Greg Orwig appointed Whitworth's vice president for admissions and financial aid
May 29, 2012
Orwig has served in interim capacity since 2011
Whitworth President Beck A. Taylor announced that Greg Orwig, '91, has been named the school's vice president for admissions and financial aid. Orwig has served in that role in an interim capacity for the past year. Previously he served the university as Chief of Staff in the Office of the President and as Director of Communications.
"Greg has demonstrated the ability to lead our admissions and financial aid areas with great energy, innovation, and excellence, and I am excited about his leadership for the future as we tackle our goals for Whitworth's traditional undergraduate population as outlined in the Whitworth 2021 strategic plan," Taylor says. "I appreciate Greg's willingness to serve in this capacity, as well as his continued leadership on my cabinet."
Orwig assumed the interim post last July, succeeding Fred Pfurisch, who had served the university in that role for 20 years prior to accepting a position as vice president for enrollment at Whittier College, in Southern California.
Under Orwig's leadership in the admissions office this year, Whitworth is on track to achieve the university's goal of enrolling a freshman class within the target range of 620-640 students for the 2012-13 school year. In addition to increasing class size, the university is making significant progress in other strategic enrollment metrics such as the percentage of freshmen admitted with honors, freshmen from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, and freshmen from out-of-state.
"I am very excited to continue serving in this role," Orwig says. "During the past year, I have gained greater appreciation for the dedicated and talented people on our admissions and financial aid teams and count it a blessing to work with them. I also have gained a deeper understanding of Whitworth's distinctive position in the higher education landscape and how strongly our mission resonates with students seeking an education that elevates academics and faith as complementary rather than competing values. It is a joy to introduce students and their families to that mission."
Orwig, who graduated from Whitworth in 1991, worked in Texas for several years, first as a newspaper reporter and then as public information officer for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He moved back to the Northwest in 1996 to serve as media relations manager for the University of Washington, where he earned a master's degree in public administration in 1999.
Orwig returned to his alma mater in 1999 to serve as Whitworth's director of communications. In Sept. 2010, President Taylor tabbed Orwig for the newly-created position of chief of staff in the president's office. In that role, Orwig advised Taylor and the University Council in shaping Whitworth's strategic plan, helped set and manage priorities in the president's office, and handled all formal communications from the president's office.
In the Spokane community, Orwig has served as president and board member of the Spokane Regional MarCom Association; communications committee member of the One Spokane anti-poverty initiative; communications recognition coordinator for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District VIII; and elder at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church.
His wife, Kristin, also graduated from Whitworth in 1991, and they have two children, Lauren, 15, and Luke, 12.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contact:
Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu.
"Greg has demonstrated the ability to lead our admissions and financial aid areas with great energy, innovation, and excellence, and I am excited about his leadership for the future as we tackle our goals for Whitworth's traditional undergraduate population as outlined in the Whitworth 2021 strategic plan," Taylor says. "I appreciate Greg's willingness to serve in this capacity, as well as his continued leadership on my cabinet."
Orwig assumed the interim post last July, succeeding Fred Pfurisch, who had served the university in that role for 20 years prior to accepting a position as vice president for enrollment at Whittier College, in Southern California.
Under Orwig's leadership in the admissions office this year, Whitworth is on track to achieve the university's goal of enrolling a freshman class within the target range of 620-640 students for the 2012-13 school year. In addition to increasing class size, the university is making significant progress in other strategic enrollment metrics such as the percentage of freshmen admitted with honors, freshmen from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, and freshmen from out-of-state.
"I am very excited to continue serving in this role," Orwig says. "During the past year, I have gained greater appreciation for the dedicated and talented people on our admissions and financial aid teams and count it a blessing to work with them. I also have gained a deeper understanding of Whitworth's distinctive position in the higher education landscape and how strongly our mission resonates with students seeking an education that elevates academics and faith as complementary rather than competing values. It is a joy to introduce students and their families to that mission."
Orwig, who graduated from Whitworth in 1991, worked in Texas for several years, first as a newspaper reporter and then as public information officer for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. He moved back to the Northwest in 1996 to serve as media relations manager for the University of Washington, where he earned a master's degree in public administration in 1999.
Orwig returned to his alma mater in 1999 to serve as Whitworth's director of communications. In Sept. 2010, President Taylor tabbed Orwig for the newly-created position of chief of staff in the president's office. In that role, Orwig advised Taylor and the University Council in shaping Whitworth's strategic plan, helped set and manage priorities in the president's office, and handled all formal communications from the president's office.
In the Spokane community, Orwig has served as president and board member of the Spokane Regional MarCom Association; communications committee member of the One Spokane anti-poverty initiative; communications recognition coordinator for the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District VIII; and elder at Whitworth Community Presbyterian Church.
His wife, Kristin, also graduated from Whitworth in 1991, and they have two children, Lauren, 15, and Luke, 12.
Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Contact:
Emily Proffitt, public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or eproffitt@whitworth.edu.
