Wabash College Names Dean
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWabash College has announced Michael Thorp will serve as dean for enrollment management. Thorp graduated from Wabash and has worked at schools including Millsaps College, Antioch College and Miami University.
March 24, 2015
News Release
Wabash College President Gregory Hess announced the appointment of Michael F. Thorp as Dean for Enrollment Management at the liberal arts college for men.
“I am pleased to welcome Mike to Wabash College in this role at a very exciting time in the life of the College,” said President Hess. “He brings to this position a wealth of experience at several excellent liberal arts colleges that will be of great benefit to Wabash and our entire enrollment management team.”
Thorp has more than 25 years of experience in admissions and financial aid, including at Millsaps College, where he was Dean of Enrollment Management, and was credited for increasing out-of-state enrollment by 50% and first-year retention by 12%. He was Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at the Colleges of St. John and St. Benedict, which reached the highest combined enrollment in the history of the two schools under his leadership. He was Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Antioch College, and was Director of Admissions at Lawrence University. He also worked in admissions at Earlham College and Miami University earlier in his career.
“Wabash occupies an important place within the American higher education landscape,” Thorp said. “Nationally, young men complete college at a much lower rate than young women. I’ve seen this scenario played out at the high schools where I recruit and the college campuses where I have worked. What struck me during my visit to our campus was the intensity of purpose that I saw in which of the young men that I met. It is the same intensity that connects Wabash alumni across decades.”
Thorp is a 1986 graduate of Wabash and earned a master’s degree in English literature at the University of Louisville. “While the College has changed a great deal in the last 30 years, it remains unchanged in preparing young men for lives of meaning and purpose,” said Thorp. “I look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students, and alumni as we continue to change the lives of young men who enroll at Wabash College.”
While in graduate school, he taught English composition and served as Assistant Director of Student Services. In February of this year, he successfully defended his Ph.D. at Jackson State University. His dissertation is on Price Theory and specifically Price Response in High-Ability Populations, which focuses on college-bound students and their college search processes.
“Mike’s deep understanding of how to combine the strategic use of data with Wabash’s highly personalized approach to student recruitment, as well as his vast experience, made him an ideal choice to lead our Admissions and Financial Aid offices,” President Hess said.
Thorp is the father of two children, and is married to Holly Sypniewski, who chairs the Classics Department at Millsaps College.
Source: Wabash College