Ohio Wesleyan Appoints Assistant Dean For Student Engagement
Brad T. Pulcini Also Will Serve as OWU’s Director of the First-Year Experience
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced the appointment of Brad T. Pulcini as assistant dean for student engagement and director of the first-year experience.
In his new role, Pulcini will oversee Ohio Wesleyan’s Office of Student Involvement and work to enhance programs and initiatives to help first-year students successfully adjust to college life. He will join the university Aug. 12 and report to Dwayne K. Todd, Ph.D., vice president for student engagement and success.
“After a competitive national search process, we are so fortunate to find someone right here in our regional area with Brad’s depth of experience in assisting students through their first-year transition,” Todd said. “Brad has a true passion for supporting new college students and a broad professional background in the various functions and processes that impact their successful entry into and retention through their college experience.
“One of Brad’s important first priorities will be to add some cohesion and overarching strategy to all of the great work already being done to support the transition of first-year students at OWU, and I’m excited for the leadership he will bring to us in this area,” Todd said.
Pulcini currently serves as director of Gateway Operations for Central Ohio Technical College in Newark. In that role, he works with the college’s offices of advising and retention, admissions, and student records and registration to support student retention and graduation. He also has led a redesign of the college’s orientation program for new students and helped to implement mandatory academic advising for first-year students.
Previously, Pulcini worked as director of enrollment services for Capital University Law School and as Bexley-based Capital’s director of retention and assistant director of admissions. He also has worked as an admission counselor at Point Park University and as a graduate assistant in the Office of Freshmen Development & Special Student Services at Duquesne University, both in Pittsburgh.
Pulcini holds a master’s degree in educational studies from Duquesne and is pursuing his doctorate in higher education administration at Ohio University. The primary focus of his research is how “positive psychology and an appreciative mindset can be utilized to help students navigate their co-created pathways to academic and personal successes, with university staff acting as college navigators.”
Professionally, Pulcini is a member of American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the National Academic Advising Association, the National Association of College Admission Counseling, and the Ohio Association of College Admission Counseling.
“I am thrilled to be joining the OWU community, especially the strong and talented team in the Office of Student Involvement,” Pulcini said. “During my campus visits, I discovered that Ohio Wesleyan is a special place committed to the development of global citizens-leaders through learning, inquiry, and engagement. I cannot wait to start working with the faculty, staff, and students of the university, especially first-year students as they begin to navigate their collegiate journeys toward becoming proud Ohio Wesleyan alumni.”
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers nearly 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.