It’s not hard for Anoja Kuruppu to provide perspective to prospective Salukis when he talks about student life at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the programs within in its College of Health and Human Sciences.
Kuruppu, the college’s recruitment and retention coordinator since January, still recalls his own feelings from a springtime campus visit just over a decade ago — meeting with SIU Carbondale faculty and exploring the campus, which includes being greeted by trees and flowers as he walked outside of Morris Library.
“I feel a lot of my past experience as a student here helps me out when I’m interacting with students,” said Kuruppu, who earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2019. “It gives them a real-life example of what I went through, but what really made me decide on SIU was when I took the campus visit here.
“When I was looking around, my parents and I went to three or four different campuses for campus visits. But SIU really stood out because I felt like out of all the schools I went to, this was the one that really catered toward specific student needs and where I personally felt like the faculty and staff really enjoyed what they were doing and cared about the students.”
The recruitment and retention coordinator, or R&R, serves as a key leader in shaping the student experience and driving institutional success. Kuruppu’s role involves strategic planning, program development and collaborative partnerships aimed at attracting, supporting and retaining a diverse student body. Acting as a liaison between academic departments, student services and external partners, the R&R leads initiatives to improve outreach, streamline onboarding processes and implement student success strategies. By analyzing enrollment trends and retention data, Kuruppu helps guide policy and decision-making, ensuring that the college remains responsive to student needs.
Along with helping to oversee recruiting details, Kuruppu’s job includes reaching out to any of the college’s nearly 4,200 students who might have difficulties in the classroom or adjusting to life on campus as soon as possible to determine any needs they might have and then assure them that supportive faculty and staff are there to help.
‘Central to recruiting success’
It can also mean being creative in connecting with current students. In mid-April, he initiated Dawgs with Dean Day, where he, Dean Robert Morgan and other faculty and staff served hot dogs and interacted with students at the college’s living-learning community in the Mae Smith Residence Hall.
“Anoja is central to our enrollment success. Whether it be recruiting or retention, Anoja is front and center to all of our efforts,” Morgan said. “He is extremely energetic and eager to serve our students.”
Morgan added that Kuruppu’s “type of enthusiasm will continue to propel us forward” as the college seeks to enroll 5,000 students by 2030.
Being heavily involved with different events and registered student organizations related to the college and allowing students to put faces to people’s names within the college is crucial, Kuruppu said.
Supportive colleagues
Kuruppu said it is refreshing to work in an environment where college leaders care about their employees.
“Any time I need something, or I have questions about ‘Can we do this?,’ the dean and associate deans have always been extremely supportive” Kuruppu said. “That’s very new and refreshing for me.”
The college has six wide-ranging schools — automotive, aviation, health sciences, human sciences, justice and public safety, and psychological and behavioral sciences — that cover 21 programs. Kuruppu said he enjoys working with each school’s director because of the unique offerings that each school has.
“They have been really incredible to work with,” he said. “The continued partnerships and collaboration with each school is what makes CHHS stand out.”
Kuruppu said each day tends to be different, whether it’s meeting with high school students, principals and guidance counselors, community college students who are looking to transfer, or talking with students who are already on campus.
“I like that because it’s not a continuous thing. This gives me a lot of passion and energy,” he said.
Getting to know students first
Building a rapport with prospective students and learning their interests and goals goes far in helping to explain to students and their families what can be accomplished as a Saluki and comes before delving into program requirements. It’s something Kuruppu recalls from his own SIU visit when he was a student at Manteno High School.
“I met people who talked with me about what my interests could be. That made me feel at home because they didn’t talk to me like I was a number,” he said.
Returning home to SIU
For the 30-year-old Kuruppu, who lives in Carterville with his wife, Rhiannon, and the couple’s two dogs, Laker and Remy, returning to SIU has been a worthwhile journey.
Kuruppu said he realized he wanted to pursue higher education leadership with his first job in enrollment management and admissions at A.T. Still University in Kirksville, Missouri. He then moved to St. Louis and to start working toward his master’s degree in business administration at Lindenwood University.
Kuruppu said his present job appeals to him “because it aligns with my passion for student success and my commitment to higher education.” He sees the role “not just as an administrative function, but as a leadership opportunity to shape meaningful outcomes” for students.
“Knowing that this role and this environment can make a significant impact on students’ lives, especially those students who aren’t sure of what they want to do but they know that they want to go to a university,” he said.
“I like being in the higher education environment, especially at CHHS. I love the program here. I enjoy collaborating with Dean Morgan and the CHHS faculty and staff, and I’m excited to contribute to the college’s continued success and growth. It’s been a short journey so far, but it’s been very fulfilling and very fun.”
