Gustavus Adolphus College

Assistant Director of Admission

Direct: (507) 933-7004
Toll-free: 1-800-GUSTAVUS
Screen name: davidatgustavus (AOL, MSN, & Yahoo)

dkogler@gustavus.edu

Territory:  Wisconsin, St. Croix Lutheran High School
(W. St. Paul, MN; Class of 1997!)

Education: B.A., political science, Gustavus, 2001

Life before Gustavus
By my senior year at Gustavus, I was pretty certain I was going to work in the administrative side of government (my adviser said I'm the only person that has told him “I want to be a bureaucrat.”).  However, I began thinking about a career in college administration after working as a tour guide for a year in the Admission Office.  A post-graduation, full-time internship in the Corporate Communications Office of West Group (the big legal publisher in Eagan, MN) helped me realize that Corporate + David = Not Good.  After what I call my fall vacation (a four-month break when my parents mercifully let me be to think and decompress from college), I worked as the Head Legislative Aide in the Revisor of Statutes Office at the Minnesota State Legislature.  This helped me see that Government Pace + Low Expectations + David = Boring.  So, I found the opportunity to return to Gustavus.  (I don't quite qualify as a perma-Gustie-- that's someone who went to college here and never left.)

What are your professional/work interests? 
Thankfully, my interests match my responsibilities.  I have lots of contact with students through my recruiting territory of Wisconsin.  I manage and create all office publications like our applications, visit day invitations, and viewbook.  And, I work with technology things like our new website and monthly e-mail newsletter.  Also, having been the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper at Gustavus, I'm especially happy to support the current student staff as their adviser.  Finally, I’m the co-chair of MACAC’s professional development committee (MACAC’s the professional organization in Minnesota for all high school guidance counselors and college admission counselors.)

What is your best college search tip?
When visiting colleges, be sure to ask the tough questions. No college search question should be too tough or too "stupid" for an admission counselor to answer or find the answer for you. Searching for a college is very often new territory for people, so they should expect the opportunity to ask any question and receive an honest answer.

What are your most recent professional/work projects?   
This is it-- our new website!  Knowing that students want to get personalized, detailed, and easily-accessible information about colleges, Gustavus has invested a lot of resources into creating the Admission Office website.  We're hoping that the features here will make the college search process easier!  How'd we do?

What do you learn from interacting with Gustavus students? 
As my high school world history teacher emphasized, variety is what makes life interesting.  Working and talking and listening to students from so many contrasting backgrounds exposes me to perspectives and experiences different from my own.

What do you value most about working at Gustavus?
The people.  From our student tour guides to my Admission colleagues to other employees on campus, I love working where people truly value the College.  The resultant attention to detail and quality of everything done here shows.  It all starts with the people.

What are your hobbies?
Being the youngest of 5 kids, I sought protection from my siblings in the kitchen with my mom.  So, I've discovered a real interest in cooking. (Here's a lesson, kids:  buy All-Clad cookware and Wustof knives-- it's probably the best investment you could make.  Also-- while I’m at it-- never lease a car.)  Other than eating a lot, I like to run, read the New Yorker, watch loud movies, and make things out of stained glass.

How have you been involved in your community? 
Rather than tell you about community involvement, I want to tell you about my community.  St. Peter is a great town-- something I didn't appreciate much as a city kid attending a college in a rural area.  Since there's so much going on on-campus, I didn't make the effort to explore St. Peter.  It has a real community feel-- from favorite places like River Rock for coffee or the Food Co-op for organic ingredients to the 4th of July Parade and picnic in Minnesota Square to beautiful, "old-school" downtown-- this is a great place to live.

What is your favorite Gustavus tradition?
I was always impressed by Midnight Express.  Students work especially hard preparing for finals and it was great to take a break from all the studying.  For Midnight Express, the caf is closed down an hour early so that from 10 to midnight students can have free food, listen to the jazz bands, and relax on the night before the first day of finals.  It's nice to have profs and staff wishing you luck and serving you chicken wings...