Dean of admission announces retirement

After 33 years as a key member of the University of Richmond admission staff, Pamela W. Spence has announced her retirement as dean of admission.

Spence will continue to serve in her position during this semester, helping to select the class of 2013. She plans to leave at the end of June.

Between 1975 and 2008, Spence was part of the admissions team responsible for a dramatic rise in applications to Richmond. They increased from 1,793 applicants in 1973 to 7,970 in 2008, according to an e-mail sent by President Edward Ayers to faculty and staff announcing Spence's planned retirement.

Spence was also credited with expanding the school's geographic diversity to include more students from outside Virginia and throughout the world. In the e-mail, Ayers thanked Spence for her "unwavering commitment" and years of service.

Although the admission process at Richmond had changed in the decades of Spence's tenure, her retirement has come at a time when staff members from the Office of Admissions were already confronting even more change. The strategic plan Ayers presented during fall semester 2008 gave an extensive list of mandates under "Principle III" to improve financial aid.

The plan called for a much larger focus on affordability, scholarship, financial aid and recruiting a student body that had more socioeconomic diversity. It was understood to be a departure from the nationwide trend of rising costs of tuition and room and board. In the wake of Spence's long lasting leadership, Richmond must now find someone else to implement the strategic plan's goals for admissions.

During her time at Richmond, Spence was also part of a number of other committees and had held the positions of president-elect, president and past-president of the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling. The University plans to honor Spence for her continued commitment and service to Richmond during a celebration in the spring.

Contact reporters Sharon Tully and Amelie Lebreton at sharon.tully@richmond.edu and amelie.lebreton@richmond.edu