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A lifetime of service celebrated
February 02, 2007
Colleagues and friends gathered to celebrate Rick Seeger’s 34 years of service to PLU at his retirement party last Tuesday.
Seeger joined PLU in 1973 in a temporary position managing the Academic Assistance Center. It was going to be a stepping stone to a position at a four-year, big-name research institution, he said.
“I had no idea I’d be standing here 34 years later in a room full of people, each who touched my life in so many ways,” he said.
Seeger noted that his work experience was unique because through all his positions at PLU, he was doing what he loved.
“My 34 years was mostly joy,” Seeger said.
Throughout his time at the university, he held an array of positions, from teaching and directing the Academic Advising Office to serving on the University Dispute Resolution Committee and acting as site director for the Trinidad and Tobago semester study away program.
Seeger’s most notable contribution the university was his dedication to giving underprivileged and non-traditional students access to a college education at PLU. He targeted those students who wouldn’t otherwise have attended college, and Seeger worked hard to retain these students and help them succeed.
“I have observed a masterful advisor, day in and day out. I learned from his example,” said Pat Roundy, dean for student academic success.
Most recently, he was the senior advisor for student academic success and oversaw the Washington Achievers Scholarship program. The scholarship is an award given to low-income students who have demonstrated the drive and ability to succeed against the odds. It is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Seeger worked closely with many of the scholars, and he also set up a network of mentors on campus to work with them. He was able to sustain meaningful involvement with a number of students, particularly those who felt marginalized on campus, said Dick Jobst, professor of sociology. Jobst credited PLU’s high retention rate of these students to Seeger’s ability to advise and mentor them.
“He made it tolerable for many to finish their time here,” Jobst said.
Other programs he created include the Accelerated Undergraduate Reentry for Adults (AURA), targeting adults who wanted to get a degree; Middle College, a program that bridged the gap between high school and college; and the Challenge Program, an experimental program that conditionally admitted up to 30 students who showed potential for academic success but don’t meet the qualifications to be accepted to PLU. All three programs are no longer being offered.
However, all three programs made PLU accessible to students with lot of potential while giving them the structure they need to succeed, said sociology professor Kathy Russell.
In addition to his work advising and mentoring students, Seeger was lauded for his ability to work with people from across campus. He was approachable, generous, supportive and able to find the humor in most situations, said Leslie Foley, director of the Academic Assistance Center.
“I admire his skill at solving problems … and his ability to see the humor,” Russell said. “He’s intuitive when responding to students and what they needed. He’s a champion for students at PLU.”
“I had no idea I’d be standing here 34 years later in a room full of people, each who touched my life in so many ways,” he said.
Seeger noted that his work experience was unique because through all his positions at PLU, he was doing what he loved.
“My 34 years was mostly joy,” Seeger said.
Throughout his time at the university, he held an array of positions, from teaching and directing the Academic Advising Office to serving on the University Dispute Resolution Committee and acting as site director for the Trinidad and Tobago semester study away program.
Seeger’s most notable contribution the university was his dedication to giving underprivileged and non-traditional students access to a college education at PLU. He targeted those students who wouldn’t otherwise have attended college, and Seeger worked hard to retain these students and help them succeed.
“I have observed a masterful advisor, day in and day out. I learned from his example,” said Pat Roundy, dean for student academic success.
Most recently, he was the senior advisor for student academic success and oversaw the Washington Achievers Scholarship program. The scholarship is an award given to low-income students who have demonstrated the drive and ability to succeed against the odds. It is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Seeger worked closely with many of the scholars, and he also set up a network of mentors on campus to work with them. He was able to sustain meaningful involvement with a number of students, particularly those who felt marginalized on campus, said Dick Jobst, professor of sociology. Jobst credited PLU’s high retention rate of these students to Seeger’s ability to advise and mentor them.
“He made it tolerable for many to finish their time here,” Jobst said.
Other programs he created include the Accelerated Undergraduate Reentry for Adults (AURA), targeting adults who wanted to get a degree; Middle College, a program that bridged the gap between high school and college; and the Challenge Program, an experimental program that conditionally admitted up to 30 students who showed potential for academic success but don’t meet the qualifications to be accepted to PLU. All three programs are no longer being offered.
However, all three programs made PLU accessible to students with lot of potential while giving them the structure they need to succeed, said sociology professor Kathy Russell.
In addition to his work advising and mentoring students, Seeger was lauded for his ability to work with people from across campus. He was approachable, generous, supportive and able to find the humor in most situations, said Leslie Foley, director of the Academic Assistance Center.
“I admire his skill at solving problems … and his ability to see the humor,” Russell said. “He’s intuitive when responding to students and what they needed. He’s a champion for students at PLU.”