Two familiar faces on the UCA campus are moving into new roles.
Melissa Goff, currently director of institutional research, is UCA’s new director of admissions. Before coming to UCA, Goff worked for the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) from 1988 to 2005, spending the first seven years in Planning & Research, where she was instrumental in creating, initiating, and building the comprehensive statewide Higher Education Information System that currently produces data research on high school and college students, academia, funding and higher education personnel. For the remainder of her ADHE career, Melissa had oversight for the state’s $50 million financial aid budget and varied programs. In that capacity, she developed strong relationships with the state’s high school counselors, legislators and other student leaders, and developed marketing and recruitment programs to assist students in attending college. Because of her strong background in both the areas of institutional research and student recruitment, she will have oversight of both institutional research and admissions.
Penny Hatfield, who has served as director of admissions for the last seven years, is now development director for UCA’s College of Fine Arts and Communication. Hatfield has been at UCA since 1986, when she arrived as director of public appearances, a role she held until 2000. Hatfield also ran the UCA phone-a-thon for seven years and assisted with Homecoming and Half-Century Club events. “I’m very excited about my new role and the opportunities it creates both for me and UCA,” Hatfield said. “I’m looking forward to developing a new skill set, although I will miss working with the admissions staff. Dean Rollin Potter and the CFAC staff have welcomed me with open arms, and we are going to work hard, have fun and promote fine arts and communication throughout the state and region.”
