Anthony Ranatza sees the position of director of Admissions as an exciting opportunity to lead his staff and help students succeed. Courtesy of Communication and Creative Services
After six years, Anthony Ranatza returned to the university as director of the Office of Admissions.
Ranatza first started professionally working for Admissions in 2003. He described his thoughts on returning to the university.
“I have literally hit the ground running,” said Ranatza. “It’s been nonstop. It is our busy season coming into recruiting season. I wake up so happy and so excited to come to work ready to make a difference. It’s amazing. I love this place. It’s home.”
Ranatza’s plans for the position focused on recruitment and retention.
“Admissions, for me, is very much about the recruitment of new students and making sure that process is as seamless and as transparent as possible,” said Ranatza. “We’re gonna be reviewing some of our materials, communications, our outreach to be an access for students to come while we grow for the future of the university. We also want to make sure that we’re recruiting students who are gonna be successful and making sure that we’re not setting them up for failure.”
Ranatza graduated from the university in 2002 with a degree in communication.
“During that time, I was an orientation leader,” said Ranatza. “That’s how I kind of became interested in and worked in the office as a student worker. I get it. I’ve done all the roles I guess I could say. I was a student worker. I was an orientation leader. I then worked as a recruiter and then as a kind of coordinator and then as assistant director here in this office. I feel like I’ve done many of the pieces over the past years.”
In 2011, Ranatza left the university to earn his MBA while he worked at Strayer University. He then took a position in enrollment services at Louisiana State University before returning to the university.
“I’ve always kept my fingers on the pulse of Southeastern, and as I mentioned to Dr. Crain, I’ll come back one day when the time is right,” said Ranatza. “The time is right.”
Director of International Services Amber Silessi worked with Ranatza when he was the assistant director before leaving. She saw his return as a positive effect on the office.
“He is a very hard worker,” said Silessi. “He comes in ready to go every day, and like I said before, he likes to see things from a different perspective. A lot of us have been here for a long time. We’ve seen things a certain way, but when he comes in, he’s able to give it that twist and just make things better.”
Among his many responsibilities, Ranatza enjoyed seeing students progress to graduation.
“We also get to work graduation, which was one of my highlights because it was always a thrill to see students that you recruited graduate,” said Ranatza. “That, to me, is the most fulfilling part of the job when you see a student that you helped get admitted come back and say thanks because they did it and they graduated. That’s what we’re here for.”
To Ranatza, getting students to graduation mattered more than just recruiting them.
“We want to get students prepared to graduate,” said Ranatza. “Everything we’re doing in admissions is for that path for them to graduate so they can be successful in whatever that success may be for them.”
Ranatza hoped to honor the late Dr. Stephen Soutullo through his work as director.
“He was a true mentor to me professionally and personally,” said Ranatza. “His focus was always to make sure the students were first, and that is very important to me. I want to honor his legacy and continue by making sure every decision we do is in the best interest of our students.”
Ranatza discussed the role of the Office of Admissions from first contact to orientation and enrollment.
“We’re kind of the liaison to help new students become comfortable with the university,” said Ranatza. “We have a great group of recruiters and admissions counselors that work through that process, but we also have a number of prospective student events like Lion Pride Preview, Scholars Showcase and other opportunities where people can really learn more about the university. We’re out there as the face of the university sometimes as the first connection. We want to connect those students from the Center for Student Excellence all the way through their academic progression.”
