Irene Ziemba Letter of Professional Promise
Content
Sarah H. Jones
Administrative Dean
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, NY
t. 315.228.6720
e. [email protected]
February 23, 2016
Letter of Professional Promise for Ms. Irene Ziemba:
Irene Ziemba served in the role of Graduate Student Intern for the office of Residential and New
Student Programs (RNSP) at Cornell University from June 22, 2016 through August 28, 2016.
While I have moved from my position at Cornell University to Colgate University, I can still
speak to Irene’s promise in the profession.
As her supervisor at Cornell, I wish to speak directly to Irene’s professional promise in the field
of higher education. In short, I feel quite positive about Irene’s future success in the field.
In comparison to other graduate students in similar stages of their career, Irene brings a level of
maturity to the position rarely seen. This is in part because of Irene’s work experiences prior to
entering a graduate program in higher education. While many higher education professionals
tend to stumble into this career or have someone tell them they’d be good at it, Irene has taken
the time to understand why this career has meaning for her. With burnout in our field more
common than I think we would all like, I have no doubt that Irene is a grad that has a genuine
understanding of what success in this profession looks like and what she personally needs to do
to accomplish it given that she has been successful in the working world before.
In Irene’s role on Cornell’s campus, she contributed greatly to the mission and short-term and
long-term goals of the office. Irene was responsible for our Transfer Student Orientation
Program in August of 2016. This five day program welcomed closed to 600 new undergraduate
transfer students to campus. In addition to coordinating a schedule for August Transfer Student
Orientation, Irene was responsible for training over 30 Orientation Leaders who served transfer
as Orientation Leaders and Orientation Supervisors throughout Orientation. The training was
robust and resulted in leaders with enhanced leadership capabilities, knowledge of campus
resources, and the ability to serve as strong mentors to small groups of new students. In addition,
Irene reviewed longitudinal transfer student data and created a small number of programs to meet
the needs of transfer students during Orientation. These programs provided transfer students with
resources and information that had been previous lacking from their Cornell experience. She also
oversaw the execution of close to 40+ programs on campus during Orientation.
It is often difficult to assess the actual success that a summer intern might have on campus after a
few phone interviews. However, Irene exceeded our expectations which were already quite high
because of how well she interviewed. She accomplished much more than I envisioned over the
summer, in part this is because Irene almost always had spot-on instincts for deciding how to
handle a situation. The knowledge that a member of you staff can delicately handle difficult
situations without getting flustered allows you to expect more from them over the course of the
summer. I was able to give Irene several complex tasks that she completed during the course of
the summer. While some of those tasks were quite impressive (i.e. executing New Student
Convocation for 8000+ attendees) and others were less than glamorous (i.e. securing the correct
food permits for 100+ Orientation events), they involved critical thinking, determination, and a
strong confidence in one’s ability. While these tasks were difficult and an added part of her job
responsibilities, Irene’s success in them leaves me with no doubt that she will quickly be able to
take on responsibilities and decision making far above that of a typical new professional.
Irene is already skilled in providing support, mentorship, and assistance to undergraduates. She
has a great ability to meet students where they are in their development and to provide support to
match. She learned how to manage and work with students that summer that did not have the
same style as her. Though this task was difficult, the amount letting go she had to do will help
her in her future work.
There is no doubt in my mind that Irene can be successful in this field. I appreciate her calm
demeanor, willingness to grow as a professional, and instincts. She is independent, organized,
and has a maturity and drive that puts her above many individuals graduating from Higher Ed
Master’s programs. These intangibles and skills speak greatly to her promise in the field. It was a
pleasure working with Irene.
Thank you,
Sarah H. Jones
Administrative Dean
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, NY
t. 315.228.6720
e. [email protected]
February 23, 2016
Letter of Professional Promise for Ms. Irene Ziemba:
Irene Ziemba served in the role of Graduate Student Intern for the office of Residential and New
Student Programs (RNSP) at Cornell University from June 22, 2016 through August 28, 2016.
While I have moved from my position at Cornell University to Colgate University, I can still
speak to Irene’s promise in the profession.
As her supervisor at Cornell, I wish to speak directly to Irene’s professional promise in the field
of higher education. In short, I feel quite positive about Irene’s future success in the field.
In comparison to other graduate students in similar stages of their career, Irene brings a level of
maturity to the position rarely seen. This is in part because of Irene’s work experiences prior to
entering a graduate program in higher education. While many higher education professionals
tend to stumble into this career or have someone tell them they’d be good at it, Irene has taken
the time to understand why this career has meaning for her. With burnout in our field more
common than I think we would all like, I have no doubt that Irene is a grad that has a genuine
understanding of what success in this profession looks like and what she personally needs to do
to accomplish it given that she has been successful in the working world before.
In Irene’s role on Cornell’s campus, she contributed greatly to the mission and short-term and
long-term goals of the office. Irene was responsible for our Transfer Student Orientation
Program in August of 2016. This five day program welcomed closed to 600 new undergraduate
transfer students to campus. In addition to coordinating a schedule for August Transfer Student
Orientation, Irene was responsible for training over 30 Orientation Leaders who served transfer
as Orientation Leaders and Orientation Supervisors throughout Orientation. The training was
robust and resulted in leaders with enhanced leadership capabilities, knowledge of campus
resources, and the ability to serve as strong mentors to small groups of new students. In addition,
Irene reviewed longitudinal transfer student data and created a small number of programs to meet
the needs of transfer students during Orientation. These programs provided transfer students with
resources and information that had been previous lacking from their Cornell experience. She also
oversaw the execution of close to 40+ programs on campus during Orientation.
It is often difficult to assess the actual success that a summer intern might have on campus after a
few phone interviews. However, Irene exceeded our expectations which were already quite high
because of how well she interviewed. She accomplished much more than I envisioned over the
summer, in part this is because Irene almost always had spot-on instincts for deciding how to
handle a situation. The knowledge that a member of you staff can delicately handle difficult
situations without getting flustered allows you to expect more from them over the course of the
summer. I was able to give Irene several complex tasks that she completed during the course of
the summer. While some of those tasks were quite impressive (i.e. executing New Student
Convocation for 8000+ attendees) and others were less than glamorous (i.e. securing the correct
food permits for 100+ Orientation events), they involved critical thinking, determination, and a
strong confidence in one’s ability. While these tasks were difficult and an added part of her job
responsibilities, Irene’s success in them leaves me with no doubt that she will quickly be able to
take on responsibilities and decision making far above that of a typical new professional.
Irene is already skilled in providing support, mentorship, and assistance to undergraduates. She
has a great ability to meet students where they are in their development and to provide support to
match. She learned how to manage and work with students that summer that did not have the
same style as her. Though this task was difficult, the amount letting go she had to do will help
her in her future work.
There is no doubt in my mind that Irene can be successful in this field. I appreciate her calm
demeanor, willingness to grow as a professional, and instincts. She is independent, organized,
and has a maturity and drive that puts her above many individuals graduating from Higher Ed
Master’s programs. These intangibles and skills speak greatly to her promise in the field. It was a
pleasure working with Irene.
Thank you,
Sarah H. Jones
