Dr. Andrea Lynch, Professor of Business and STEM at Mercer, recently got her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D) from the highly selective and competitive University of Pennsylvania while working full-time and balancing family life.
How did she do it?
“I didn’t sleep very much during the past two years,” Dr. Lynch says adding “It was very intense, very rigorous. It was a life-long dream that I had since I was young, that one day I would earn a degree at that level, at that caliber.”
She explains, “In my household growing up, there were two things that were really important: education and church.”
Dr. Lynch, who grew up in Camden, New Jersey, credits her grandmothers for finding financial resources to send her to a private Catholic school in a city that, she says, “chews women and black people up and spits them out for lunch every day.”
Speaking about her grandmothers’ efforts, she said, “I had a huge responsibility to make sure I didn’t squander that because I know it came at a cost to them” she says.
Dr. Lynch developed a love of books and libraries at the age of 6 or 7 when she recalls spending a lot of time at the Rutgers Camden library where her grandmother was studying. It was not until later on that she learned the truth.
She says she thought her grandmother was going back to college, and “dragging me along with her, motivating and inspiring me to go to college.” The truth was she wasn’t in college at all; she was working on a GED to finish high school
Dr. Lynch was the first in her family to go to college. She says “Education has the ability to change the social status not just of a person but a family.”
Her colleagues say that commitment to raising people up is one they see in Dr. Lynch’s work.
“She’s fierce!” says Professor Pamela Price the Library Director adding “When she takes on a task, she approaches it with determination, purpose, and drive. It is her concern for issues related to social justice, especially in the workplace, that helps to define her unique contributions to the mission of MCCC.”
Professor of English and Chair of the Liberal Arts Program Dr. Barbara E. Hamilton, says that Dr. Lynch brings “her experience rising up through hard work and determination.”
Students see these traits in the classroom.
A current student of Dr. Lynch, Robert Pinto says, “I think she has a lot of enthusiasm about her job and has a passion to see her students succeed. I think these are two very important traits a professor should have. She always is excited and has a smile on her face when we are in class.”
Another student, Elmer Perez, shares the same opinion saying, “Professor Lynch’s personality is very caring. She is also nice to everyone and she comprehends everyone’s needs in class.”
In addition to her teaching load and running Mercer’s Study Abroad program and coordinating the Center for Global Opportunities, Dr. Lynch stepped up this past summer of 2020 to help lead Mercer’s newly formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee.
As reported in a previous VOICE article, the committee has already worked to establish a plan focussing on areas that will look at hiring a more diverse staff, reevaluating courses and curriculums, and working to better educate the community.
When asked about the lack of diversity in higher-level positions and jobs, and what needs to change in academia, Dr. Lynch says it’s not just academia.
“We see it in politics, we see it in government, we see it in businesses, higher ed. We see it in all of our society,” she says.
She emphasizes that there is a clear distinction between diversity and inclusion saying, “Diversity is the different characteristics that people bring with them. Inclusion is participation, engagement, respect. Inclusion is about attitude.”
In order to bring about the kind of change the DEI is working on, Dr. Lynch says it is necessary to look at, “Who are the decision-makers? Who’s pulling the strings? Who’s controlling the purse? That is inclusion.”
According to her colleagues, Dr. Lynch has the necessary skills to help make the DEI’s goals reality.
Dr. Bettina Caluori, Professor of English and Director of the Honors Program, says that “Dr. Lynch is incredibly hardworking. She works to build consensus and common ground here.”
English Professor Carol Friend says, “She is a role model for many of our students and our fellow colleagues.”
With all her other activities, it’s in the classroom where Dr. Lynch seems to have a direct and immediate influence.
“I’ve only had Professor Lynch for a few weeks, but she makes it seem like I’ve known her for a lifetime,” says a current student Joseph Zisa.
Student Vitoria Sgnini says, “Professor Lynch is one of the best things that happened to me in my first semester at Mercer. Her engagement with her students is just amazing, plus she is so helpful with any college subject matter.”
A former student Mally Muentes Messina says, “I really enjoyed having Dr. Lynch as my professor. She challenges everyone to become better.”
That trait of challenging others traces back to her grandmother. It was her grandmother who encouraged her to keep going and get her doctorate.
Dr. Lynch laughs, explaining, “I’m like ‘Ma, can the ink dry on the master’s degree first? We are standing in the gymnasium of the graduation ceremony. Can we get out of the room before you push me to do more?’”
Twenty years later she fulfilled her grandmother’s dream.
Asked what advice she has for anyone who wants to pursue their career goals Dr. Lynch says, “Persist. There are a lot of distractions in the pursuit of excellence. Keep moving. Never give up.”
