Kevin Kropf is new to Baker University and is still settling into his new home in Gessner Hall.

But Kropf is not a new Baker student; he’s not even a Baker student at all.

On Oct. 25, Kropf began work as the Director of Enrollment Management at Baker, leaving three small children and his wife, who works in the Education Department at Albion College, at their home in Michigan.

“It is very hard,” Kropf said. “Leaving them at the airport … was not fun at all, but it’s what we needed to do to move forward. Timing is a little bit off, but you don’t always get to choose timing in life.”

Before coming to Baker, Kropf worked at Albion College, where he served as the Director of Admissions. Prior to that, Kropf worked as the Admissions Director at Hendrix College, where he worked with Mark Bandre, Baker’s vice president for enrollment management and student development.

Both schools were small, Methodist-affiliated colleges and are very similar to Baker.

“There are a lot of similarities in that way,” Kropf said.

Bandre said the search process to find a director of enrollment management began in June, and when he and his wife moved to Baldwin City this summer, he called Kropf to tell him about the position.

“He understands small, liberal arts universities, and the challenge now is getting to know Baker,” Bandre said. “It is similar to some places, but we all know that it has its unique traits and its distinctives and those sort of things.”

Kropf supervises the admissions staff, oversees the application review process and helps with marketing the university to potential students, which is similar to what he did with his previous position at Albion College.

“I think if I look at what I do on a day-to-day basis, it’s not any different,” he said. “I’m interacting with staff and developing people. I’m helping them find ways to realize their potential as admissions counselors and to help really move the process forward here.”

Eating meals in Allen Dining Hall and interacting with students is one of the many ways Kropf is getting to know the Baker community, learning to be a part of the Baker family and learning to sell that to prospective Baker students.

“We want to communicate the Baker story … and help them realize that four years here means a life of meaning and value,” he said. “When you work at a small college, you need to engage in all aspects of it. This is not an 8 (a.m.) to 4:30 (p.m.) job. This is my life, and I believe in liberal arts college. I believe in small town, Midwest, liberal arts colleges, and that’s exactly what this is.”