Fuqua Welcomes New Staff

What attracted Robert Williams to his new position as Fuqua's director of admissions? "The School is in a difficult marketing position," he says. "As the leading school in the Southeast, Fuqua attracts regional applicants who see it as their 'stretch' school. Meanwhile, it is a 'safety' school of top-five applicants who see Fuqua as a top-ten school."

Williams worked as an operations analyst for Disney after earning a degree in Economics and Art History from Emory University. He earned a masters degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of Florida and returned to UF to become director of MBA Admissions and Student Services. Most recently, he was associate director of Admissions at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business.

Williams sees an expanded role for alumni in Fuqua's recruiting process. This year, receptions are being held in several cities to bring MBA applicants together with alumni to introduce and promote the School. "Alumni are our biggest asset in attracting top candidates," he says. "We can use all the alumni involvement we can get."

Katie Joyce, Fuqua's new assistant director of International Programs, brings a wealth of experience to her role as adviser and coordinator for international and exchange students. A native of England, she is a graduate of Holborn College, London, and has lived and worked in Beirut, Athens, Riyadh and Hong Kong.

Joyce earned a degree in International Studies and French from UNC-Chapel Hill. There she was academic adviser for the Study Abroad Office and a coordinator for the Hubert Humphrey Fellows, a program for mid-career professionals from developing countries. Joyce was attracted to Fuqua, in her words, "because I saw this school as a vibrant, internationalizing institution."

One of her objectives is to use Fuqua's growing number of international alumni as contacts for study tour courses and recruiting. She has helped to initiate a new buddy system that pairs first-year international and U.S. students to provide practical assistance as well as to highlight the contributions made by international students to the life of the School.