Handelsman Named Interim Vice President for Enrollment Services

Fairmont State University has named Sharon Handelsman as Interim Vice President for Enrollment Services. She began her duties on Monday, May 3.             

Handelsman will provide oversight and supervision for enrollment services operations for FSU and Pierpont Community & Technical College. She will provide leadership for the planning and development of the Student Access and Support Center and will be involved in communications and marketing efforts on behalf of enrollment services.

"A new project in the works is a Student Access and Support Center. I know that Sharon Handelsman's leadership will help keep this project on track and moving FSU forward to the benefit of our students," said FSU President Tom Krepel.

"Fairmont State University is in the planning stages of renovating the existing Turley Center and creating there a student services center to assist with enrollment management. This center's focus will be to aid efforts to get students here, keep them here and help them succeed with their academic degree program to graduation. Our hope is to give students one central location where they can find all the support services they need."

During her career, Handelsman has built an extensive background in the areas of higher education admissions, enrollment management and student services. For the past few years, she has been an enrollment management consultant to colleges and universities. Most recently, Handelsman served as Interim Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management for Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., from September 2009 to January 2010.

At NIU, Handelsman mentored and coached the vice president of student and enrollment management as he integrated his newly-acquired enrollment management responsibilities into his student services operation. She was actively involved in the initiation and implementation of a university-wide Enrollment Strategic Planning Task Force charged with creating a five-year strategic enrollment plan.

As a consultant, Handelsman also worked with Polytechnic Institute of New York University as interim associate dean and interim dean; with Metropolitan College of New York as a consultant for data analysis, marketing, admissions and retention efforts; with Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn., as interim vice president of enrollment; and with Columbia University School of Journalism in New York as Interim Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid; with the American Musical and Dramatic Society of New York for enrollment management operations; and with the firm, Center for Concept Development, on a wide range of projects.

Handelsman's full-time experience includes enrollment management posts at New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Metropolitan College of New York and Mercy College of New York.

She holds a B.A. in Social Sciences and an M.A. in History from New York University and is a doctoral candidate in NYU's Steinhardt School of Education, History of Education. Handelsman most recently resided in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Sharon HandelsmanVice President for Enrollment Services