Longtime Dean of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs Christopher Walsh to assume new responsibilities in student recruiting, financial aid support

Longtime Dean of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs Christopher Walsh to assume new responsibilities in student recruiting, financial aid supportSeptember 06, 2007Kevin Morrowkdmorrow@syr.edu

Christopher Walsh, longtime dean of financial aid and scholarship programs at Syracuse University, will take on new responsibilities as of Oct. 1, focusing on further enhancing the University’s strategic approach to recruiting and educational funding in the capacity of special assistant to Vice President for Enrollment Management Donald A. Saleh.

Walsh will work closely with the University’s community-based opportunity programs, many of which he helped establish as director and later as dean of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs. He will also be involved in the administration and coordination of the University’s existing restricted scholarships as well as new scholarships created during the ongoing campaign.

“In the months ahead, the Division of Enrollment Management will be increasing its focus on working with the various communities in Central New York,” Saleh says. “We are also looking to strengthen the pathways from New York state community colleges to Syracuse University. In addition, I want to have the ability to examine our financial aid policies and support our financial aid fundraising efforts. There is no one at the University better situated to lead us in these critical areas than Chris. His long history of successful leadership, his knowledge of the University and his creativity are perfect for this array of responsibilities.”

“In recent years, I have seen that much of the important work in financial aid has been shifting from the campus to the community. I welcome this opportunity to refocus my energies on working directly with students and families and the community organizations that serve them,” Walsh says. “I believe that working together we can truly make SU an institution known for its opportunities.”

Walsh has held several key administrative positions since joining the University as an assistant director for resource management in 1980. About a year later, he moved to the Office of Admissions and was responsible for admissions processing and records. From 1982-88, he worked under the vice president for information systems and computing, during which he oversaw the creation of SU’s Bulk Processing and Distribution Center (now part of the Division of Business, Finance and Administrative Services). In 1988, he assumed the leadership of the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs.

“Chris Walsh has made exceptional contributions to Syracuse University throughout his service here,” says David C. Smith, SU vice president for administrative planning for academic affairs, who had been Walsh’s supervisor for many years before stepping down as vice president for enrollment management on Aug. 1. “His commitment to students, combined with his high standards and integrity, have established Chris as a deeply appreciated member of the University community.”

That appreciation was exemplified by the Chancellor’s Citation for Distinguished Service, presented to Walsh in 2005.

His knowledge and expertise have also been recognized nationally. In 1992, he was elected a member of the College Boards Middle States Regional Assembly. In 1997, Gov. George E. Pataki nominated Walsh to the Board of Trustees of the New York State Higher Education Services Corp., on which he served until 2003, including two years as vice chair. He is currently serving a three-year term as a member of the College Scholarship Service Board.

Since 2001, Walsh has advised the NCAA on financial aid matters. He was a member of the NCAA Financial Aid Deregulation Committee and then was selected to represent independent institutions of higher education on the NCAA Subcommittee on Financial Aid, part of the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, on which he still serves.

Walsh holds a bachelor’s degree in American literature from the SUNY College at Geneseo and a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University at Albany.

While the University conducts a national search for a new director for the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarship Programs, Kaye DeVesty will serve as acting director. DeVesty has been with the University since 1977 and is currently the associate dean of financial aid.