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With over a decade of experience in higher education, Glenn Engelberg, director of admissions at William Peace University, is passionate about helping students achieve their academic goals. Glenn earned his master’s degree in Management & Organizational Behavior from Benedictine University in Chicago and completed his bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and his wife, Tara, are new residents of Raleigh and are excited to explore beautiful North Carolina.
RALEIGH – There are many reasons why I am proud to serve the higher education community, and one specific reason is the inclusive and diverse community that is William Peace University.
Located in the heart of downtown Raleigh, we are just steps away from major businesses and organizations. We have cultivated great relationships with these partners. In turn, they help us help our students turn their passion into purpose – from performing at the Raleigh Downtown Theatre to a gaming internship with Ubisoft subsidiary, Red Storm Entertainment. Our faculty are focused on creating the best hands-on experience for our students through immersive and experiential learning. We take the theory outside the classroom and into the real world. We also pride ourselves on our flexibility to many different facets of the learning community. In fact, we were the first RN to BSN [Program to offer online and hybrid programs for working adults in the Triangle.
Glenn Engelberg (Peace University photo)
As a relatively new leader in the higher education field, I am privileged to serve students from all walks of life. Specifically, our campus and culture are enriched by people of different backgrounds and perspectives working and learning together, invigorated by open dialogue in an atmosphere built on respect. Our office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion works with all our campus partners to encourage the continued pursuit of everything necessary to build an increasingly inclusive community. And I can tell you first-hand as I walk around campus that I see this every day and it gives me great joy. Plus, to better serve our growing community of first-generation students, we have even developed a series of webinars discussing themes unique to first-gen students and their families.
As a leader of the admissions department, I am also proud to have multiple members of our admissions team share their experience as first-gen students themselves to guide our newest Pacers on their collegiate journey. We have two assistant directors whose complementary strengths work together to unify our outreach efforts and connect with our students. Our admissions counselors love working with students and finding the best fit for their college journey. Through our Welcome Center, students can experience the campus through a tour with a current student, or virtually experience WPU.
Of course, we know that affordability is a major issue to students and families, so we collaborate closely with our Financial Assistance office. We work in partnership with our families to make a WPU education a possibility through our generous scholarship and grant programs, and our partnerships with organizations such as the YMCA of the Triangle and District C.
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We are especially excited to see our growth in athletics. In fact, our soccer and lacrosse programs started practice and competition at WakeMed Soccer Park this Spring. Having a world-class dedicated home for these four programs is a huge step forward for our men’s and women’s teams. The future is bright as this partnership will allow us to provide a great student-athlete experience for years to come.
Athletics and all other elements of WPU have experienced COVID-19 as a disrupter – as it has been for all of us. However, it has also been humbling to see how quickly our faculty were able to transform their in-person class to formats that included virtual and hybrid options. While we have remained a residential campus and have primarily been on campus and in the classrooms since last March, our faculty made modifications to assure our students continued to learn and have access to the many resources they need. Likewise, our admissions team has transformed their passion and dedication for students in a virtual setting during this same time.
The entire community at WPU is committed to our students and their success. As a tight-knit campus with big opportunities, we look forward to serving the Raleigh community, the state of North Carolina and the southeast region of the United States.
