Willkommen, Dean!

Dean Mendes of Skidmore’s Admissions Office is one of 20 people selected for the 2015 Fulbright Seminar for U.S. Administrators in International Education.

Mendes will attend the program, scheduled Oct. 10–24, in Berlin, Germany. The seminar includes briefings, campus visits and cultural events in Berlin and other cities. Participants will receive a general introduction to the German system of higher education and split into subgroups to focus on their individual professional interests. A new program feature is a three-day meeting in Strasbourg, France, with American colleagues participating in a similar program there.

A member of the Skidmore admissions team since 2007, Mendes is an associate director of admissions and coordinator of international and multicultural recruitment, with responsibility for recruiting students from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and portions of Europe. His goal for this seminar is to “establish networks and promote cultural exchange and partnerships with institutions in Germany. It always helps to get a bigger picture of education in a country,” he said.

International recruitment is a growth area for Skidmore. Over the past three years, applications from international students have nearly tripled—from 680 in 2012 to 1876 in 2015. In 2004 the entering class was 2 percent international, while this fall’s entering class is 14 percent international. The Class of 2019, which will begin the academic year on Sept. 9, sets a new record with its 13 percent figure, representing 99 students from 32 foreign countries. The class totals 694 students—659 on campus and 35 in the London program for first-year students.

Skidmore’s most recent international recruiting efforts have focused mostly on Asia, South America, and southern Africa. “We have not established German connections or networks that match our growth in other parts of the world,” Mendes said, adding, “I plan to get a better understanding of this university system, which is well known for its high standards and strong global reputation.”

Fulbright programs for college graduates and faculty are well known, but programs for administrators have a lower profile. Mendes learned about this opportunity from Skidmore alumnus Angel Perez ’98, vice president of enrollment at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn. Perez completed the Fulbright in France program for administrators and provided Mendes feedback on his draft application. Mendes, a first-time applicant, is grateful for the assistance he received from Skidmore colleagues. “The fact that my supervisor was more than helpful is most gratifying. I received much encouragement to apply for this opportunity, and that means a lot to me.”

Mendes hopes to learn from colleagues about handling some of the challenges of international recruiting. For him and Skidmore, those include “the American system of higher education, the ideal of liberal arts, and our rural location,” he said. “You can end up with students who never visited Skidmore until they enrolled. For some, winter—especially the one we had last year—is a shock.”

Always the busiest time in college recruiting, fall will be especially hectic this year for Mendes, but he is ready to take on his six to seven weeks of recruiting for Skidmore and add the two weeks as a Fulbright scholar in Germany. He said, “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To be associated with the Fulbright scholar program is impressive and I will be honored to represent Skidmore and the liberal arts model of education during my time in Germany.”