Alexander Landen

Title

Interim Associate Director of First Year Admissions

Years at EMU

Seven years

Why You Like Working Here

When people ask me why I’ve been here as long as I have, it’s because I love working with the people here. Eastern attracts a certain type of person who likes to be a part of a community. You can feel this community rally around itself and take care of one another. They want to be part of something bigger. You don’t always see that everywhere you go.

Favorite EMU Moment

One part of working in the Office of Admissions is we don’t always get to build long-term relationships with students. We’ll be with them for five or six months while they get situated at the university and then we pass them off to the academic side. But what’s really cool is we sometimes have students come back to check in, whether it’s just to say hello or to apply to work in the Office of Admissions. It’s so cool to see people grow and develop over a period of time.

Favorite Campus Spot

I remember I was walking to a meeting at Boone Hall and I saw that view down the sidewalk toward Pease Auditorium, and I thought, “how cool is it that we work here?” It looks beautifully collegiate. At the same time, when I started learning more about the campus, I learned that that piece of sidewalk used to be Michigan State Normal College. Boone, Pierce, Ford, and Pease was the original quad of the university. It struck me how far the university has come in 107 years.

Inspiration

The work that I do at Eastern Michigan is very personal. I’m a two- time alum, and I also know a lot of people who have gone here. I have seen firsthand the impact this place can have on people. I’ve watched people become different people, or reinforced versions of the person they already were. I’ve watched people become the best versions of themselves on this campus. For that reason, I strongly believe that Eastern has to be here. Because I know how important Eastern is for so many people, it can never go away. That’s what inspires and motivates me in the work I do.

Surprising Fact

I have a dog named Broccoli, and everyone I’ve ever told about him has absolutely loved his name. Another thing most people don’t know about me is I love to cook and bake. That’s my therapeutic, stress-relief process.

Superpower

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I want to forget that I’ve seen a movie so I can go back and experience it again for the first time. Admittedly the idea came from a friend who said “how great would it be to see a movie and emotionally experience it again for the first time?”

Next Goal

I want to continue being a part of the conversation about Eastern living up to what it wants to be. The university has made great strides with diversity and inclusion and equity over the past few years, and I think a lot of that starts with the work we do. It starts at the point of access. Are we actually giving people the opportunities that we say we do? My goal is always figuring out how to take the next step in providing more opportunities for more students.

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