Associate Director Admissions Gloria’s arrival at Roger Williams College (as it was then known) was in June of 1975 when she was hired as an Admissions Counselor. She the first woman to invade the then, all male office, of 5 men. Two years later Gloria became Associate Director, a position she has cherished through the years.

So much has happened, it’s incredible how the physical landscape has changed since then! Non existent were Willow Hall, the Center for Student Development, the Marine & Natural Sciences building (the dream of Professor Mark Gould), the School of Architecture, the Library, as it stands today, the Law School or the Recreation Center and gym.

So, what was here? Several buildings and a group of men and women dedicated to education, colleagues for whom Gloria holds the utmost respect.

The Office of Admissions is multi-faceted. To Gloria, each day had its own personality and there was never a dull moment in or out of the office. For 17 years Gloria visited schools primarily in Connecticut and Westchester, N.Y. Later, she was the first to introduce RWC to Seattle, Wash. and Portland, Ore., as well as the Caribbean and the Island of Bermuda.

It was in Bermuda, at a dessert and coffee reception at the Princess Hotel, a young man in ripped jeans (avant-garde for mid ’70s in Bermuda) patiently listened to her presentation, applied and later attended RWC, as did his younger sister. Little did Gloria know that she was speaking to the heir of a famous Bermuda rum manufacturing company at the time!

A favorite recollection, of Gloria’s, from those days happened in Darien, Conn. She often stayed at the Holiday Inn and one day the desk clerk inquired about her frequent visits. Gloria told her that she worked in College Admission, whereupon she told Gloria that she had just deposited at Bryant for her son Michael.

Undaunted, Gloria did not hesitate to give her a view book, an explanation of the value of a liberal arts background and an invitation to visit Roger Williams the next time she was in R.I. To Gloria’s surprise, the very next week, mother and son were in her office, and the rest is history. Mike La Scala became the captain of the soccer team, a business major and a few years later, his sister, Christine, also attended Roger Williams.

Gloria has had the opportunity to meet and recruit many staff members who started at Roger Williams as students. She first met Lisa Bauer at a Stamford College Night. She introduced Randy Mills to RWU during a visit to Hamden High. In North Branford, Conn., Gloria met Carla Negro Knowlton who was a tour guide in the Office of Admission, filled in as an admissions counselor after graduation, married and returned to Conn. where she is now Director of Admissions at Quinnipiac University. Didier Bouvier, the new Director of International and Transfer Admission, and Tim Gunn were two of Gloria’s interviewees! So many good stories over her thirty years on staff!

Gloria’s proudest moment occurred when she was presented with the Counselor of the Year Award at the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors Conference on RWU’s campus in 1999. Another proud moment was when her daughter, Wendy Smith, graduated Magna Cum Laude from RWC in ’79.

Gloria deeply treasures all of the friendships she has made through the years in her chosen profession. The University has made giant strides in recent years, and how wonderful for her to be a part of it.