By Amari D. Pollard ‘17
NEWS & FEATURES EDITOR

    From the minute Dr. Pestello stepped down as the President of Le Moyne and Dr. LeMura glided into the position, it seems as though Le Moyne has borrowed President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign slogan, “Change We Can Believe In,” and won’t be letting it go anytime soon.

    On Aug. 22 it was announced that Don Saleh was appointed as the new Chief Enrollment Strategist of Le Moyne, and will be stepping into his position Sep. 10.  Along with Saleh, Le Moyne has also welcomed a new Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Bill Brower.

    After retiring in June from his position as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Syracuse University, Saleh has decided to travel down the street to Le Moyne for a change of scenery.

    He revealed that after working at SU for seven years he didn’t want that to be the end of his career. “I had been talking with President LeMura for a few months, helping her think about the search they were doing for the new VP for enrollment, and after I retired one thing led to another and we decided that having me come on board and work with her and with her leadership team would be a good idea,” explained Saleh.

    Traditionally, when most people think of diversity on college campuses their thoughts are directed towards an increase in racial and ethnic diversity. Although that may be its core, diversity goes way beyond cultural boundaries. “It is the geographic diversity. It is bringing people to the campus who can enrich the study body, learn from each other,” clarifies Saleh. “So having students who are not from the state of New York, having some international student presence, continuing the strength of socioeconomic diversity on the campus, which is a strength of the campus.” That is the goal in mind he has when looking towards the future of Le Moyne’s student body aesthetically.

    During his time at SU, Saleh was instrumental in reshaping the undergraduate student body. Under his management there was an increase of students of color from 14% to 31%; the growth of international students from 2% to 10%; and a decrease of students residing in the Northeast from 80% to 65%.

    Saleh hopes to repeat his success here at Le Moyne by first and foremost, getting to know the institution, its priorities, and the faculty and staff. And then really focusing on “the alumni leadership who is out there, who is able to help us build a presence in new markets.” He also plans to build on the progress Le Moyne has made over the past two years in the New York City area while keeping the strength in traditional markets; but then identifying a few new cities where students would value a Jesuit education.

    The new Chief Enrollment Strategist is excited for the challenges that Le Moyne brings him and is confident that it will be able to grab the attention of prospective students, while also holding the attention of current ones.

    The only person who might be just as excited or even more excited than Saleh for this new year at Le Moyne is Bill Brower, the new Vice President of Institutional Advancement.

    Brower joins the Dolphin Phamily from SUNY Geneseo. Although he wasn’t there for too long he felt compelled to take the opportunity to work at le Moyne, explaining, “I’ve lived in Syracuse for 12 years. I’ve come to campus to visit colleagues. My kids have come to ‘Kids Night Out’ down at athletics, my kids have played basketball tournaments, and there’s a part of me that has always wanted to work here.”

    When it comes to Le Moyne’s future and where he hopes to see it, Brower thinks the key is hidden in more financial resources for the institution. “The goal is to really encourage more people to be more generous, to serve students and faculty—that’s the other thing,” explained Brower. “Advancement only exists to serve you and your classmates and the faculty that are teaching you. And then in some places I think maybe that’s not in as much focus as I’d like it to be here.”

    Brower’s enthusiasm for Le Moyne radiated, as he talked about being  part of  this new era of change. He is eager to excite people about Le Mura’s vision and where she wants to take the college, but to also “get them excited about what the faculty wants to do and support all the great students that come here.”

    Both Saleh and Brower come to the conclusion that what it comes down to in the end are the students—what is needed to guide them, support them and help them thrive. The suspense is palpable as they wait to wear Le Moyne’s colors with pride as official members of the Phamily. In fact, when asked if green and gold will look just as good on him as orange and blue, Saleh said, “I would probably say better.”