“We ARE the big time.” These are the words echoing from the office of Mr. Tim Carlson, Mount Michael’s new Director of Admissions. A Class of 2010 graduate, this is not Carlson’s first time working towards the success of the Knights.
As a student, Carlson played baseball for the Knights and won a Legion championship in his senior season. He played a crucial role as the team’s ace pitcher, going 8-1 with a 3.7 ERA, garnering attention from college scouts in the process.
After graduating from The Mount, Carlson took his talents to Doane University, an NAIA school in Crete, Nebraska. He had a successful pitching career there, racking up an impressive record of 22-4, and being honored as a 3-Time All-Conference Athlete.
Many people would have finished with baseball there, but Carlson felt that his journey with the sport was not yet over, saying, “I wanted to help younger athletes learn about the game and life.” To do this, Carlson worked as a pitching coach for the Texas Longhorns.
Reflecting back on his experiences, Carlson remarked that, “Mount Michael gave me the confidence to pursue my passions and to step outside my comfort zone in a big way.”
With his baseball career in the books, Carlson came home to Omaha and was hired in April of this year.
Carlson said he has only one reason to be here: to get students into Mount Michael’s classrooms.
He went on to say that he intends to affect a “culture shift” in Mount Michael recruiting, where Mount Michael competes for students with other schools. Carlson plans to do this by enhancing common recruiting strategies like visits to Catholic grade schools and inviting potential students to shadow at Mount Michael.
Carlson brought some fresh ideas to Mount Michael recruiting, such as filming “A Day in the Life of a Mount Michael Student” videos for Youtube. He is also working with the journalism program to establish a Mount Michael podcast, “The Round Table.” Mr. Carlson has been working closely with many journalism students, including Jack Stanek ’25, who states that, “Mr. Carlson has been essential to the financing and setup of the podcast.” “The Round Table” is set to release its first episode in the next few weeks.
Another new initiative that Carlson has spearheaded is the creation of the Mount Michael Student Ambassador Program to improve Mount Michael’s performance in recruiting visits. Student Ambassadors are upperclassmen who are acclimated to public speaking and who are passionate about recruiting more students for Mount Michael.
Jackson Teetor ’25, one of Mount Michael’s first Student Ambassadors, said, “Mr. Carlson has brought an inclusive and hands-on approach to the admission process.” The program’s first test was a recruiting visit to Holy Cross on September 17. Carlson and his crew performed admirably, with Teetor certifying that Carlson “got the kids excited about Mount Michael.”
“I love what this school stands for,” Carlson said, “I want to give back the talents and values that were instilled in me at The Mount.” After his return, Carlson certifies that, “The Mount Michael spirit feels the same as when I first stepped on campus in 2006.” Though buildings have been raised and faces have changed, it is safe to say that to Tim Carlson, Mount Michael still feels like home.
