TORRINGTON – Eastern Wyoming College’s second public open forum in the search for a new Vice President of Student Services took place Friday with Dr. Boomer Appleman of Oklahoma presenting.

Appleman is currently the Assistant Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students at East Central University in Ada, Okla., a position he’s held since 2014. In addition to spending 19 years total of higher education in Oklahoma, Appleman also has six years of financial business experience. He earned an associate’s degree in business administration from Northern Oklahoma College in 1990; a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., in management information systems, 1992; master’s in education in adult education from University Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla., in 2000; and a doctorate of education from Oklahoma State University in higher education in 2014.

Appleman grew up in a small town in Oklahoma. 

“This is the metropolitan area that I’m used to,” he said. “This is where my calling is ­– in higher education, post-secondary education.”

Explaining 41 of his 48 years have been spent on college campuses due to his parents’ and his own careers in higher education, Appleman expressed his passion for learning.

“Education provided me with everything I have now,” he said. “It has provided opportunity where there was none, and that’s what I want to do: help students become what they want to become.”

On the topic of student recruitment, Appleman emphasized the importance of strategic enrollment planning ahead of strategic enrollment management.

“The question is, do we want to grow, or do we want to maintain?” he said, adding he, alone, did not have the answer. “My opinion on a two-year, open admissions (college) is, I want to help everybody who wants help.”

Should EWC offer Appleman the position, he said one of his first priorities is a listening and conversation tour with the community.

“Not only with the community, but with those I work with and work for … (I will ask) what do you need? What do you want? How can I help you?” Appleman said. “If you feel that your voice has been (authentically and genuinely) heard, it’s a success … I don’t want anyone that I come in contact with to feel that they don’t matter.”

One of Appleman’s proudest career accomplishments took place during his time at Northern Oklahoma College.

“As a student services agenda, specifically, I had an incident with a student in which I was unable to assist them through the institution … I never wanted that to happen again,” he said. In order to address the situation, Appleman collaborated with colleagues to bring in 95 different non-profit organizations to offer their services to students.

“They represented for the price of a hospitality room at a basketball game,” he said. “We created a directory of organizations there. Institutionally, we helped far more students than we could for the cost of using our money.”

During the question-and-answer session, Appleman commended the college on its facilities.

“The physical environment on this campus is very conducive to learning,” he said. “There’s a very high standard of care and pride.”