I am very pleased to write this testimonial for John Dysart.  During the last year since he began his relationship with Roosevelt University I have become his #1 fan.

As chief enrollment officer I had been charged by our president and board chair with growing the enrollment by at least double digits within a 15 month period.  Having forty years of experience made me very wary of accomplishing such a feat.  We were growing credit hour totals by approximately 2% per year so it was certainly no small feat to reach such a lofty goal.

Enter John Dysart who conducted a thorough review of our processes in admission, financial aid and housing.  He worked with the leadership team I assembled to analyze data every which way we could.  After many changes in procedures and ongoing analysis of what we did in the past and hoped to accomplish in the future, the day of reckoning finally arrived.

Preliminary numbers after the first full day of classes in fall 2008 showed growth fueled by significant increases among new undergraduates.  The growth was most notable among new freshman which grew from 306 in 2007 to 520 in 2008, an increase of almost 70%.

New transfers grew from 787 in 2007 to 914 in 2008, a 16.1% increase.  The total new student count of 2363 is the largest since 1945, the year Roosevelt was founded.  In addition, RU students living on campus (589 in 2007, 728 in 2008) grew by 23.5% and all this was accomplished while maintaining diversity and academic quality!

I find John a pleasure to work with since he possesses two characteristics I most admire – common sense and a sense of humor.  I am only half kidding when I often ask, “John, why doesn’t every college and university hire you?”

Roosevelt University is certainly glad that we hired John Dysart and benefited from his creative thinking and effective strategies.  He does not disappoint……