As the assistant director of enrollment and engagement, Dana supports enrollment management and student engagement of the School of Architecture undergraduate program. Her primary responsibilities cross platforms between recruitment, admissions and retention efforts. Dana works hand-in-hand with Vittoria Buccina, assistant dean of enrollment management, to develop strategic plans to admit and retain the best and brightest students through a holistic approach.
Dana develops and builds relationships with prospective undergraduate students, teaching them about the educational path of an architect, as well as the professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree, with special attention to the application and portfolio submission process. She organizes and executes on- and off-campus programming, as well as online engagement opportunities for students and their families.
Dana also oversees the Architecture Ambassador, Peer Advising, Student Mentor Squad and International Mentor Squad programs within the school. These peer mentoring groups are dedicated to making students feel welcome within the School of Architecture and assist in the transition of studying in a professional degree. She supervises the school’s student organizations and recently created the Student Organization Leadership Council to provide strategic guidance in collaboration with the dean, assistant dean for enrollment management and advising and records team. These initiatives help keep students involved and maintain successful academic progress.
In addition, Dana creates content, strategies and the requisite execution pathways to develop, maintain and fulfill the school’s undergraduate communication plans for prospective and admitted students.
Outside of the School of Architecture, Dana is a trained dialogue facilitator through a program in collaboration with the Syracuse University Office of Diversity and Inclusion and InterFaith Works’ El-Hindi Center for Dialogue. She has also worked as a lead instructor for the university’s first-year experience class that introduces new students to the communication skills, campus resources and nuanced understanding of identity necessary to integrate into the SU community. In spring 2021, Dana received her VitalSmarts Crucial Conversations certificate, which teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional or risky topics at all levels of an organization.
