3 minute read
With MAGAP (Midwest Chapter) President Sarah Wanger, EdD, Indiana University
from NAGAP Perspectives
by nagapgem
Q A &
MAGAP (Midwest Chapter) President Sarah Wanger, EdD, Executive Director for Kelley Direct Online MBA & MS Programs, Indiana University
Tell us about your background (professional and academic). How did you begin your GEM career and how did you progress to where you are now?
I accidentally fell into admissions in 2006. A theatre major by academic training, I was looking for a steady income to pay the bills while I moved between directing gigs in Minneapolis. A position opened up in the graduate admissions office of my alma mater, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. I threw my hat in the ring and 16 years later I have moved through a variety of roles in graduate admissions and academic program administration, both at Saint Mary’s and then Indiana University where I moved in 2019. I found I had a passion for sales and marketing as well as leading teams, a combination that has served me well in graduate admissions. I was initially focused on regional recruitment for a school of education at a small, non-profit institution, and now I work for a nationally recognized, top-ranked business school. At both organizations I started out focused on tactical admissions and recruitment processes and slowly expanded my scope to design marketing plans and lead overall academic program strategy.
Briefly describe your pathway to getting involved in NAGAP and then becoming a Chapter President.
I joined NAGAP early in my career in admissions since I was new to graduate admissions and appreciated working within a community of practice. I became aware of MAGAP when I attended my first chapter business meeting at the NAGAP annual conference in Denver years ago. I also presented at the annual conferences in Washington, D.C., and New Orleans. However, I didn’t get actively involved with the regional chapter until recently. In the spring of 2020 I was anticipating finishing my doctorate in educational leadership and knew I wanted to pursue something that would continue to challenge me professionally and keep me on my toes. I decided to run for secretary of MAGAP, which was a great way to get my feet wet on a chapter board. A year later, I had finished my doctorate and had a bit more time on my hands so when the president position opened up, I decided to run.
What are some things you are looking to do as chapter president to engage NAGAP members in your chapter?
The focus of the MAGAP board for the past two years or so has been on providing more regular professional development offerings for members that incorporate both networking and professional development in a wide variety of topics. We have also worked on developing more robust tracking and communication systems for our membership base, which we are making headway on with the creation of a chapter website, move to a more robust listserv, and membership tracking database. I feel we have been successful in rebuilding the cornerstones of a strong chapter through these new mechanisms so that we can continue to refine our programming.
How has your involvement with your chapter enhanced your experience as a NAGAP member?
My involvement with MAGAP has been eye-opening to the benefits of NAGAP as a whole and the amazing networks we have within graduate enrollment management. I so appreciate the community I have been slowly building among my peers at institutions across the Midwest and the nation as a whole. Whenever I meet with board members of other chapters we are able to share ideas and find synergies across our chapters. I would highly recommend that others find ways to get involved with either a chapter board or NAGAP opportunities as you will enhance your networks and grow personally and professionally. n
