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Maria Laskaris '84, director of admissions at Dartmouth since 1996, has been appointed dean of admissions and financial aid.
She succeeds Karl Furstenberg, who will retire after 17 years leading Dartmouth admissions and 30 years in the field of college admissions. The appointment concludes a national search that began after Furstenberg announced last fall his plans to retire (see related story).
Reporting to the provost, the dean oversees all operations of Dartmouth's Office of Admissions and Financial Aid as well as the supporting positions of director of admissions and director of financial aid.
Laskaris has worked in the College's admissions office since 1987, serving successively as assistant, associate, and senior associate director of admissions before becoming director of admissions.
"I am delighted that Maria has accepted our offer to become dean," says President James Wright. "She has played an integral role in our admissions success up to this point, and I am confident that she will continue to enroll a talented and diverse student body."
Laskaris says, "I am honored to serve Dartmouth as its next dean of admissions and financial aid. I look forward to working closely with the staff of both offices, faculty, administrative colleagues, students, and alumni to think critically and innovatively about the role admissions and financial aid play in shaping the future of Dartmouth and advancing important College priorities."
Laskaris has played a leadership role in developing recruitment strategies and criteria for admitting students from an increasingly large and diverse pool. In addition to helping manage the process that selects admittees for an entering class of approximately 1,080 each year—from among an applicant pool that has climbed above 14,000 in recent years—she has been the senior officer responsible for all day-to-day aspects of the admissions office and has been responsible for overseeing the office's organization and structure. Laskaris is also a well-recognized leader in the admissions field and serves on a number of national committees including the Common Application's Board of Directors and as a Dartmouth representative to the College Board's Diversity and Access Collaborative.
By ROLAND ADAMS
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