Ann Essenburg Named Director of Admissions
Ann Essenburg considers her new role as Director of Admission at Kuyper as a work of God.
“When I returned to work in the Admissions Office, I came on a temporary agreement and had no intention of staying long term,” she said with a smile. “It only took a short amount of time to realize that I still had a passion for Admissions work and the joy I find in talking with prospective students and their families.”
As she spent more time as Interim Director, that passion continued to grow, and she began to ponder what it might look like to take on the position permanently. That pondering happened, she said, alongside much prayer.
“God has had His hand in all of this, and His plans are better than mine,” she said.
As she looks ahead to the work she and her team will face, Essenburg is confident that the College is positioned to appeal to the next generation of Christian leaders.
“One of the things I enjoy most about being in a leadership position in the Admissions Office is the opportunity to work with my team and build into them a passion for relational recruitment,” she said. “I also enjoy working alongside the rest of the Kuyper community, and specifically the leadership team, as we work together to continue the legacy of God’s work through Kuyper College.”
She knows the work will not be easy, but she also sees opportunities to sharpen the ways in which the College connects to prospective students at the undergrad and graduate levels for both in-person and online offerings.
“One particular opportunity we are leaning into is the development of external partnerships, such as churches and para-church organizations, as we increase Kuyper’s name awareness and seek to support the efforts of these ministries, she said.
Indeed, she added, opportunities abound.
“Another opportunity is to intentionally include parents of prospective students in our outreach efforts to recognize the vital role they play in their student’s college decisions. Another opportunity that excites me is creating intentional collaboration across Kuyper’s campus to improve our recruitment efforts and the experience of our incoming students.”
Essenburg said that she and her Admissions team want every student they talk with, who visits the Kuyper website and who comes to campus to know that Kuyper is a place where they will be cared for, seen and developed into the person God has called them to be.
She also is eager to help prospective students understand how KuyperWorks plays a unique role in their holistic educational experience to prepare them to be a top job candidate after graduation. And she wants prospective students to understand Kuyper’s Bible core and the value of an education focused on seeing all of life within the lens of a Chrisitan worldview.
“This was my experience as a student,” she noted.
Essenburg grew up in Grand Rapids and was homeschooled all through high school. She knew she wanted to attend a small Christian college and upon visiting Kuyper knew right away that it was where she belonged.
She and her husband Curt, who is Kuyper’s Dean of Students and Work, have been married since 2005 and have three sons: Ethan, 13, Henry, 11, and Wesley, 9.
