Associate dean excited to help students

By Chloe Gregg
Associate Editor

Lansing Community College has a new associate dean of Strategic Enrollment Management: Alyssa Andrews.

Andrews is a first-generation college graduate who earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Davenport University.

As the new associate dean of Strategic Enrollment Management, Andrews is responsible for driving LCC’s enrollment efforts forward by making data-driven decisions to increase new student enrollment, while also focusing on student satisfaction and retention. Andrews will be leading this charge as well as collaborating with many different departments such as marketing, K-12 operations, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and academics.

“I am most excited about having the structure and support in place here at LCC to provide students the personalized attention that they deserve,” Andrews said. “It will feel like a private school experience at the community college cost, making quality post-secondary education more accessible and affordable.”

LCC Dean of Student Affairs Ronda Miller, who is Andrews’ supervisor, said Andrews is a great addition to the college.

"Alyssa is a great addition to our student affairs team,” Miller said. “Her previous experience creating and executing targeted recruitment plans will be an asset to LCC. She has hit-the-ground running, and I look forward to celebrating her team's future successes."

As an undergraduate, Andrews was a single mother who simultaneously worked multiple jobs in order to support her small family. She said that without the support of caring college personnel and the connections she made at her university, she would not have been as motivated to stay successful.

“That experience left a mark on my life and made me want to give back the way others gave to me as a student,” Andrews said. “After graduating, I spent the next 12 years working in admissions and recruitment while progressing into roles of greater responsibility.

“I love higher education and the work that I do, because we provide a product that has the ability to change the trajectory of someone's life and give them the means to provide for themselves and their family. It is an investment in yourself that no one can ever take from you.”

Currently, Andrews is engaged and shares a blended family of eight with her fiancé. They share six children between them, ranging in age from 2 to 20 years old.

In their free time, the family enjoys watching football and, in particular, watching the eldest sons play for their high school on Friday football nights.