Debbie Below retires after 28 years at SEMO

After nearly 30 years at SEMO, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success Deborah Below has announced her retirement.

Below began her career at SEMO in May 1990, working as an admissions counselor for four years before spending eight years working at Jefferson College as director of admissions and financial aid. She returned to the university in 2002 and in 2013, became vice president and joined the President’s executive staff.

Over the years that she has worked at SEMO, Below is proud of what she has accomplished throughout her career.

“I’m proud of decisions we’ve made in the last week, and I’m proud of decisions I made in 1990,” Below said. “We provide students with academic coaching; we provide students with peer advising. We have an Office of Military and Veteran Services. We have an E-sports arena, we have a Camp Red Hawk program…I do think our students experience a very robust set of services as well as a lot of technological innovations.”

With a new president set to arrive on campus, Below’s position is one of many changing in the upcoming school year. While Below is stepping away from SEMO, she is excited to see the changes coming to the university.

“I’d actually love to stay and continue to work for the university, but I’ve just made some decisions to move on and to pursue other things related to my personal life,” Below said. “I think this university right now is really going through its own transformation. I think it’s a very exciting time, so I’m going to miss being a part of that.”

While Below is excited about the transitional phase of SEMO, she addressed concerns that others might have about the changes.

“I have thrived in my career on change,” Below said. “A mentor of mine, very early in my career, said to me, ‘Debbie, that is the best thing that could happen for you early in your career to have to go through significant change because when you learn to adapt to change, you become essential.’”

Below added that change also allows for new voices to bring in their own ideas.

“Students should not fear when people like me retire,” Below said. “It brings new opportunities for us to hire in new ideas … I think change is a gift.”

For Below, this change will come in the form of associate vice president for Student Life Dr. Bruce Skinner, who will serve as an interim in her position.

“I’m very familiar with [Skinner’s] skill set and the strengths he brings to the institution and to this role,” Below said. “Specifically, we have different skill sets. I think he’s going to excel in areas where maybe I didn’t focus as much.”

Below’s tenure at SEMO will officially end on June 30, after which she plans to take a break from work and move closer to her family.