The Bowdoin Orient

After two years at the helm of Bowdoin admissions, William Shain has left the College.

Shain's departure was announced in an e-mail on June 5 by President Barry Mills to faculty, staff, Trustees, and members of the Alumni Council. In the statement, Mills explained that Shain, who had admitted the Classes of 2011 and 2012 in his post as dean of admissions and financial aid, was leaving the College on June 30.

Shain, who declined to be interviewed, told the Orient in an e-mail on Tuesday that he was pleased with last year's admissions process. However, he said that the departure of Logan Powell—a former senior associate dean of admissions at Bowdoin who became director of admission at Princeton last December—put pressure on Shain and the admissions office.

"I have never been prouder of an admissions year," Shain wrote, referring to last year's application cycle for the Class of 2012. "But it was an exhausting one, because Logan Powell was in charge of coordinating the admission process but took another job....This put a real burden on senior staff, since [Powell's] position could not be replaced mid-year."

Shain also cited family health issues as a reason for his departure.

"We had six months of family health concerns, which were not proven groundless until the spring [of 2008]," he wrote.

In his e-mail on June 5, Mills did not mention why Shain was stepping down, but Mills did praise him for increasing diversity at the College and raising the profile of the school.

"During his tenure here, Bill has helped raise national awareness about the excellence of Bowdoin's academic and residential life programs, and has done much to advance ambitious efforts to increase diversity at the College," Mills wrote.

The e-mail was not sent to students. Mills said he did not think an e-mail over the summer informing the student body of Shain's departure was appropriate.

"It was the summer," Mills explained. "We aren't in the business of sending out campus-wide e-mails in the summer."

Mills added that students living and working on campus during the summer likely knew of Shain's departure.

"There were over 200 students on this campus this summer working," Mills said. "Everybody knew [of Shain's departure] because everybody interacts with everybody over the summer. So it wasn't like we kept this in the dark."

Shain said that he plans to pursue admissions consulting work and establish a practice as an independent college counselor, but that he does not want to lead another admissions office in the near future.

"It seemed like a good time to move to a more flexible work schedule, and to try something new while I am still young enough to do so," he said. "I actually declined a couple of weeks ago to be considered [for the position of dean of admissions] at a top national university."

Since Shain's departure on June 30, Scott Meiklejohn, who has worked at the College for 11 years—most recently as vice president for planning and institutional advancement—has taken over as interim dean of admissions. According to Mills, Meiklejohn will assume the post for two years while a national search for Shain's successor is conducted.

"Scott has worked closely with students, faculty, and staff in many areas of the College during his 11 years at Bowdoin, and I believe he has the experience, energy, and understanding of the College to represent us effectively during this time of transition," Mills wrote in the June 5 e-mail.

Before arriving at Bowdoin in 1997, Meiklejohn served as headmaster at La Pietra School in Honolulu, Hawaii. Meiklejohn also worked in the admissions office at Hebron Academy, serving as assistant director of admissions from 1979 until 1981 before becoming admissions director for the 1981-82 school year.

Though Meiklejohn's appointment as interim dean of admissions marks the first time he has officially worked in college admissions, he said his extensive experience at Bowdoin has eased the transition.

"My transition to admissions has been busy and enjoyable but not difficult," Meiklejohn, who started July 1, said of his first two months at the post. "Many of the important issues in admissions and financial aid are ones that I'm thoroughly familiar with from 11 years at Bowdoin, my service as a trustee [at Colgate University], and my years as a school headmaster."

Shain said he does not think Meiklejohn's lack of college admissions experience will hinder his job performance, adding that he will also "have the benefit of a capable and experienced group of colleagues in the admissions office."

"I have always thought highly of Scott and wish him well," Shain added.

Meiklejohn said the only significant change in the admissions office since the departure of Shain had been the hiring of Senior Associate Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule.

Soule, who interviewed with Shain before she was officially hired at the end of May, said that he had not discussed with her his imminent departure.

"His departure, I think, was unexpected, and it wasn't something he discussed with me," Soule said.

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