9:10 a.m., Aug. 21, 2008----UD's Blue Hen Ambassadors are a self-directed flock, and according to Bryn Johnson, the new assistant director of admissions at the University, “could pretty much coordinate themselves, they're so together.”

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Nevertheless, birds of any feather can always benefit from direction, and Johnson, who arrived at UD in early July, will offer that guidance to the team of approximately 250 students.

“The Blue Hen Ambassadors are UD through and through,” Johnson said. “I like to say that they bleed blue and gold, because they're hyper-involved in everything and fantastic speakers, so the combination creates a fantastic group that really presents the University in a wonderful light. We think of them as our connection to families, because we're often unable to do what they do on a large scale, and they're really what we rely on to make those personal connections.”

Johnson, who was the senior admissions counselor at Immaculata University for four and one-half years before coming to UD, redesigned and implemented Immaculata's student tour program during her tenure there, and said that a big factor in drawing her to UD was the fact that she would be able to work even more closely with students in her new position.

“At the time I was approached to come to UD, I wasn't really thinking about a job change, because I was very happy,” Johnson said. “But what really drew me here was knowing that I'd be able to work with students every single day--very enthusiastic students who really wanted to be here. That's a very contagious feeling and it makes me want to be here, as well.”

Johnson said that because the five Blue Hen Ambassador student coordinators--upperclassmen Matthew Nelson; Brandy Page; Colin Craft; Christine Girolami; and Monica Conforti--“already have the program down to a science,” all that's needed is fine tuning.

“My role, really, is just to make that science a little easier and more flexible for them, and to tweak a few things,” she said. “In anything, there is always room for improvement, so the goal now is to find those areas for improvement, make those improvements and then find more areas for more improvements.”

The monthly “updating and staying connected” meetings will remain the same, Johnson said, as will the three-day training regimen for new Blue Hen Ambassadors, which traditionally has taken place the Friday, Saturday and Sunday before Thanksgiving each academic year.

Rob Gibson, who also joined UD's Office of Admissions in early July as the assistant director for electronic communications, additionally will be working behind the scenes with campus tours.

Employed fulltime by the University since 1998, first as a CITA in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and then as a support person in UD's user services division of information technology, Gibson will be developing a series of online campus tours through podcasts and Web page designs.

“I'm now involved with Web page design, online marketing and developing a series of online campus tours,” said Gibson, who also earned his degree at UD. “We're in the process now of developing a series of online tours in different languages, and we'll be developing a series of online podcasts highlighting different areas of campus, so as people come to admissions, to our Web site, they'll be able to get the full campus tour experience, set to selected parameters. Visitors to the Web site also be able to access media that highlights areas of campus that wouldn't otherwise be seen on [traditional] tours, such as specific information on athletics or selected colleges.”

Article by Becca Hutchinson
Photo by Kathy F. Atkinson