Meet the Admissions Staff: Introducing Laurie & Dan
It has been a while since I have organized the Admissions Team members to introduce themselves and we’ve had quite a few staff changes since then. My co-blogger Christine drew up a list of questions that each of us has answered, and I’ll be sharing the responses she assembled for the rest of this week. I’ll provide each staff member’s title (not that we’re particularly title driven around here), and a quick note on an area of specialty. All of us work on everything, to some extent, but there are some areas where one of us is more involved than the others. I’ll start with Dan, the one member of the team who is a Fletcher grad!
Dan Birdsall, Associate Director of Admissions
Dan is the Office liaison to the LLM program. 2011 Fletcher MALD graduate.
Where did you grow up? Home to luminaries including NBA journeyman Donyell Marshall, Super Bowl runner-up Kerry Collins, and Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, Reading, Pennsylvania has the highest share of citizens living in poverty in the U.S., according to the 2010 census. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a great place to grow up, though. One bite of a famous “split” from the Unique Pretzel Company will surely make you regret having been raised anywhere else.
What is your favorite place you have traveled to? El Altar, Sangay National Park, Ecuador, so named because the spectacular scenery will make you find religion.
What is the number one spot on your travel wish list? Why not Alaska?
What is your favorite food? I imagine I could eat Pad Thai nearly every day and not get sick of it.
What book are you currently reading? Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power, by Steve Coll. I’m very relieved to have been reading something “Fletchery” when answering these questions!
What is the number one place (Boston-area or on campus) you most hope Fletcher students will visit during their short time here? Trusting my colleagues to recommend the other major must-sees in the area, I’m going with the Comedy Studio in Harvard Square, on the 3rd floor of the Hong Kong restaurant. Avoid the (in)famous scorpion bowls of the 2nd floor bar at all costs, and head upstairs for a…let’s say “interesting” experience, at the very least. Of the ten or so comedians you’ll catch on a given night, one or two are likely to be fairly polished professionals, with the rest a mix of amateurs, newbies, and (if you’re lucky) some experimental, avant-garde weirdos. It beats an all-nighter in Ginn, at least!
Laurie Hurley, Director of Admissions
As the Admissions Director, Laurie has her hand in just about everything we do. She’s a particular data hound, and crunches and re-crunches admissions numbers throughout the year.
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Nashua, New Hampsire, but have spent most of my life living in Massachusetts. While I love so many international destinations, I am a New Englander through and through. I love Boston, spending weekends in Maine, and exploring the rest of New England.
What is your favorite place you have traveled to? One of my favorite places in the world is the Tufts European Center in Talloires, France — located on the shores of Lake Annecy at the foot of the French Alps in the Haute-Savoie region of France (bordered by Italy and Switzerland). Fletcher hosts an annual alumni symposium in Talloires in early June.
What is the number one spot on your travel wish list? It changes every week, but right now the number one spot on my travel list is Iceland. I hope to get there soon, as it is a quick trip from Boston.
What is your favorite food? It is so hard to pick a favorite food because I love so many things. At this writing I am craving Greek food from one of my favorite restaurants near Tufts — the Greek Corner.
What book are you currently reading? I am currently reading Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence, a classic I somehow missed reading earlier in life. At my daughter’s request, I am reading Divergent by Veronica Roth as well.
What is the number one place (Boston-area or on campus) you most hope Fletcher students will visit during their short time here? Fletcher students must visit the North End in Boston before graduating. The North End is one of Boston’s most historic neighborhoods and home to dozens of outstanding Italian restaurants.
More introductions coming tomorrow!