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Presidential Award of Excellence, 2011

Frazzled undergraduates, multi-tasking faculty members, and even concerned parents have learned that when they walk into the office of Lynn Beaver, things will be sorted out, make sense, and get better—fast.

In her 10 years as an administrator with the Department of Sociology, Beaver has earned a reputation as a trouble-shooter, ace organizer, and compassionate sounding board. And what drives her, Beaver says, is a simple desire to see students realize their potential.

“I really want the students to be successful,” Beaver says. “And in helping them and their advisers, I get a great deal of satisfaction when I see them reach their goals.”
Her colleagues say Beaver is a gifted communicator who simultaneously displays an almost encyclopedic knowledge of academic procedures and the requirements students must meet: from the intricacies of transfer credits to study abroad options and the details of double-counting credits.

“As chair of the department, I am impressed again and again with the exceptionally high levels of professional competence and engagement that Lynn maintains in her day-to-day advising,” says Professor Michele Dillon.

Dillon adds that Beaver mastered the new Discovery course requirements before any of the faculty, and provided them with a clear and detailed outline of the new program. Beaver is noted for keeping careful watch on each sociology major’s records and progress, course requirements, important deadlines and issues. She also helps students compile Sociological Perspectives, the undergraduate sociology journal of ��ʤ������.

“Lynn combines a remarkable talent for organization and administration with a modest, down to earth, and compassionate approach to student advising,” wrote one colleague in nominating her for the staff excellence award. “Students can attest to her respectful, direct, and thorough approach, and faculty count on her talent for anticipating and addressing various student issues and concerns.”

Beaver says that having three grown children of her own helps her relate to the many undergraduates who come to her department’s office. “She maintains the highest ethical standards, and is unfailingly friendly and courteous toward faculty, college administrators, students and, as often occurs, students’ parents,” Dillon says.