For 10 years, Cindy Welch has been helping prospective students find their way to Missouri S&T.

As assistant director of admissions, she leads a team of admissions counselors who recruit students from outside the state of Missouri. Cindy and her team travel to college fairs, visit high schools, and host a variety of events, both in-person and virtual.

“I really like meeting prospective students and helping them determine if S&T is the right choice for their college education,” she says. “I also enjoy cultivating relationships with high school counselors, because they care a lot about their students and often recommend colleges to them. Once a counselor comes to campus for a visit, we typically start getting more applications from that school.”

Her duties also include hiring and training new staff members, making data-driven decisions regarding recruitment efforts, and managing projects like the Distinguished Scholars Award competition.

Her advice to other S&T employees? “Remember, if we don’t recruit students, you won’t have a job! Recruiting and retaining good students should be the main focus of every S&T employee.”

Cindy at a glance

Hometown: Salem, Missouri

Education: B.S. in business administration, Columbia College, and graduate certificate in leadership and management from Missouri S&T

Favorite S&T memory: Office retreats and counselor campus visits. “Both events have a relaxed, celebratory feel, so the work is really enjoyable.”

People are surprised to learn: Cindy has eight brothers, with a large extended family spread out over Missouri, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

Favorite foods: Grilled fish, vegetables, coffee and dark chocolate.

Fun fact: One of Cindy’s hobbies is sewing, and she has made over 450 face masks during the pandemic. Other hobbies include travel, photography, flower gardening and bicycling.

Favorite accomplishment: “I am incredibly proud of how my children have grown into responsible, hard-working adults,” she says. “As a respiratory therapist, my daughter saves lives every day, especially during Covid! My son is a successful business owner who builds beautiful homes. If their accomplishments can be attributed to anything I did right, that is the accomplishment that makes me most proud.”

Family: One son, Jay, and wife Sarah; one daughter, Kristy, and husband Bret; and grandchildren Trystan, Grace, Lexi and J.J.

About the Staff Spotlight

Missouri S&T’s Staff Council launched the staff spotlight feature in February 2019 as a way to highlight staff members throughout the university. Legends Bank, Au Bon Pain and the S&T Store are sponsors. The articles are published in eConnection and shared on Staff Council’s Facebook page.

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