Tom Biedscheid, director of the Office of Financial Aid, has been named assistant vice president of the Division of Enrollment and Access for Colorado State University. He will continue to oversee OFA – for the short term Joe Donlay is serving as interim director while a national search is undertaken – and will take on central office leadership of The Access Center.
“Our goals in having both financial aid and The Access Center report to Tom are multifaceted, with a primary focus on more time and attention given to The Access Center while keeping Tom connected to the financial aid strategies that he has been so successful in developing and executing,” said Vice President for Enrollment and Access Leslie Taylor in announcing the promotion. “I very much look forward to seeing our division leadership work together over the next few months, and years, to meet the challenges of helping students in our state and across our nation.”
In his new role, Biedscheid, who has served in CSU’s financial aid office for over 18 years, will be focused on working with the EA leadership team to craft and implement a five-year strategic plan for the division. He will also lead efforts to assess processes, policies and procedures division-wide, and how they align with divisional and institutional strategies related to student access and success.
Biedscheid will also be leading initiatives related to the University Diversity Blueprint; establishing a more intentional professional development and training plan for the division; and working with Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness to evaluate the division’s impact on student retention, persistence and graduation.
“I am excited for the opportunity to work more closely with Leslie at the division level,” Biedscheid said. “She has been incredibly thoughtful about developing a plan that leverages each of our strengths and in a way that really complements one another. On top of that, we share a real commitment to CSU, our land grant mission, and a passion to support student access and success.”