Head of School Henry Smyth and Director of College Counseling Sarah Ross welcomed Logan Powell, Associate Provost for Enrollment & Dean of Undergraduate Admission at Brown University, as the sixth annual Francis J. Carey, Jr. Lecture speaker on Friday, September 19, 2025.

Powell spoke from the stage in the packed Alumni Auditorium to an audience of Upper School students and faculty. He shared about his experience going to an all-boys high school (“I hated it … until I loved it”) and about the circumstances that led to him learning to read in prison (his father was incarcerated when Powell was a small child; he learned to read while visiting him).

Though Powell majored in biology at Bowdoin University, he has spent his entire career in admissions, illustrating a point he made during the Q&A that followed his talk about how one’s field of study and where one ends up working isn’t necessarily linked. “The best thing you can do is have a range of experiences in college,” he said.

His talk focused on three areas of a college application: the academic portfolio, extracurriculars, and character. He emphasized that grades and course rigor are important though being at the top of the class is not essential for admission. Regarding outside involvement, Powell stressed that admissions offices are looking for students who have made an impact in their communities who will likely be engaged at the college or university as well. Finally, and Powell said, “most importantly,” they look for signs of character, or “the roommate test” — i.e. would this student make a good roommate?

Powell also spoke about the range of students that are accepted to Brown: Some are well-rounded, while others are what he referred to “well-lopsided,” meaning that they are involved in a smaller number of activities but that they are deeply engrossed in them.

One point that he came back to multiple times was that of authenticity; he encouraged students to do what they truly enjoy and to share that joy when building narratives for their college applications.

The Carey Lecture series, which brings to Gilman experts in college admissions, is made possible by the generosity of the W.P. Carey Foundation. We thank the Foundation and the Carey family for their continued support.

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About Logan Powell, Dean of Admission and Associate Provost for Enrollment, Brown University

Logan Powell is the Marilyn and Charles H. Doebler IV Dean of Admission and Associate Provost for Enrollment at Brown University. He is responsible for the identification, recruitment and selection of all undergraduates seeking entrance to Brown. He leads all related strategic initiatives including data analysis, communications, and process innovation. Powell manages the Office of Financial Aid, as well as the Registrar’s Office, and leads the University’s Enrollment Division. Powell is a member of the council of Ivy deans of admission and has served on several national nonprofit advisory boards.

Prior to joining Brown, Powell worked as the director of admission at Princeton University. Previously, he served as senior associate dean of admission at Bowdoin College and senior admissions officer at Harvard University. Originally a low-income student from Florida, he earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an Ed.M. from Harvard University, and an A.B. from Bowdoin College.