David Graves (above), the senior associate director in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, divides his time among his family, his duties at UGA and Camp Sunshine, an organization that helps children with cancer. (Photo by Peter Frey)

During work or vacation, admissions director is always helping students

By Andrea Sarisky andi86@uga.edu

Think of David Graves as the collegiate middleman. The senior associate admissions director is the link allowing prospective students and the university to learn more about each other.

Graves, who has been involved with admissions programs for the past 15 years, said his job is like a puzzle, one of his favorite hobbies. Finding the right fit involves “demystifying admissions,” for students and trying to make the best fit for the university and the student.

As UGA’s prestige and facilities grow, so do the classes, translating into more work for the admissions office. With about 16,000 applicants last year from across the nation, the admissions process relies heavily on finding new ways to send and receive information.

“Right now a major part of my job is working with technology,” he said. “It’s a big key that we’re able to say we can utilize the technology we have to both help our process and also help students learn a lot more about UGA and make some good decisions.”

For students the process may last one semester, but for Graves, it runs year-round. He plans to spend part of this fall in Savannah, taking part in high school programs for prospective students.

In spite of a busy work schedule, he and his wife, Cathy, take one week of their vacation each year to volunteer with Camp Sunshine, an organization that helps children with cancer participate in regular childhood experiences that they might not be able to otherwise.

The couple has volunteered at the program for 26 years combined. They got involved with the organization after Cathy, who works as an oncology nurse at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta-Egleston Campus, learned about it through some co-workers.

For the last seven years, they have held camp counselor positions, supervising the children through activities like swimming, horseback riding and arts and crafts.

“It’s a real blast. . . .we counselors grow a lot just from interacting with these kids and also interacting with the other volunteers,” Graves said.

For the fourth year straight, he found a way to couple his job with volunteering. He talked to some students at the Camp Sunshine house in Atlanta about college preparation.

At home in Athens, Graves enjoys spending time with his family. They go on camping trips around Georgia, experiencing the differing landscapes that the state has to offer.

An avid reader, he spends time reading books with his two children, Mitchell and Amelia, as well as reading on his own time.

Originally from Connecticut, Graves graduated from Clemson University with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in English. He started working in Atlanta, but ended up in Athens because he missed the college-town life, he said.

After commuting from Atlanta to UGA for work for more than four years, he convinced his wife to move to Athens. “I enjoy working at UGA, I love Athens,” he said.