I am Dean of Students…
From the moment you meet her, Lynn Schoenberg will speak to you with excitement and exuberance. This gleefulness is in full view as she shares, “Helping people, that is my ultimate motivation. I didn’t seek out to be a Dean of Students. But when opportunities presented themselves, I thought ‘what’s the best way I can help?”
Two decades after completing her undergraduate education, Schoenberg finds herself with an enduring commitment to the Greek Community and at a university, quite like the one that nurtured her, in prioritizing rich student experiences. The name of the school where she got her bachelor’s, Lynchburg College is not the only thing one would find ironic about her professional journey. Seventeen years ago, Schoenberg was originally hired as Stetson University’s Coordinater of Health and Wellness Initiatives. Now as Dean of Students, she spends hours sitting stationary through meetings. In her current role, she works with Campus Life and Student Success (ClaSS) as a representative for students. Schoenberg tackles these meetings with the hope of addressing student concerns and lessening their potential to face harmful challenges. Still, she finds the time to get up early and says of her typical routine, “ I like to exercise in the morning, it’s really helpful for my mental clarity.” As she continues to describe her day, filled with surprises and adaptation, her penchant for habit forming still lingers beneath the surface.
I am a Kappa Delta…
As an alumna of Kappa Delta sorority, Schoenberg continues to “build pride” and “inspire action.” For a year after her graduation, she worked as the sorority’s Collegiate Development consultant. It was during this time, visiting over twenty-two college campuses, that Schoenberg realized she loved working with college students. “What I’ve always thought is so important for students is overall wellness, their overall holistic lives,” Schoenberg said. “My suggestion is to get that entry level job that you really are excited about.”
As she began looking for jobs in the Central Florida area, Schoenberg became president of the Orlando-based Alumni Association for Kappa Delta. “When people ask me what sorority I was in, I always correct [them] and say I am a Kappa Delta.” Retaining the position once she began as dean of students, the Panhellenic or Greek events she has seen on campus remind her of the power of collaboration, a virtue that speaks to her.
“I’ve always been a person who had friends in different groups,” Schoenberg said. “Even though I adored my sorority sisters, and it was a wonderful experience for me, I also had friends and other organizations and so [those events] bring people together.”
I am a female leader…
After 17 years and three different university presidents, Schoenberg has witnessed many changes throughout her time at Stetson. “The Welcome Center didn’t exist when I got here. Brown Hall didn’t exist. McMahon Hall, it’s a long list of physical changes. But even then, I feel like we’ve worked so hard to shape our traditional beauty right at the same time.” However, Schoenberg reflects on the changes she experienced during COVID-19, “I learned some of the greatest leadership lessons that I might ever learn in my whole life,” Schoenberg said. “It is really important as a female leader to be in spaces where you’re trusted to make really important decisions. Because women have a lot to offer in that voice, right . . . In those spaces, and also as a role model.”
She attributes the task force’s award for extraordinary leadership, awarded by the American Council on Education Women’s Network of Florida, partly to the perspective that she and Dr. Theresa Radwan had as mothers. Prioritizing, what she calls “work-life integration” she sees the team’s response to COVID-19 as having been, “very middle ground compared to our peer institutions, especially other private schools. We took some risks in our decision-making, but we had a very comprehensive program.” Schoenberg, an adult whose undergraduate experience markedly shaped her future, saw an avenue that preserved the communal living that defines student’s college experience while also keeping them protected.
To the Class of 2028…
As she continues to serve the next generation Schoenberg wants to, “extend a giant WELCOME to our new incoming students. I said that my favorite day of the year is commencement. My second favorite day is very clearly move-in [day] and FOCUS [orientation]. I love seeing students from when they’re a first-year student, all the way to commencement, and how they evolve. Can’t wait to meet you new Hatters.”
