Bernstein plays vital role in admissions
Point person with high school counselors receives kudos for her efforts

By DONNA LONGENECKER
Reporter Assistant Editor

As assistant director of admissions, Frances Bernstein recognizes the important role that high school counselors play in helping seniors make one of the most important decision of their lives—where they will go to college.

	Fran Bernstein has received national recognition for her efforts at improving relations with high school counselors.
	Photo: Jessica Kourkounis

She serves as UB's liaison to the school counselor community, working tirelessly to nurture and strengthen the university's vital relationship with thousands of advisors across the region and the country.

Colleagues have called her work "groundbreaking" and her leadership "energizing" as she strives to create unique professional development opportunities for guidance counselors, an often overlooked, overworked and occasionally burned-out population.

Her efforts have attracted national attention to the Office of Admissions' innovative programs and the importance of strengthening alliances between high schools and college admissions counselors.

Moreover, Bernstein has received personal recognition for her efforts, recently being named as a "Rising Star" by the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC). She was honored at NACAC's annual conference in September, where she also organized a panel on national college counseling teaching initiatives.

While the national recognition certainly is rewarding, Bernstein says she's most proud of the statewide outreach efforts by the Office of Admissions and the relationships she has formed with high school counselors—relationships that have fostered a five-fold increase in attendance at the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling's (NYSACAC) regional professional development forums.

Bernstein's interest in high school counseling isn't just related to her job at UB—she enrolled in the counseling program in the UB Graduate School of Education with an eye towards retooling her skills and making a possible career shift into the world of secondary education. Bernstein received certification in secondary high school counseling in 1997, and subsequently spent a year and a half doing internships in the high-school setting. While she ultimately chose to remain at UB, she says the knowledge she gained in the secondary setting gave her a fresh, insider's perspective regarding the demands placed on high school counselors.

The challenges facing school counselors are endless, Bernstein points out, among them huge caseloads and multiple bosses. Added to that mix are the kids themselves, an "intense population, from the wallflower to the student bursting at the seams with problems," she says.

"It (the internships) really gave me an appreciation for what a high school counselor does and the amount of dedication in that job. It was a real eye-opener," says Bernstein.

Regina Toomey, associate vice provost for enrollment and planning, notes that Bernstein has focused for several years on improving UB's relationship with the secondary school counseling community and is very "tuned in to professional development issues in that setting." Through Bernstein's efforts, high school counselors can depend on UB for free professional development workshops.

As a result of feedback received from the UB-initiated secondary school counselor advisory councils about the lack of college-admissions training for new counselors, the Office of Admissions responded by creating a "rookie camp."

The rookie camp is a cooperative endeavor, with seasoned secondary high school counselors participating in workshops to train their incoming peers. The first camp in Fall 2000 was so successful—with 50 new counselors participating—that the Western New York Consortium on Higher Education asked to sponsor the 2001 program, which was held Nov. 2 at UB and trained another 50 new hires.

"The thing about the school-counseling community is that besides being such a dedicated group of individuals, they are a pleasure to work with and they are so gracious about these types of efforts," Bernstein says. "The demands placed on school counselors are so heavy. They are happy to have their in-service opportunities provided for free. It also gives them an opportunity to look at our beautiful campus. It's bigger than just getting students accepted—it's a win-win situation, a way to help students find the best fit. When school counselors get involved, they walk away knowing us; we're professional friends," she adds.

Bernstein also has worked to breathe new life into the curricula used to train graduate students. With the help of Carl Behrend, director of guidance at Orchard Park High School, she developed a course in college admissions that has been offered for two years through the Graduate School of Education's school counseling program. The course is very practical; for example, high school seniors are brought in so that new counselors can engage in "hands-on" counseling sessions.

"I love working with the college-bound population—they are on the edge of something new and exciting in their lives—they are turning the corner into adulthood and are so fun to work with," says Bernstein.

She says she has been asked to consult with NACAC about bringing the UB course—one of only a handful of such courses in the country—online to increase access nationally.

Bernstein and Behrend also co-authored an article on designing a graduate course in admissions, which was published in the NACAC journal. Since then, word has spread that UB's Office of Admissions is a leader in professional development efforts for school counselors, says Bernstein, with inquiries coming in from around the country.

In addition to her efforts at UB, Bernstein also is actively involved in the NYSACAC, serving as co-chair of its professional development committee.

Part of the challenge of that position, she says, is to coordinate regional forums.

A recent program held at UB, for example, was attended by more than 100 counselors and focused on such topics as student credential/transcript evaluation, preparing for the real world through high school/college curriculum, how colleges are dealing with non-traditional credit awarded at the secondary level and how that credit should be assessed in light of current admissions standards.