Campus News 

During the month of October, there are abundant opportunities to showcase the very best of our campus. This includes fantastic performances and exhibitions from the Fine Arts, including the ever-popular ‘Night In’ series on Wednesday, October 8. This year’s featured location is New Orleans, and attendees will enjoy Creole cuisine and music from Clarke performers and The NOLA Jazz Band. Find full menu and ticket information at clarke.edu/night-in-new-orleans.

Following Night in New Orleans, Jansen Music Hall will host an Autumn String and Sing performance on Wednesday, October 15 and an Alumni Concert for Marcus DeJesus ’14 as part of the Saturday, October 18 Homecoming celebration. As always, there will be many Homecoming activities going on for students during the week and widespread celebrations for the Clarke community throughout the weekend. I invite you to review the full homecoming schedule at clarke.edu/homecoming.

The fun doesn’t stop there, as our Admission Office offers their first Academic Highlight Day on Saturday, October 25. Focused on Health, Natural & Social Sciences, this event allows high school students to sample Clarke courses in their area of interest, tour campus, and meet current students. Another session focused on Business, Communication, and Fine Arts will follow on Friday, November 14. If you know a high school student looking to narrow down their major or explore their options, please encourage them to attend!

Strategic Plan Update   

On September 11, representatives from our partners at CREDO presented some of their initial findings as part of the “Moving the Needle” project. Highlights included Clarke’s clearly defined values of Freedom, Education, Charity, and Justice, a high culture of care and access, and, of course, our students! Building from this strong foundation, recommendations focused on enhanced communication and collaboration, as well as improvements to student facing spaces and services.

The next phase of the “Moving the Needle” project focuses on breaking down these observations into actionable steps. CREDO will continue to partner with us in this, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge the Core Team at Clarke who will lead these efforts:


• Amanda Matson, Professor of Mathematics and Faculty Senate Chair - Student Success Champion
• Callie Clark, VP for Enrollment and Student Affairs - Cabinet Sponsor
• Will Hudson, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Director of Engagement - Intervention Lead
• Ashley Hantelmann, Associate Director of Financial Aid - Clearance Lead
• Brian Mueller, Lead IT Analyst - Data Steward
• Deann Petitgout, Dean of Academic Affairs - First Year Advising & Registration Co-Lead
• Aimee Taylor, Director of General Education - First Year Advising & Registration Co-Lead

I look forward to sharing more milestones from this project in future letters.

Living our Legacy Spotlight

Ashley Hantelmann, Associate Director of Financial Aid, is in this volume’s spotlight.

Living our legacy stems from our mission:  

Clarke University is a BVM Catholic academic community that believes learning is lifelong and life-changing. We inspire intellectual curiosity, cultural engagement, professional preparedness, spiritual exploration, and a commitment to contributing to the good of all in a global society. 

Since joining the Clarke community in February 2023, Ashley has been a dedicated advocate for students. She has sought to simplify and streamline financial aid processes and documentation, while also making the time to work with students and their families one on one whenever needed.

In her role as the Clearance Lead for the CREDO project, she is working collaboratively across many departments to improve the overall student experience. This includes all aspects of the “business of being a student” — from policies and tools to the people and best practices that guide a student along the enrollment process term after term. By gathering input and insight across campus, Ashley is playing a key role in empowering student success.

Thank you, Ashley, for your dedication to process improvement that promises to benefit our community as a whole.

Go Pride! 

Fletch

Visit our Newsroom webpage to learn more about all the great things happening on campus and in the wider community!

Clarke University

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