Away from the prying eyes of the public, a few highly dedicated deans and administrators form the backbone and the lifeblood of Lawrence University. Among the most dedicated is Paul Shrode.
Campus historian and jack-of-all-trades, Shrode is the associate dean for campus activities. He is a tireless, calm presence that permeates every event on campus. He is a man who not only annually meets multitudes of people and moves mountains of paper to make sure campus events go as smoothly as planned, he is also an exemplar of a community-oriented administrator. He serves as an advisor to LUCC and ******The Lawrentian*****, and as we reported on May 6, 2004, Shrode is involved with Octoberfest and last year helped bring exhibits from the Appleton Gallery of Art to the Lawrence campus. He wants us to test our ideas and take what we have learned into our lives away from Lawrence, and views the “creation of community” as paramount to his own college experience.
As a rule, Lawrentians disparage our main marketing catch-phrase, “The Lawrence Difference,” attributing to it every ludicrous, inexplicable thing they encounter here. But there is a serious sense of The Lawrence Difference ******– the one that suggests that there is something truly unique about who we are, that sets us apart from, and even above, other places. Paul is this kind of difference in the flesh. There are too few people of his constitution in this world for us to believe that he is anything but exceptional, and his dedication to Lawrence never ceases to impress us. We can only hope that, after leaving Lawrence, we will be surrounded by people of his stripe.
Staff Ed: In Praise of Paul Shrode -dlh
