Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

Did you know that UNH ranks in the top 30 educational institutions nationwide or that UNH is one of the top schools in New England? Did you know that UNH offers thousands of courses and more than 100 majors in subjects ranging from Art to Zoology? Or that we boast a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and undergraduate research programs that have funded hundreds of student projects in dozens of fields on six continents? The folks at Admissions know…but, even with all that we have to offer, is the University of New Hampshire always the right fit for every student? If you ask Gary Cilley, the Senior Associate Director of Admissions, he will tell you, "No", and rightfully so. It is his job to work with students and their families to determine just that, and he has been doing it well at UNH for twenty-two years. Gary came to learn early on, from his mentor, former Dean of Admissions - Stan Fish, that "admissions work isn't really salesmanship"...the true success of admissions directors is in their ability to work with students "helping them and their families to navigate the uncertain waters of college admissions and helping students make good choices with the support of their parents." Of those families that made the choice and felt UNH was the right fit, we expect to be welcoming approximately 2,550 new students to our community this fall.

In support of this year's incoming freshman class, Gary and his fellow staff members spent the past winter and spring manually reviewing 12,000 applications for admissions this fall. Admissions directors review each individual admissions application. The staff divides the responsibilities up by geographic areas. Gary and three other directors review the State of New Hampshire, while seven directors review the rest of the country - by state, region and internationally. The benefit of this process is that each admissions director has the opportunity to review and compare applications from students from the same high schools. This can prove very helpful when reviewing a student's high school academic preparation - the number of English, Math, Science and Language courses, the degree of rigor in their courses, their grades, class rank and standardized test scores. In addition to reviewing freshmen applications, Gary's other responsibilities are promoting UNH programs to the public, providing supervision of the transfer admission process and assisting the Director of Admissions with planning and execution of all staff duties. In reviewing those applications for incoming freshmen and transfer students, Gary states, "We are looking for a good, interesting mix of students, each one having the ability to succeed and to grow at UNH. Students come to us with backgrounds in leadership, athletics, music, and diverse interests - intellectually and socially."

When asked what he enjoys most about working at UNH, Gary said "...working with extremely talented and dedicated peers." When asked what one of biggest challenges he faced was, Gary replied "...helping families to understand that they should be looking at the community and the school and seeing how well that matches up with the proclivities of their student. If we do our job, we get families to visit our campus and the community. If they find that the academic challenges and the community are a good match, they will have a better experience here, succeed, and be a good ambassador for the University of New Hampshire." Gary still loves it when he travels to our New Hampshire high schools and "students, families and guidance counselors comment on how much they love UNH!"

During this past year, from summer '03 through spring '04, the Admissions office has hosted more than 7,500 perspective students through informational campus visits and walking tours that provide an overview of academic programs and campus life opportunities. There are approximately 30 UNH students who volunteer as Student Representatives in Admissions. One of those volunteers is Gary's daughter, Rachel. I asked Rachel if her dad had an influence on her volunteering. She said she never even told her dad she had applied until after her interview and selection as a student representative. She hosts campus walking tours, supports the general information sessions in the fall and sits on the student panels in the spring for the college open houses. She has found the experience as a student representative for Admissions to be very rewarding and finds it has assisted her public speaking skills in front of a group and one-on-one. I asked her if she ever felt pressured to go to UNH. True to form, she said her father, Gary, never pushed her either way. He encouraged her to be sure that UNH was the right fit for her academically and socially and was there to answer any questions. Though Rachel said, "UNH was always my first choice", her mom encouraged her to look at other schools. She chose UNH for the "good sense of community, the small town atmosphere" and the fact that the "science program at UNH was very strong." Rachel started out as an Animal Science major and has been involved in UROP and volunteer work. She currently has a summer internship at the New England Aquarium and volunteers for the Marine and Animal Lifeline in Portland twice a month. She is looking forward to studying abroad in New Zealand for the coming spring semester.

Gary's own enthusiasm and love of UNH seems to run in the family. Gary graduated from UNH in 1978 with a BA in Classics, and in 1998 achieved his MA in Linguistics. Gary's wife, Beth, also a graduate of UNH, works in the Financial Aid office. Their daughter Rachel, begins her junior year with a BA in Zoology and a minor in Spanish, and their son Ben, joins the UNH community this fall as a freshman in Marine Biology as well.

When Gary is not meeting with prospective students and parents, sharing his enthusiasm for UNH, he and his family are busy sharing their love of traveling. The Cilleys are a strong, close-knit family and have always enjoyed road trips together. In 1983, Gary's mother-in-law, Jean, went on her first trip to Europe. She loved it so much she started taking each member of the family. Some trips were together as a group and others have been just with Jean. There are not many men I know who can say they have been on a two-week trip to Italy with their mother-in-law and had a wonderful, memorable time. While Gary loves traveling with his family, he is also enjoying exploring his love of linguistics in his travels. He finds himself fascinated with the "human capacity for language and the human mind's ability for constructing verbal communication."

Gary Cilley inside the weeping beech in front of Grant House

The Cilley Family (L to R) Jean, Rachel, Beth, Ben, Gary