A Year-Long Series on the Student Success Center: Introducing Dr. Ingrid Ilinca

Many know that Westminster College opened a comprehensive Student Success Center within Reeves Library in September 2020. But they may be unfamiliar with the Center’s many hard-working staff members who advise, tutor, and mentor students each and every day.

These Westminster employees can be found helping a graduating senior research job options at the Greg Richard Office of Advising and Career Development. Another, in the WCares Program, might offer guidance to a freshman who is struggling with adjusting to a packed academic schedule. And someone in the Office of Global Educational Services might assist a student who is interested in applying for a Cranshaw Scholarship to study in the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, professional academic advisors are especially busy this time of year helping incoming freshmen choose the right classes for their majors.

This year, Westminster Monthly will feature a different Student Success Center staff member in upcoming issues of the newsletter. This month, we feature Dr. Ingrid Ilinca, Associate Dean of Student Success and Chief Retention Officer.

Ilinca joined Westminster’s faculty in 2010 as an assistant professor of French. She served as chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and chair of the Division of Humanities before assuming her current role as Associate Dean of Student Success and Chief Retention Officer in 2017.

Ilinca earned an MA in French Interdisciplinary Studies and a PhD in French Studies at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Passionate about the transformative power of education, Ilinca’s role at the Student Success Center involves overseeing academic services and programs designed to holistically support Westminster’s students in their academic and professional development. As leader of an enthusiastic team of academic specialists, Ilinca seeks to channel their efforts toward the exploration and timely implementation of innovative approaches to student success.

Originally from Jassy, the second largest city in Romania, Ilinca now calls Fulton her home and appreciates the charm of small-town life. When she isn’t at Westminster, Ilinca enjoys chatting with family and friends on two continents, pursuing her lifelong passion for reading and learning, listening to classical music, and taking long walks on Fulton’s Stinson Creek Trail.