The admissions process looked completely different when Peg Richmond became an Owl 38 years ago as she had to use paper maps to navigate her way to prospective students.
Keene State College’s Director of Admissions is now off to retirement.
“My entire admissions career has been at Keene State, it wasn’t the path, it wasn’t my plan,” Richmond said. “When I was an undergrad, I moved to this area and took a job at Franklin Pierce in academic and career advising … I came here after a couple of years, worked here, completed my degree, and ended up falling in love with college admissions.”
Over her time at KSC a lot has changed.
“You didn’t have internet so you had these thick books that we used to get from travel agencies to look up hotels,” Richmond said. “We’d go through the book and we’d make all of our hotel reservations over the phone, we’d call all of our high schools and make appointments on the phone.”
Richmond added, “You filled out an application on a piece of paper but we had to mail it to you, then you filled it out, then you sent it in and then we just took it. There was no record of it anywhere, it just went into a folder and you carried those folders everywhere.”
During her time at Keene State, Richmond not only overcame the technological advancement with admissions but also the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I remember at the moment I said to Peg we have to do [Admitted Student Day] online next, she had a moment of pure panic like they had never done this before but she quickly regrouped and said, “Okay we can do this,”’ Vice President of Enrollment and Student Engagement MB Lufkin said. “And then she dug in and it was flawless, in the matter of a week they turned what was an in-person experience into an amazing online experience.”
Lufkin said Richmond brought a unique sense of loyalty and commitment to her role while being at Keene State.
“Aside from her loyalty to the students, which is a really important attribute to have in a director of admissions, she also is someone who is interested in always trying to do it better,” Lufkin said. “She’s always wanting to push the envelope and make it better than she’s ever done it before.”
Senior Associate Director of Admissions Bert Poirier said Richmond is always determined to connect with current and prospective Owls.
“She always added warmth and empathy and authenticity to really all of her interactions with prospective students and families,” Poirier said. “That is rare in an admissions slash enrollment manager nowadays.
Poirier said he will cherish the memories of working alongside Richmond throughout her whole career.
“Professionally, it’s been amazing, on a personal level, we were there for each other and the birth of our children,” Poirier said. “Peggy has really treated me more like a brother than anything else… I really felt part of not just the family she created her in admissions, but her family as a whole, which is truly amazing.”
According to Richmond, the aspect of Keene State she will miss most when she retires is the coworkers she has worked with.
“They are my family and I think of everything that we’ve been through together and watched each other’s kids grow up,” Richmond said. “There’s a lot of people here that I love and consider my family, but the staff is definitely my work family. Now it’s going to be hard to wake up and not to be in little Keene.”
Although Richmond may not wake up in Keene every day, she does not want to be a stranger to the college and wants to volunteer at the New Hampshire Higher Education Assistance Foundation.
“They have a college planning center, so they work with all New Hampshire students and their families in preparing for college, helping with applications, helping with financial aid,” Richmond said.
Richmond added, “I really want to give back because this has just been an amazing career. I’m so excited for everything I learned and I don’t want to not give back to what gave to me.”
In retirement, Richmond can be found not setting her alarm clock and traveling all around the country.
“Our plan is two big trips a year … We want to hit as many national parks in a year as possible and hike,” Richmond said. “We have a camper that we put up in the white mountains that stays there all summer long and through October.”
Nicole Dumont can be contacted at
ndumont@kscequinox.com
