Bates appoints Leigh Weisenburger as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid

Bates President-elect Clayton Spencer today announced the appointment of Leigh A. Weisenburger, Bates’ current director of admission, as the college’s dean of admission and financial aid, effective July 1. This appointment follows a national search commenced under Interim President Nancy J. Cable and joined by Spencer following her appointment in December.

“Leigh brings to this position extraordinary energy, talent and commitment to Bates,” said Spencer. “She understands the college’s values and aspirations, and she has played a key role these past two years in working to align our admission practices with the dual goals of increasing academic strength and broadening access to a Bates education. Leigh’s charisma and determination to enact best practice will make her a powerful force for Bates on and off campus.”

“I am honored, humbled and excited to be invited to take on this role at such an important moment for the college,” said Weisenburger. “I look forward to working with President Spencer, Director of Student Financial Services Wendy Glass, and colleagues here and in the admission field more broadly to strengthen Bates’ strategic approach to admission and financial aid as advanced by Nancy Cable over the past two years.”

Weisenburger was chosen following a search begun last September. The Faculty Committee on Admission and Financial Aid, chaired by James W. Hughes, Thomas Sowell Professor of Economics, served as the search committee. Working with an outside consultant, they considered numerous resumes, interviewing 12 candidates drawn from a national pool. Three final candidates, including Weisenburger, were invited for a day of campus interviews with the committee and other faculty and staff drawn from a range of departments. Each gave a formal presentation regarding their vision for admissions and financial aid at Bates.

“I have had the privilege of working closely with Leigh these past two years and observing first-hand how positively she is perceived by families and students visiting campus, by high school counselors across the country and by other professionals in the field. She has done an amazing job of managing the admission staff this year, broadening our recruitment geographically, reaching out to juniors, and learning how the strategic use of financial aid can improve the process of bringing in an academically rigorous and diverse class. I am delighted for Bates and for Leigh that she will take on this new level of responsibility,” said Cable.

With a bachelor’s degree from Smith College in American studies, Weisenburger joined the Bates admission staff in 2004 as an assistant dean, becoming director of admission in June 2011, following a year as acting director. During the past academic year, she has worked closely with Interim Dean of Admission and Financial Aid John E. Hanson to oversee the recruitment of the Class of 2016, and with Director of Student Financial Services Wendy Glass to meet their demonstrated financial aid needs.

Weisenburger assumes her new position on July 1, reporting to the president. Hanson will continue to serve Bates in a consulting role, and the search for a new director of admission will begin during the summer.