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  Colby's Foot Soldiers
This issue's story about Dean of Admissions Parker
Beverage's travel during the fall recruiting season clarified for me why Colby
is a special institution among the pantheon of small, liberal arts colleges.
It's the shoes.
That's right, shoes. Parker Beverage's shoes are a lot like
him--unpretentious, comfortable and durable. Parker works hard, so do his
shoes. I would say they both have a lot of miles on them but Parker might take
that the wrong way. And I wouldn't wish to imply that he's getting old--not
after seeing him run the court and hit 15-foot turnaround jumpers against guys
half his age in Colby's version of the NBA--Noontime Basketball Association.
But the truth is Parker has covered a lot of miles. Hundreds of
thousands of miles. On planes, in cars, on foot. Pick a town in America and he
probably could tell you where the best--and the worst--restaurants are.
Traveling with this guy is a delight. Not only is he pleasant company, he's a
walking, talking AAA almanac.
But perhaps the quality that sets Parker apart most clearly--and the
quality that reflects a Colby mindset--is that he shares the credit for
everything. Given the record numbers of applications over the past few years
and the widespread acknowledgment that Colby is among the hottest schools in
the country, Parker could justifiably gloat a little. Instead, he talks about
the commitment of his admissions staff, the cooperation of helpful faculty, the
support of other administrative departments. He says recruiting is everybody's
job and at Colby everybody does it.
Anecdotes abound. There was the time a family visiting campus during a break
period wanted to see a science laboratory, so a physical plant employee walked
them over to the building, let them in and showed them around the place.
Similarly, when a prospective student and her parents stopped by the campus on
a Sunday afternoon recently, they asked a Colby student for directions and she
volunteered to give them a full tour.
Admissions in the '90s is much more than recruiting, although efforts to
attract superior students still drives the process. The men and women charged
with filling each incoming class invest hundreds of hours on the road, on the
telephone and in personal meetings with prospective students and parents
telling the Colby story and cultivating relationships. Enormous energy is
required to be perpetually "on stage" while representing the College, and yet
the folks in admissions seem like those Energizer bunnies on television--they
just keep going and going. But the admission officers would be the first to
tell you that without the residence hall custodians and the grounds keepers and
the scores of people working quietly behind the scenes, the enrollment numbers
would look much different.
As you read the article about recruiting keep this subtext in mind. And
the next time you read or hear about Colby's success in admissions, remember
all of the pairs of shoes it took to achieve it.
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J. Kevin Cool
managing editor, Colby
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Mule Train
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