct a laundry list of 27 other names, but those are the ones that come most immediately to mind.
What advice do you have for students enrolled at the School of Education?
In one of my advising sessions in which I was trying to determine the direction I should take in order to define a dissertation topic, Emeritus Faculty Member Henry Hausdorff said, “You have to find something that you care deeply about, something you’re so passionate about that you’re able to persevere over time, and, a subject where you have access to data.” He advised that having passion for a dissertation topic without a realistic method to access the data to support the hypothesis would be a frustrating experience.
What was the most important thing you learned from the School?
I learned the importance of the human dimension in all that we do, especially in education. With all our technology and availability of data and explosion of information, I have tried to consistently embrace the opportunities to be attentive to the more personal aspects of my position. Relationship building has been a critical component to our success. My experience in the higher education program was a positive personal experience for me. Fairness, integrity, and a strong value system are critical to the success of any individual, and the faculty members with whom I was privileged to work with were wonderful role models for me in this aspect of my own development.
My top two priorities are recognizing the importance of people and process, followed by the use of data and technology. People are first. As an example of this philosophy, I still prefer sending admission acceptances through the mail to the students’ permanent home address, despite the cost savings resulting from email. As admission to college is such an important family decision, I believe sending this directly into the home is an important communication. Data and technology are tools that enable people to make better decisions in ways that are useful, in ways that allow us to help more people in a personal way.
What are you the most proud of?
To have been able to serve in a relatively long tenure at the University of Pittsburgh, which is a really special place. And, of course, I’m exceptionally proud of the staff in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. They are the most dedicated, hard working, focused staff anywhere in the country. And last but certainly not least the Pitt Pathfinder organization, a team of undergraduate students dedicated to helping us recruit and enroll the very best class each and every year. They are the best!
What’s the secret to increasing enrollment?
This level of success requires knowing the University exceptionally well and as result being able to effectively position and brand the institution in the eyes of prospective students and families in the most positive way. The University of Pittsburgh has become a great university, and our job in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid has been to broaden its identity and brand the University as a great university to everyone else.
What are your plans for the future?
It’s been an exciting, challenging, fulfilling career for me and although there’s a bit of anxiety in making the transition to a different way of life, I’m looking forward to it. I have a wonderful family and a lot has been deferred until a time when there’s time for us to spend more of it together. They’ve been very supportive of and patient with my career over these past three decades.
I love what I do and although there’s never a good time to leave the work you love, there does appear to be a right time. I think this is just a remarkable institution and I feel like I’m leaving it in a much better place than when I first came to Pitt in 1978. I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to help advance the University of Pittsburgh in such a positive way.
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Porter will retire on June 30, 2012. Faculty and staff in the School of Education wish her the best of luck as she embarks on this new phase in her life.
More on her specific contributions to the University of Pittsburgh and its admissions and financial aid office can be found on Pitt’s main
news page.