Gordon Chavis can spin slowly in his chair and watch a montage of his life at UCF scroll past his eyes. Within reach of his fingers is a UCF baseball, and on the walls are a UCF pennant and a few framed photos and awards. You might think of them as the 麻豆精品 S渃onventional 麻豆精品 S� types of keepsakes. But there 麻豆精品 S檚 nothing conventional about the journey Chavis has traveled.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 been a wild ride, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Raised in Baltimore and educated in the Ivy League. Told in high school to settle rather than climb. Hired as associate vice president for enrollment services at a university he barely knew existed in 1999 and retiring from it 23 years later as the largest public university by student enrollment in the U.S. Chavis turns and proudly points out a football with a UCF logo on it.
麻豆精品 S淲ho would have thought? 麻豆精品 S� Chavis says. Then he answers his own question. 麻豆精品 S淓veryone needs someone in their life to believe in them. When that happens, it can inspire amazing results. 麻豆精品 S�
Former UCF President John C. Hitt and Vice President Tom Huddleston believed in Chavis when they hired him to manage the university 麻豆精品 S檚 enrollment, which in the late 1990s totaled 32,000 students. And Chavis believed in Hitt when he described his vision for a university that everyone in all 50 states would recognize, with a nationally ranked football program, a stadium on campus, a medical school, and twice as many students excelling in everything from hospitality to engineering to nursing.
But the believer who showed Chavis he could pursue anything he set his mind to was the person whose mere presence made him feel that he could accomplish anything: 麻豆精品 S淢y mom. 麻豆精品 S� Chavis starts a lot of thoughts with those two words. If it hadn 麻豆精品 S檛 been for the belief she had in her son at a most crucial time in high school, there 麻豆精品 S檚 no telling where the squiggly path of life would have taken him.
Chavis grew up as the oldest of four children in a close-knit family. His parents didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have the opportunity to attend college, but there was never any question that Gordon and his siblings would. Their futures became a nightly topic at the dinner table.
麻豆精品 S淏eing a first-generation college student wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 really a 麻豆精品 S榯hing 麻豆精品 S� back then, 麻豆精品 S� Chavis says. 麻豆精品 S淲e talked about going to college as if it were a foregone conclusion. I thought I might even go to medical school at some point. 麻豆精品 S�
In the fall of his senior year, Chavis went to meet his high-school counselor so they could discuss his plans after graduation. Chavis had done his research. He sat in the counselor 麻豆精品 S檚 office and said he planned to attend either Penn or Maryland. Then he awaited advice for his next steps.
麻豆精品 S淚 remember the counselor looked up at me and flat-out said, 麻豆精品 S榊ou won 麻豆精品 S檛 get into those schools. Be realistic. Look at local colleges. 麻豆精品 S� And that was it, 麻豆精品 S� he says.
Chavis left school that day with disappointment and embarrassment replacing the space that hours earlier had been occupied with confidence and self-worth. He avoided everyone except one person.
麻豆精品 S淢y mom, 麻豆精品 S� Chavis says, 麻豆精品 S渢old me there will always be people in life who will not be supportive of your goals. You need to move beyond those people and pursue what you want to do. 麻豆精品 S�
Chavis had an example in his own home. His dad, Gordon Chavis Sr., was one of the first five Black men to play on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour. There were far more doubters than believers in the early 1960s, but Gordon Sr. paid more attention to the latter 麻豆精品 S� most of whom were also Black golfers who had chosen a path known to be full of resistance.
麻豆精品 S淓veryone needs a motivator to help imagine what the future could hold, 麻豆精品 S� Chavis says. 麻豆精品 S淚 can point back to my experiences with the counselor and my mom as the reasons I got into enrollment management. I didn 麻豆精品 S檛 want anyone else to go through that. 麻豆精品 S�
With the lift from his parents, Chavis received acceptance letters from Penn and Maryland. He chose Penn. After graduating from there, he earned his J.D. from Georgetown. At both schools he worked in the admissions departments, learning about data and details, but mostly providing a source of encouragement as he traveled the country to meet high school counselors, students and their families.
Then, in 1999 he heard from a colleague that a position had opened at UCF. Chavis wasn 麻豆精品 S檛 exactly sure where UCF was located on the map.
麻豆精品 S淚 had no idea what the institution was all about, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淪o, I did some research and it looked as if they had some interesting strategies for growth. 麻豆精品 S�
He met with Hitt and Huddleston and liked what he heard about building a brand, earning a reputation for excellence, creating partnerships, and opening pathways into communities where high school students might simply need a glimpse of what could be possible.
麻豆精品 S淚 often say we had to be a scrappy institution. We aren 麻豆精品 S檛 tied to traditional ways of doing things, so we 麻豆精品 S檝e had the freedom to try new ideas and set high goals. Back in 1999 UCF was number four or five in the state pecking order for kids looking at colleges. We set out to be the number-one destination. I 麻豆精品 S檓 sure the people on our team were the only ones who believed it could happen. 麻豆精品 S�
For a gauge, the enrollment staff used the colleges chosen by high schoolers on their SAT and ACT tests. By 2007-08, UCF had already risen to number-one among Florida colleges and universities. Fall 2021 marked the one of the most accomplished incoming freshman classes in the university 麻豆精品 S檚 history with a class average GPA of 4.22 and SAT and ACT scores of 1323 and 28.6 respectively.聽Students of color made up 46% of Fall 2021 first-year students.
麻豆精品 S淚 had no idea we 麻豆精品 S檇 get there so quickly, 麻豆精品 S� Chavis says. 麻豆精品 S淎nd we 麻豆精品 S檙e still there, 14 years later. 麻豆精品 S�
The sheer numbers tell us that enrollment has more than doubled to more than 70,000 in Chavis 麻豆精品 S� 23 years at UCF. But more important is a culture among a student development and enrollment staff that 麻豆精品 S檚 now 690 strong to never lose sight of this: every prospective student needs to feel important.
麻豆精品 S淲e have an 80-20 rule, 麻豆精品 S� Chavis says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen a question comes up from a family that 麻豆精品 S檚 considering UCF, 80%of our response should be direct information. But the other 20% is knowing what the family is really trying to ask. If they ask about the student-faculty ratio, we provide the facts. But what they 麻豆精品 S檙e really asking is, 麻豆精品 S榃hat will my child 麻豆精品 S檚 experience be like with the professors? 麻豆精品 S� We need to provide the personal encouragement they need. 麻豆精品 S�
He’s never forgotten what it meant for 18-year-old Gordon Chavis.
In addition to mom 麻豆精品 S檚 words of support, Chavis laughs when he remembers another piece of advice she gave: 麻豆精品 S淒on 麻豆精品 S檛 overstay your welcome. 麻豆精品 S�
Chavis has not overstayed, but he wants to do some traveling. In June, he 麻豆精品 S檒l pack up the pennant, the baseball, and the football from the school he knew so little about 23 years ago, and he 麻豆精品 S檒l find special places for them at home. Wherever he goes, he 麻豆精品 S檒l hear reminders of the amazing ride.
麻豆精品 S淟ast year I was playing golf in a remote area of New Hampshire. A caddie saw on my bag that I 麻豆精品 S檓 from Florida. Out of nowhere, he says, 麻豆精品 S業 麻豆精品 S檇 like to go to UCF someday. 麻豆精品 S� Stories like that give me so much joy. They make me proud of how far we 麻豆精品 S檝e come just by believing in each other. 麻豆精品 S�
