For nearly 20 years, Betty Sanchez has been a friendly and personal point of contact for those students at Marshall B. Ketchum University who find themselves in need of help. As the Office Manager and Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs, Betty has long been one of the first people students encounter when in need of assistance, be it academic, personal or financial. “Sometimes they don’t know the resources available to them,” she says. “They come in very worried or concerned about something, and we are able to listen to their needs and guide them through the process of finding and using the University resources that will help them.”
It’s not uncommon for academic institutions to have strong student support services. One difference at MBKU that Betty has always been proud of is the personal touch her office provides. “We always answer the phone,” she says. “It is not like at a giant university where you’re pressing all these buttons to go to all these places.”
Another personal touch is Betty’s involvement in commencement regalia. She makes sure it fits for every single student, personally measuring their heads for the caps. This small but important ritual between the Office of University Student Affairs and the students often serves as a fitting end to a four-year relationship between them, and it’s representative of the investment that the staff makes into each and every student who comes to MBKU.