At UC Berkeley, ‘enrollment’ isn’t just admitting new students
Femi Ogundele, head of admissions and enrollment, spoke during a Campus Conversations event
May 3, 2021
At UC Berkeley, enrollment isn’t just reviewing applications or admitting new students; it is making sure those students can “persist and thrive” once they are on campus, said Femi Ogundele, UC Berkeley’s associate vice chancellor of enrollment management and dean of undergraduate admissions.
Femi Ogundele (UC Berkeley photo by Stephen McNally)
Ogundele, speaking during Friday’s Campus Conversation “Dean Series” virtual talk, outlined his holistic vision for admissions, financial aid, and recruitment and retention of undergraduate students who haven’t always felt they belonged at Berkeley.
When considering applications, academic excellence is Berkeley’s first priority, he said, but it is important to recognize that “the average (high school) academic experience in the U.S. is not standard and there is a lot of nuance to that … and having policies and practices that address those nuances is important.”
Other areas of focus during the hour-long conversation included grade inflation, standardized testing, supporting Berkeley students who struggle to meet their basic needs, like food and shelter, or who don’t have easy access to a stable internet connection, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the 2021 applicant pool.
This isn’t the first time Ogundele has participated in a Campus Conversation. In 2019, Ogundele discussed what makes a Berkeley student.