At the Heart of it All
At Rider, as with most any university you’ll find, the Office of Academic Affairs is essentially the nerve center of its curricula. Through that office, needs and objectives are routed before emerging as academic policies and projects, all designed to strengthen scholastic rigor on campus. But if the office itself is the nerve center, then Patricia Lutz just may be the University’s heart.
Lutz, the executive assistant to Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald Steven, has carved out a reputation as a friendly, engaging and involved member of the Rider community since joining the staff nearly 18 years ago. Through her dedication to her work, Lutz had already long since earned the respect of Rider’s faculty and professional staff by the time she earned her bachelor’s degree at the University.
But in the past 13 months, it was a much more daunting challenge – one she never planned on – that presented Lutz the opportunity to reveal the inner strength and grace that form the stanchions of her more public affability, all traits that ultimately earned her the 2008 Ziegler Gee Award at the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program (GASSP!) Colloquium on Thursday, April 3.
In March 2007, Lutz was diagnosed with breast cancer, a diagnosis that launched her immediately into a battle for her health. Surgery was followed by chemotherapy and then, radiation treatments.
“The prognosis is excellent,” she explained. “The latest test results made me very, very happy.”
Lutz would not have her story defined by a struggle against cancer, however. She is much more content to focus on how fortunate she feels to work at a job she loves and to be surrounded by people – both at Rider and at home – who, besides sharing in life’s joys, supported her endlessly through the tough times. “I drew strength from my faith in God, and I am blessed with a wonderful family,” Lutz recalled. “Continuing to work was definitely right for me. I feel like my second family is here. The concern and support I received from my co-workers, along with so many people from all over the campus made me feel so good. I enjoy coming to work each day, and being with both my home family and Rider family makes me happy.”
There is, in fact, some overlap between Lutz’s family at home and her larger “Rider family.” Her husband, John, is a 1970 graduate and her daughter, Amy Mahoney, earned a bachelor’s degree in 1995. What’s more, Amy’s husband, Dennis, also proudly hangs an M.B.A. diploma from Rider on his wall. And Pat’s son, David, was part of the Rider family when he worked in Moore Library. Their influence, along with working everyday in Academic Affairs, inspired Lutz to resume her own education not long after arriving at Rider in 1990.
“I always wanted to complete my bachelor’s degree, and this was the ideal situation,” said Lutz, an Upper Holland, Pa., resident who had previously earned an associate’s degree from Bucks County Community College. “Working in Academic Affairs was just a plus. There, I saw how hard members of the faculty work at their teaching and scholarship. It’s a terrific ‘inside view,’ and being part of that really made me want to get my degree.
She did, in 2000, after studying Liberal Arts in the College of Continuing Studies. Along the way, Lutz completed a research project on social activist Jane Addams and her world-famous social settlement, Hull-House, on Chicago’s Near West Side. Her research essay was selected for presentation at the 1998 Women’s Studies Colloquium, the forerunner to the current GASSP! Colloquium.
“It was so excellent that it was subsequently selected, in 2002, as one of the Best Essays from the Rider Women’s Studies Colloquia and published in a book of the same title celebrating the 20-year history of the program,” said Dr. Kelly Noonan, associate professor of Economics and director of the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, as she presented Lutz with the Ziegler Gee Award.
“Getting my bachelor’s degree helped me grow as a person and gave me more confidence,” Lutz said of the experience, which also saw her win the Andrew J. Rider Award, as well as have membership in the Honor Key Society conferred upon her, in 1998.
The Ziegler Gee Award was established in 1986 to honor outstanding role models for women. It is named in honor Sadie Ziegler and Bernice Gee, two women whose service to Rider University totaled 88 years, according to Dr. Walter Brower ’48, a retired professor and the University historian. Ziegler began in 1909 after her graduation and worked as the secretary of the college before becoming secretary to the Board of Trustees upon its formation in 1937. Gee began work in 1917 as the treasurer of the college. “They were both absolutely committed to Rider; it was their life,” Brower attested.
In that sense, then, Lutz is an ideal choice to carry that mantle for this year. “In addition to the demands of her job, Pat regularly volunteers to support campus charities and events, especially activities that assist community families,” Noonan also said at the presentation, echoing words she accepted from those who nominated Lutz for the award. “One would never know she has her own concerns and worries.”
Lutz’s commitment to the Rider community also made an impression on Dr. Phyllis Frakt, the retired provost and vice president for Academic Affairs with whom Lutz worked prior to Dr. Steven. Her nomination of Lutz for the Ziegler Gee Award carried substantial weight with the award committee. “I was very surprised,” Lutz explained. “Being nominated by Phyllis meant a lot to me.”
It is a sentiment shared by many, especially the current provost. “One of the great joys I discovered when I came to Rider has been working with Pat Lutz,” said Steven, following the award presentation. “She is undoubtedly one of the very finest professionals I have ever worked with, and I hear almost every day from so many members of the Rider community about the high regard in which they hold her. I’m certain I heard a big cheer resounding across the campus when this award to Pat was announced.”
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