Dear Carleton Faculty, Students, and Staff,
I am delighted to announce that, following a national search, Carleton alumnus Art D. Rodriguez has agreed to become our new vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid. He is currently dean of admission and student financial services at Vassar College and will begin his new role on July 1, 2019, following the retirement of longtime admissions dean Paul Thiboutot.
Art is a 1996 graduate of Carleton and served as the college’s director of multicultural affairs and director of the pre-freshman math and science program before embarking on an impressive career in college admissions. I could not be more pleased to welcome him back to Carleton to lead our admissions and financial aid efforts.
Since 2014, Art has been Vassar’s chief enrollment officer and member of the president’s senior staff, overseeing the offices of admission, financial aid, student accounts, and student employment. He worked in partnership with faculty, staff, and students to develop and evaluate admissions policies and practices, producing long-range plans to meet Vassar’s enrollment goals. He has substantial experience with admissions data practices and has worked closely with Vassar’s marketing staff to develop compelling themes for admissions publications, the college website, and other communications. He also served on several College committees related to admissions, student affairs, and planning, including the Board of Trustees committee on admission and financial aid.
Prior to Vassar, Art was the senior associate dean and director of admissions at Pomona College, where he was responsible for the day-to-day management of the office, as well as the development and implementation of admissions policy. He also helped introduce new technologies in support of Pomona’s admissions efforts, and he coordinated Pomona’s participation in the Posse Foundation and QuestBridge programs. He began his career at Pomona in 2000 and worked his way up the organization as the College’s assistant, associate, and acting dean of admissions.
Art graduated from Carleton with a BA in environmental geochemistry. He went on to attend Harvard University, where he earned his master’s in education in administration, planning, and social policy in 2000.
As the first person in his family to attend college, Art is passionate about his work to advance college access and affordability. He returns to Carleton as a visionary and charismatic leader in the vital domain of student recruitment, who shares Carleton’s core values and will push us to achieve our highest aspirations.
Please join me in welcoming Art back to Carleton, along with his wife, Annie Tseng ’97, and their children, Anika (13) and Aria (2). You can learn more about Art and his thoughts on returning to Carleton on our website.
I’d also like to thank our search committee members for their diligent work: Tim Raylor (chair), Heidi Jaynes, Gray Kaegi ’20, Apoorva Handigol ’19, Carolyn Livingston, Al Montero, trustee Pam Royall, Cherlon Ussery, and Matt Whited. I also extend special thanks to Paul Thiboutot, who will be formally recognized for his contributions to Carleton in the months leading up to his retirement.
Steve Poskanzer