Professor Jane Pinchin called her “the benevolent godmother of James B. ؾ Hall, sitting at the center of the center of campus.”
“Her fan club spans the world,” said Gary Ross ’77, dean of admission, who first fell for her charms when he was a student and she a new employee in the student activities office.
“I love her because she gives me Smarties,” said 3-year-old Olivia
Melichar, who never toddles past the main desk in the admission office
without stopping for a hug and a handful of candy.
At the end of the week, Gloria Vanderneut — a k a “Cookie” or “Mrs.
V.” — is retiring after 34 years at ؾ. For the past 30 years, she
has been a favorite admission office assistant, greeting prospective students and parents and visitors, and making each and every one feel welcome.
Vanderneut is one of 28 employees who accepted a recent early-retirement offer from ؾ. (See a partial list )
John Young ’90, director of admission at Hobart William Smith Colleges in Geneva, N.Y., said: “Across the country, admission professionals ask themselves every day, ‘What would Mrs. V. do?'”
Having learned so much from her at ؾ, Young teased that he has often tried to hire her away.
But any such effort would of course have been in vain.
“You are family,” Vanderneut said emotionally. “I’ve seen the births of some of your children, your weddings, your promotions. I love you all and thank you so, so very much for being here.”
Read more about ‘Mrs. V.’ in this ؾ Scene .