Debby Mitchell does it all. Not only is she an ordained minister, a poet, actor, playwright and retreat leader, she also is the coordinator of undergraduate recruitment for the College of Engineering (CoE).
“Our goal is to recruit a highly successful, diverse group of students from around the world,” Mitchell says. “We know that it is hard not to choose Michigan after a visit. We bring students to campus to get a ‘view of the U’ and experience the Michigan difference. I sometimes think I have the best job in the world because Michigan is really an easy sell.”
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Mitchell left the city after high school to get a college education in East Lansing. Only when she came back here to work did she realize what she had been missing. “Michigan’s just a phenomenal place,” she says. “There are so many great things about U-M. It makes me think I should have come here for undergrad, but as a teen, I wanted to get away from home.”
Mitchell earned her master’s degree in social work in 1988 at U-M. Her work experience since then includes stints with a local community agency, the state Department of Social Services and 12 years with the national Head Start program. That position required travel throughout the country.
After working outside of Ann Arbor and all the travel, “I decided it was time for a career change,” Mitchell says. “I wanted to work closer to home and serve in higher education.”
Upon her return, she worked as a temp in an admissions counselor position before starting in her current job four-and-a half-years ago. “I am active in the review of transfer applications and I spend the majority of my work day presenting prospective students and parents with information about the College of Engineering,” Mitchell says. “I travel to high schools and participate in college fairs around the state. I am a member of a number of recruitment teams, which are comprised of staff members from around the University.”
As undergraduate recruitment coordinator, she also seeks students for the CoE Dual Degree in Engineering Program (DDEP), which is a partnership with the Atlanta University Center (AUC). The AUC DDEP program is made up of three historically black colleges and universities in Atlanta: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College. DDEP students earn both a liberal arts and an engineering degree in five to five-and-a-half years.
“We are recruiting some of the best and brightest students in the country,” Mitchell says, adding first year engineering students entering Michigan in fall 2007 had a median grade point average of 3.9. “These students are being pursued by universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Georgia Tech, Stanford, Purdue and other top engineering schools. With many options available to them, my job is to design customized recruitment strategies that help them make Michigan their school of choice for an engineering education.”
A variety of sources are used to identify prospective students including PSAT data, outreach programs, math and science targeted high schools and student initiated contacts such as tours and individual appointments.
As a staff member, she appreciates the teamwork among students, staff and faculty and at CoE. “Everyone pitches in when you call upon them to recruit students. It feels like a family — whenever you need help, advisors, staff and students will rearrange their schedules and make themselves available. It amazes me how they consistently and willingly go the extra mile to share the benefits of attending the University of Michigan.
“Interacting with such phenomenal students restores my hope in the future. These students will change the world.”
Outside of work, Mitchell holds a master’s degree in practical theology and is working on a doctorate in ministry. She has published two books of poems and created two companion sound recordings. “I’ve performed (poetry) all over the U.S. and South Africa. I’ve performed in high schools, nursing homes, senior citizens complexes, conferences and public libraries around the state.”
She defines her poetry as inspirational. “It’s really focused on building the self-esteem and helping increase the sense of self-worth in an individual,” she says. “I hope to encourage artists to strengthen their spiritual life and minister rather than entertain.”
