Monty Curtis
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services

Since arriving in November of 1983, Curtis has seen Southwestern change and grow during one of its most exciting times. Serving a total of 17 years at Southwestern, Curtis has held several important positions.

In 1983, Curtis was hired as an assistant director of admission and four years later was promoted to associate director of admission. Under these titles he was able to, among other things, help design and implement a more effective and successful enrollment program and identify, enroll and retain students from primary markets in Texas and elsewhere.

He left SU in 1995 for a position as vice president for admission and college relations at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio. As a member of the President's senior management team, he provided the institutional leadership and vision that lead to enrollment growth while simultaneously increasing ethnic and geographic diversity, reducing the discount rate and improving entering students' academic credentials.

While Curtis greatly enjoyed working at Hiram and the people with whom he worked, Texas, and more importantly Southwestern, never left his heart. In August 2000, Curtis returned to SU as the associate vice president for enrollment management. He heads the admissions committee, serves as the primary reader of all applications for admission and mentors younger staff. Additionally, Curtis is responsible for the Fort Worth/Arlington area and New England states, where he meets with students, organizes college nights and works with applicants.

Curtis is a liberal arts graduate himself, and came to Southwestern because, "I really believe in liberal arts education, and, also, in the small, residential environment of a school like this. As a first-generation college graduate, I also know how significantly the college experience can impact your life for the better. I know I have lived a fuller, richer life because of it."

Attending Beloit College, in Beloit, Wisc., Curtis earned a degree in anthropology with departmental honors. Anthropology may seem like a long way from admissions, but Curtis says, "I was always interested in bones. You can take a piece of a bone and discover the entire story around it. Just like every bone has a story to tell, so too does every student." From there, he attended Indiana University, in Bloomington, Ind., and pursued postgraduate studies in anthropology and biology. Finally, he graduated with a master of arts in liberal education from St. John's College in Santa Fe, N.M.

After working for the family business building swimming pools and a handful of other jobs, Curtis discovered that he never found a better job than recruiting students. He says, "We're trying to shape a community [through the recruitment process], and then we also get to live in it. I've never found a more satisfying job." Although there are always challenges along the way, says Curtis of his experience as a recruiter, "I've been the best man at students' weddings, I've given eulogies and I've even gone to christenings of students' children. I get to be there for all those important rites of passage, and from an anthropological standpoint, that's what it is all about."

Not only has he had the amazing opportunity to watch students fully develop, he also has witnessed Southwestern's positive growth and change. He has watched Southwestern's name recognition increase, test scores rise, faculty strengthen and the number of applicants increase--in 1983 less than 600 students applied, and today there are nearly 2,000 applicants.

Curtis may be best known for his longtime involvement with the Southwestern Lacrosse Club. He has served as a charter member, player, coach and, now, as the club advisor. He is very proud of how far the organization has come over the years and of what the members have accomplished.

More than anything else, Curtis enjoys being in a university environment where you can "still treat people like people and not numbers in the system." He is very interested in keeping in touch with alumni, and welcomingly invites Southwestern graduates to write, e-mail, or call him to help maintain enduring friendships.

—Meghan Coyner

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