Graduate Admissions Systems Optimization Task Force
Graduate Admissions Systems Optimization Task Force
The Graduate Admissions Systems Optimization Task Force is tasked with evaluating
and improving the graduate admissions process at the University of South Carolina.
Through collaboration across departments, the task force aims to optimize the system’s
integration, reduce inefficiencies, and improve user experiences for faculty, staff,
and applicants.
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned!
Past Events
Admissions Systems Demos
As part of our ongoing Systems Optimization Task Force efforts, we hosted three community-wide
demos of the admissions systems under consideration to provide an in-depth look at
each platform’s capabilities. These sessions allowed participants to engage with the
systems and share valuable feedback to guide our decision-making process.
For anyone who couldn’t join live, the recordings are now available in the Grad Resources
Teams Channel under General, in the "Community Wide Demos November 2024" folder. Here are the direct links to each demo recording:
Thank you to all who attended and contributed to this important initiative. An anonymous
survey link has been distributed to the community. If you would like to provide feedback,
please contact Dr. Angelina Sylvain at asylvain@mailbox.sc.edu.
Community Forum
We held a community forum on November 12th from 1-2 p.m. to discuss the demos and
gather additional feedback. The recording of the demo will be available for viewing
soon.
Task Force Charge
Assessing Current Systems: Review the current admissions system’s capabilities, strengths, and inefficiencies,
with a particular focus on the international application review process, application
update process, and overall enrollment management.
Exploring New Solutions: Research potential new systems and system support to improve functionality.
Providing Recommendations: Develop recommendations for potential system upgrades, changes, or migrations, with
an emphasis on optimizing workflows, improving user experience, and ensuring scalability.
The Task Force is charged to provide a report detailing their findings and overall
recommendations November 29th.
Members
Sam Beals
Graduate Student Services Manager, SJMC College of Information and Communications beals@mailbox.sc.edu 803-777-5166
Sam Beals manages and oversees numerous aspects of graduate programs in the School of Journalism
and Mass Communications. These aspects include all steps of the graduate student life
cycle from admission to graduation. Prior to his time in the College of Information
and Communications, he spent seven years working with graduate and undergraduate students
in the Department of Physics and Astronomy (College of Arts and Sciences). Sam has
considerable experience with systems such as Banner and DegreeWorks. He is dedicated
to streamlining processes and providing excellent service to students from a wide
of variety of backgrounds. Sam also enjoys connecting and collaborating with campus
partners from across the university. As a member of the Graduate Admissions Systems
Optimization Task Force, Sam is excited to apply his student affairs experience on
a larger scale and make positive contributions to this meaningful initiative.
Bob Brookshire, Ph.D.
Graduate Director Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing brookshire@sc.edu 803-777-6570
Bob Brookshire directs the graduate programs in the Integrated Information Technology Department,
which include the Master of Health IT, the MS in IT, and the PhD in Informatics. His
prior experience includes managing academic computing at two different universities
and serving as department chair. He works directly with the department's graduate
students from application through to graduation. He has been involved with systems
procurement and implementation, especially research computing infrastructure. He has
also taught systems analysis and design at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Lisa Carter
CRM Manager & Systems Development Analyst College of Nursing CARTERLA@mailbox.sc.edu 803-777-3780
Lisa Carter is the CRM and System Administrator with experience in managing Slate CRM and other
systems for the College of Nursing. She collaborates with stakeholders to design tailored
solutions and enhance system functionality. Prior to her time at the College of Nursing
she spent over six years at the Darla Moore School of Business as the Graduate Admissions
and CRM Director, where she implemented TargetX and Business CAS. Lisa has considerable
experience implementing systems such as Slate, TargetX, Business CAS and the majority
of Blackbaud products for K-12 schools.
Julia Hodge, Ph.D.
Director of Recruitment and Engagement College of Education hodge@mailbox.sc.edu 803-777-6909
Julia Hodge has 10 years of university enrollment management experience. She began her career
as a graduate assistant in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Vanderbilt University
before joining the staff in Undergraduate Admissions at the University of South Carolina.
After 7 years in Undergraduate Admissions at USC, where she utilized Slate and Data
Warehouse for recruiting, reporting, and marketing efforts, she transitioned to the
College of Education. Currently, Julia Hodge is the Director of Recruitment & Engagement
in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina. In addition, she
is an adjunct instructor in University 101 and Educational Psychology and Research.
She earned her Ph.D. in 2022, exploring the intricacies of the student experience,
focusing specifically on first-generation students and the imposter phenomenon. In
her role as the college’s director of recruitment, she works to streamline recruitment
and admissions processes within the College of Education. Additionally, Hodge currently
serves as the USC Staff Senate Secretary. Outside of the university, she currently
serves on the Board of Directors for the Southern Association for College Admission
Counseling (SACAC).
Daniel Jenkins
Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies School of Music dannyjenkins@sc.edu 803-777-4708
J. Daniel Jenkins is Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the School of Music. Previously, he was
Graduate Director for Women’s and Gender Studies. He is involved with all stages of
the student cycle. He has worked with Banner, Slate, DegreeWorks, CollegeNet, and
the School of Music’s internal graduate enrollment database.
Elizabeth Orehovec
Assistant VP and Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions Enrollment Management OREHOVEC@mailbox.sc.edu 803-777-7700
Elizabeth Orehovec is the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Executive Director
of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of South Carolina. She has 18 years
of experience in undergraduate admissions and enrollment management leading recruitment,
technology initiatives and enrollment marketing while collaborating on strategic enrollment
initiatives with students, faculty and staff across campus. After earning her bachelor’s
degree from the University of Miami, Elizabeth moved to South Carolina to earn her
Master of Education in higher education administration. She also holds a Master of
Business Administration and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina. She
currently serves on the College Board’s Southern Regional Council and has also completed
the College Board’s Enrollment Leadership Academy and South Carolina’s Emerging Leaders
Program.
Tom Vrana
Executive Director of Enterprise Applications Division of IT tvrana@sc.edu
Tom Vrana is responsible for support of Enterprise Application Services. His specific responsibilities
include Banner Student Systems, PeopleSoft HCM, PeopleSoft Finance, Identity Management,
and other applications that support the business of the University. Tom has 15 years
of experience in Higher Education Enterprise Application across a range of different
systems. As a member of the Graduate Admissions Systems Optimization Task Force, Tom
brings insights on application integration, application support, and large scale application
implementation initiatives.
Angelina C. Sylvain is the Vice Dean for Graduate Education in the Graduate School at the University
of South Carolina and co-leads the Graduate Admissions Systems Optimization Task Force.
She leads data strategy efforts that inform financial, policy, and programming decisions
for the Graduate School. Prior to USC, Dr. Sylvain led the implementation of a centralized
admissions system across graduate programs at Washington University in St. Louis.
The first stakeholder survey for the Systems Optimization Task Force gathered critical insights from graduate
program administrators, directors, faculty, and staff to identify current systems
in use for graduate enrollment management. It includes identifying strengths, challenges,
and opportunities for improvement.
The second stakeholder survey focuses on workload, training, and support models, aiming to understand the resource
needs graduate program staff in managing admissions and enrollment processes, and
identifying their preferred mediums for training and technical support.
Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.
