The Office of Academic Services hired Sarah Hoenig, program manager for the Lerman-Neubauer Fellowship Program; Megan Penyack '99, adviser to the junior and senior classes; and Emily Walsh, adviser to the first-year class and supervisor of Brandeis Undergraduate Group Study.Sarah Hoenig joined the Office of Academic Services as the program manager for the newly established Lerman-Neubauer Fellowship Program. Both the Lerman-Neubauer program and Hoenig's position are newly developed for this year. The program has been "developed by Brandeis to recruit students who are high-achieving in the social sciences," Hoenig said.

The program allows a select few students the opportunity to pursue specific research in politics and the social sciences with leading University professors.

"My job is working with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to recruit the top students in the country," Hoenig said. Once the students have arrived at the University, Hoenig's role is to "give [them] the full Brandeis experience." This includes designing both academic and extracurricular programming for them, Hoenig said.

The fellowship involves a specific research and experience project in the students' senior year. Many students "go on to apply for fellowships and graduate schools," she said.

There are currently 12 students in the program from different backgrounds, states and countries, according to Hoenig. Their interests are "mainly in economics, politics and history," Hoenig said.

Megan Penyack, who graduated from Brandeis in 1999 with a major in French Language and Literature, will be the new adviser to the junior and senior classes but will also act in a general advising role for all students. "I meet with any students that come in and need help," Penyack said.

"A lot of that involves helping the students audit their transcripts and making sure they're on track to graduate," she added. The position also involves a lot of collaboration with other staff members in the Office of Academic Services, according to Penyack.

Emily Walsh will be the new adviser to the first-year class and the supervisor of BUGS, a study program that offers students extra support in various academic subjects. She will work in conjunction with P.J. Dickson, who is also an adviser to the first-year class.

"I'm hoping to help people connect with other people that are in their major and have support networks so they can feel encouraged to explore all the possibilities that there are," Walsh said.

Hoenig graduated from Bowdoin University and moved to New York, where she spent time working in the drama department at Julliard and later at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. "I really wanted to find a position that would combine my passion for admissions and advising," she said. Brandeis was "the perfect fit."

Penyack has most recently worked in Boston University's School of Management and School of Public Health. "I've done a lot of event planning for undergraduates, including a business seminar in Dublin," she said.

Penyack also has experience working with international students, both in an academic advisery role and through involvement with student groups.

Walsh graduated from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology and sociology. She then received her masters in counseling from Providence College. Most recently, she was a resident director at Bryant University in Rhode Island.

"I worked primarily with first-year students there. I did a lot of work with alcohol education. I also taught a first-year experience class," Walsh said.