“I look forward to working with prospective students through their enrollment journey at the PC School of Pharmacy,” Leigh Lanford ’98 said about returning to PC as the pharmacy school’s admissions director.

Lanford has worked in higher education for 11 years, including eight years in admissions. Her admissions work has focused on enrollment best practices, recruitment, financial aid services, team building, and operations.

“My biggest passion is helping students”

Lanford served in various roles at Converse College from 2012-2020, most recently as the director of admissions. In this role, she developed enrollment goals for applications, visits, completed applications, and deposited students. She also supervised counselors for Converse’s various programs, including those for undergraduates, transfers, and graduate students.

“While I enjoy all aspects of the admissions world,” Lanford said, “my biggest passion is helping students through the enrollment process and helping them focus on their academic, social, and professional development.”

Lanford also served as the associate director of financial planning while at Converse. During her eight years at the school, she interviewed students for admissions positions and scholarships, served on the Student Success Committee, and worked with Student Ambassadors as they learned how to authentically attract potential students to the institution.

Working with graduate students

Lanford says that working with graduate students is different from working with undergraduate students, who are mainly concerned with career outcomes, the social aspect of the institution, and whether an institution has the major they’re looking for.

“Graduate students are more concerned with advancing their degree or making themselves more marketable,” Lanford said. “Graduate students want to know, ‘How long will it take me to get my master’s or my doctorate? How much will it cost? What credits will transfer in? How many credits do I need to have to get into the program?’

“You just have to have a strong program when you’re working with graduate students specifically, and PC has a strong pharmacy program.”

Lanford graduated magna cum laude from PC, earning a degree in psychology. She also minored in biology, earned the Academic Excellence Award, and was named to the President’s List, the International Honors Society, and Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society.

Learn More about PC School of Pharmacy

If you want to learn more about the PC School of Pharmacy, please email or call Leigh at 864-938-3913.