Stephen Silversides, Associate Dean of Admissions, will replace Carl Bewig as Associate Dean of College Counseling next year. Bewig is retiring at the end of this year under the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program (VRIP). Silversides said, “College counseling has been a career aspiration of mine, and I am very excited to be working with the students next year. I realize that the college admission process can be stressful for many students, and I will be fully committed to helping my counselees navigate the process and find the right school for them where they will most enjoy their college life.” Bewig, who has served as the Associate Dean of College Counseling for the past 24 years, said, “I think Mr. Silversides is very qualified for the job and given his previous experiences working as an admission officer at Colgate University, he brings good and relevant knowledge into the profession.” Following Bewig’s retirement, Silversides will serve as the college counselor for the majority of Bewig’s current students. Silversides said, “[Mr. Bewig] is very established in his profession given his 24 years of experience, and I realize that I have very large shoes to fill. I have a lot of learning to do and I am eager to do my best to step into his shoes as a helpful and approachable college counselor.” “Having had the experience to sit over the admission committee at Colgate, I have gained a sense of what type of students fit what kind of institutions, and what kind of institutions are looking for what type of students,” he continued. Silversides also said that working as a college admissions officer at Colgate sparked his interest in college counseling. Silversides underwent a formal application process during the Winter term and was appointed to his new position after members of the administration and the College Counseling Office reviewed and approved his application. “Every time you start something new, there is always a challenge. I hope to overcome these obstacles quickly and make a seamless transition into my new position. I will also do my best to dispel any concerns that students might have about being assigned to a new counselor,” said Silversides. Bewig said, “I think the transition will be a smooth one without any serious interruptions. I have not heard one of my Uppers complain and they are very optimistic about this change.” In addition to Silversides, Sallie Batchelor ’89, Associate Dean of College Counseling, became a new member of the College Counseling Office this April, assuming the responsibilities of John Anderson, the former Co-Director of College Counseling, following his unexpected retirement. Batchelor initially planned to take over for Bewig as Associate Director of College Counseling in the fall of 2010, but was able to fill in early for Anderson. Batchelor serves as the college counselor for all of Anderson’s students and will also inherit some of Bewig’s students next fall. Before coming to Andover, Batchelor worked as an Admissions Officer at Princeton University and University of Chicago. Batchelor said, “Working as a college counselor is something that I have always wanted to do. I wanted to move to college counseling because in admissions, we meet very briefly with students, and we seldom have opportunities to get to know the students well and build strong relationships with them.” Throughout Spring term, Batchelor has been working with other members of the College Counseling Office to transition to her new position and has been in active communication with her advisees. Batchelor said, “My biggest hope and goal for next year is to really get to know all of my advisees as best as I can. I have had meetings with my [advisees] throughout this term and I look forward to working with them. I also want to make the process enjoyable and less stressful for my [advisees].” Batchelor also said that working at Andover as a college counselor is especially meaningful to her because she went through the same process as a student at Andover. “It is great to be back on campus and I am really enjoying my time here. Having gone through the college admission process as a student at Andover myself, I think I can relate to my [advisees] very well, and I look forward to navigating the college admission process with them,” said Batchelor.
