Getting to Know You: Mark Rusk

Fishing and football.

When he has the time, Mark Rusk, associate director of undergraduate admissions, is most likely enjoying one of the two. "My job involves constantly interacting with people, and things are always changing by the minute. But when I fish, I'm able to just get in my own head," he explains. "I'm able to pass the time, and if the fish aren't biting, it's still a nice day to spend outdoors."

Rusk grew up fishing-and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes football team-in the small, Mississippi River town of Clinton, Iowa, about two-and-a-half hours west of Chicago. "We don't have a pro team in Iowa, so that's our pro team," Rusk says. "That was my father's favorite team, and my grandfather's favorite team. It's my favorite team, win or lose."

A talented athlete, Rusk played strong safety at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he received his degree in history. His goal was to be a high school history teacher and football coach, but his career path changed when he came across a newspaper ad for an admissions counselor at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He took the job, thinking it would be a good fit until a teaching position became available.

That was in 1988, and Rusk hasn't looked back. He transitioned to William Penn University's admissions team before joining USI in 1999.  

Let's get to know more about this Screaming Eagles recruiter and Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center regular.

What initially drew you to USI?

The person that I worked for at William Penn University in Iowa was originally from Jasper. He had been at William Penn for 30 years, and he was offered the position of admissions director here at USI. Shortly after taking that, he contacted me and wanted to know if I wanted to come and work with him.

My first response was, "no." I had been to Evansville, Indiana, one time in my life, and that was on my way to spring break while I was in college. I had nothing against it-I just wasn't interested. He was persistent. He kept after me, and he said, "Just come down and look at the place. Just look. Then, I'll accept your decision."

My wife and I came down and we were like, "Oh my gosh, this place is absolutely incredible." It was beautiful, and it was new. I called him up that night and said, "Okay, I'm in." So, that's how I got here.

Tell me what your responsibilities are as the director of undergraduate admissions.

There are two parts. I oversee the recruitment activities of the admissions counselors. I oversee their duties, their travel, their recruiting activity, and then I also serve as the primary recruiter for Southwest Indiana. Everywhere from Vincennes, to Jasper, to Evansville is all my area of responsibility for recruitment.

When recruiting students, what is the main point you focus on?

It's different with every area you recruit from. Obviously, we all talk about how USI has a private school feel in terms of our class size and our focus on undergraduate teaching. At the same time, we are very affordable, so we can give students that small, private college experience at an affordable price.

I have to convince students that if they stay close to home and come to USI, they can still get away from home. I remind them that we have students from over 40 states and 70 foreign countries. They can meet people from all over the world and have the advantage to get home when they want to or need to.

In busy times of undergraduate enrollment, how do you remain calm?

It can be hectic, and it's hectic right now. This is the time of year students are making their decisions, and we're trying to convince them that this is where they're supposed to be. The way that I remain calm is I work out every day in the RFWC. That helps a lot.

Also, having done this for so long, I've got a perspective on it, and I know things typically work out for the best. I would get a lot more nervous and have more anxiety in my younger years. Now, I just think of it as another year. There's always something new that happens, but on those days that are really stressful, I usually just head over to the RFWC and lift some weights.

If you could instantly become an expert on something, what would that be?

I would like to be an instant expert in all facets of social media, because I'm not. I am trying to keep up, but if I could be an expert in all facets of that and know exactly how to manipulate it, I would love that.

It's interesting how everything's changed, though. I remember 10 years ago, everyone was like, "Oh my gosh, this Facebook thing." We always tried to use it for recruitment, and now it's totally passé. The only people on Facebook now are people my age.

Communicating with students has become such a fast-moving target. When I started, we had two forms of communication-we had the telephone and written mail. That was it. Then came email. Then came social media. Then came all the different variations of social media. Things would typically change in a five-or-so-year period, and now things change in literally months.

What's the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

The thing that I say to myself and my kids when there are tough times is, "this too shall pass." Everything is temporary, and I take that to heart. I also try not to take myself too seriously.

If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what would that one rule be?

I think everybody should be forced to think before they speak.

What's your favorite pastime and why?

Ever since I was a little kid, my grandpa took me fishing. I love to do it. I don't get to do it enough. Sometimes, I'll even fish at Reflection Lake at USI. People are surprised at how many fish are in our two lakes. There are all kinds of fish in there. There are catfish, bass and bluegills. That's one thing that we have over other schools. We are one of the few schools that you can walk out of your residence hall and go fish for bass.

I also like to run a lot. I don't run as much as I used to. One of the great things about USI is the trails. If you're into outdoor exercise, there's no better place to be.

If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning a medal for?

I think I could win a medal for bass fishing. One of the things I like about fishing is that it's me, alone. I'm not the most patient person, but for some reason with fishing I can be incredibly patient. I completely focus in, and it's almost a Zen-like thing for me. It's just me and the fish. That's for sure what I would take to the Olympics.

(This interview was conducted by University Communications student worker Kaylee Johnson '20.)