Sharon Abramson, Judy Gorian, and Suzanne
Higginbotham, three long-term staff members
of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions
and Relations with Schools, retired over
the last few months. These three members accounted
for 116 years of service at UCLA. (Photo: from left,
Judy, Sharon, and Suzanne.)
All three ladies were members of the UARS team throughout
their UCLA careers. Their career paths followed
a well-established process, starting in filing and
then working up the ladder to the Evaluation Unit.
Judy was a Bruin even before she joined Admissions,
having graduated from UCLA.
Each lady carved out a specialization in the UARS
operation. Judy was the primary liaison with the
Office of the President and with the College of
Letters & Science. Sharon was the Articulation
Officer and the Transfer Alliance Program Coordinator
for the office.
Suzanne was the office’s primary International
evaluator. Highlights for Suzanne as the specialist
in this area included multiple presentations for
district, regional, and national gatherings on international
evaluation and admission for the American Association
of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
[AACRAO]. Asked to describe her tenure here at UCLA,
Suzanne had this to say… “My life at
UCLA, and especially UARS, has been an e-ticket
ride!”
Suzanne will return to the office as a part-time
evaluator concentrating on transfer and international
evaluation.
In Student Affairs Administration, Nancy
Cutter retired in December after over 31
years in the Vice Chancellor’s office. Nancy
started her UCLA career in 1973, hired as a “back-up
secretary” to C. Z. Wilson, Vice Chancellor
for Academic Programs. C. Z. retired in 1981, Academic
Programs became Student Affairs, and Winston Doby
was the appointee as Vice Chancellor of the new
organization. Nancy served as Winston’s information
coordinator for the next 20 years, and continued
in this role for the 18 months of Interim Vice Chancellor
Claudia Mitchell-Kernan’s watch at the helm
and another year-and-a-half with Vice Chancellor
Janina Montero.
Highlights for Nancy included involvement in drafting
major presentations for the Regents; the excitement
surrounding the campus’s preparations for
the 1984 Olympics; participation in activities surrounding
the construction of Tom Bradley Hall and the Arthur
Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center; and memories
of student activism over the years that include
demonstrations, Murphy Hall sit-ins, tent cities
in the Quad, and confrontations with the Regents.
Nancy says, “Looking back, 31 years seems
like a very long time to stay in one place. But
it never felt that way. I always worked for talented,
committed people whom I admired and respected. I
always enjoyed the teamwork and camaraderie in our
office. And I loved the constant challenges and
new learning experiences that were an essential
part of the job.”
As far as post-retirement plans, Nancy indicates
“nothing major.” She says, “The
main thing on my schedule at this point is to slow
down and ‘smell the roses’, and spend
a lot more time with my family and friends.”
