Known for her hospitable smile and enthusiasm for recruitment, Angela Richerson, the University’s campus visit coordinator, was voted best staff member for the 2024 “Best Of” survey.
Richerson, also known as “Mamma Ang” to many students on campus, has worked at the office of Recruitment since 2019 and is fueled by interactions with students and their families.
“I am 100% a people person,” she said. “If I love something, I can sell it all day long, and [I] love…Murray State University, and the people of Murray, Kentucky, have my heart.”
While Richerson’s job is to provide assistance to incoming students and their families, she is also intentional about keeping those relationships as the students continue their journey at Murray State.
“It is our responsibility to make sure these students come to Murray State and stay at Murray State, and that experience starts from the moment they step foot on our campus,” she said. “We are responsible for those students and have to be present for them every day.”
Gabe Taylor, a biology pre-dental junior and a tour guide for Murray State, said Richerson’s strong communication and organization skills are helpful to the department.
“Every time I walk into the Admissions office on my tour day, she always greets me with a smile and…encouragement for my day,” he said. “She gives me all of the information I need for that day’s tour in an efficient way.”
Richerson advised incoming students to choose a school where they feel comfortable and to start their academic journey in an organized fashion.
She said establishing good relationships with advisors and faculty members early on is also important.
Richerson said her goal is to make Murray State stand out among other schools, since there is high competition among universities across the state.
“I make sure every visitor has the best experience ever when coming to Murray State University,” she said. “[Our department] must all be recruiters in a sense.”
One way the University does this is by intentionally planting promotional items among potential students, she said. When admissions counselors are sent out to high schools across the country, they hand out Murray State items and a plethora of information about the University.
“When a student gets that Murray State t-shirt and starts wearing it, we are getting free advertisement, and the students always get [comments] on…wearing them,” she said.
Richerson said she is appreciative of the opportunity to work with students and enjoys the time she spends with them.
“Working with students daily helps keep me young,” she said.
Taylor said she encourages the tour guides to be enthusiastic and to share personal experiences at Murray State with prospective students as well as make the tour personalized for each family.
“She makes sure to convey to us what each prospective student wants to study and that allows us to tailor our tour to what is most relevant to the student,” he said.
Although Richerson has a natural desire to work with people, she is ultimately motivated by her family morals.
“My parents raised [me] to work hard, stay humble, be honest and appreciate every single day God gives us,” she said. “I want everyone that comes to visit to feel at home and have that happy feeling that I do when they step foot on campus.”
