2023 Bender of Twigs

Neal Hoelting is a legend in the Kansas college admissions circuit, having worked at four institutions in the state over a career spanning more than four decades. All the while he has built a strong professional network of presidents, vice presidents, deans, directors and advisors — all who are delighted to see him enter the doors of their community college on behalf of Wichita State. What may not be realized by all in that network though is how humble his career path in education began.

Neal was the 10th of 11 children in the Hoelting family from Olpe, Kansas. Despite having never gone to college, his parents impressed upon Neal and his siblings how important education would be for a lifetime of happiness and success. Upon graduating from Marymount College in 1982, he started his career as a fifth-grade teacher in Smith Center, Kansas. After a few years of teaching, he decided he wanted to take a peek at the other side of the education sector. He peddled the path of a volunteer college recruiter for Marymount, making phone calls to prospective students and high schools each day for months.

From that beginning, Neal’s college recruiting career was off and running. He was hired for a paid role with his alma mater, Marymount, before completing a two-year stint at Barton Community College as an admissions representative. Then his career brought him into Wichita State’s backyard where he served at Butler Community College as an admissions rep and ultimately became the director of admissions. After almost a decade of working at Butler, a mutual friend called the then director of admissions at Wichita State, Christine Schneikart-Luebbe, to inform her “… the best college recruiter in Kansas was available…” for a new opportunity.

Thus, in 1997, his journey to Shocker Nation was officially complete where he has spent 25 years recruiting, advocating for and serving transfer students. It’s not a coincidence for much of that timespan – including the last 12 years in a row – Wichita State has been the state of Kansas’ number one transfer destination.

I congratulate my friend and colleague, Neal Hoelting, on entering the university’s Bender of Twigs. As I was getting a formal start in the profession, I couldn’t have been more fortunate to be teamed with someone who has enriched our office, our profession and the lives of Kansas students by simply being the professional he was born to be, exemplifying exceptional service, being kind in all settings and being ultra-focused on students’ needs.