CMED adds two members to admissions committee following national search


The College of Medicine added some new faces this summer.

Two members have been added to the College of Medicine admissions committee in preparation for the selection of the inaugural class.

Chris Austin was named director of admissions. He has been working with Central Michigan University admissions and Alumni Relations since 1997 and was named director of admissions. Austin will be working closely with Assistant Director of Admissions Jennifer Paulke, who is originally from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Since opening the application process in late June, more than 1,300 applications have been submitted.

"(Austin and Paulke) are the heart and soul of the admissions process," said CMED Dean Ernest Yoder. "They support the student affairs team and the admissions committee in the review of applications and the measurement of applicants' qualifications."

According to a news release from CMED, Austin took over as director of admissions on Aug. 3 and will be responsible for all recruitment, admissions and matriculation of medical students to the college. Additionally, he will provide leadership for marketing development and all web and print media related to admissions.

Paulke will be responsible for recruitment and community involvement, and will also work on all aspects of medical student admissions. She began work on Aug. 1.

Yoder said both candidates were selected following a standard national search process and final decisions to fill the positions were chosen by a committee.

Though Austin and Paulke have important input in CMED admissions, they will still be acting in conjunction with the admissions committee and student affairs team, Yoder said.

As previously reported by Central Michigan Life, applications will be reviewed by an admissions committee of about 20 people. The committee will consist of faculty, staff, members of the Mount Pleasant community, physicians from the community and, once CMED is up and running, medical students who have been trained in both the interviewing and application process.

"I’m very excited to be a part of CMED and to have the opportunity to play an instrumental role in building our inaugural class," Austin said.

Austin said his previous work in undergraduate admissions has prepared him to make changes to the application review process as time goes on.

"At the moment, the highest priority is to solidify the first class of medical students starting in August 2013," he said. "As we work through this first admissions cycle I’m certain we will identify areas we can change or implement something new moving into next year’s cycle."

Paulke said she is excited to be contributing to the college and looks forward to laying the necessary foundation to build upon.

"I want to see CMU become a preferred destination for prospective medical students who want to become primary care physicians in rural and underserved communities in central and northern Michigan," Paulke said. "There is a great need for quality physicians and I am excited to be back home in Michigan doing my small part to help fill that need"

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