Suzanne Hamid

“I’ve witnessed a lot during my time here: sobering experiences and good experiences. But now I have come full circle,” said Suzanne Hamid, twirling her chair in her office as she looks at the ceiling. She is remembering when she lived above her head, back when the Centenary Building was a dorm call East Wing and she was its resident director. Now, 24 years later, Dr. Hamid is the director of First Year Programs and Global Perspectives.

Author, professor, and career woman Suzanne Hamid can be called the face of Lee University. She has served in a broad variety of positions and helped create many of the programs that make Lee the genuine and caring campus that it is known as.

Dr. Hamid came to Lee from the island of Trinidad for her undergraduate degree in communications during the 80s. Graduating in three years, she was in a rush to get back to her native land. However, during her final year, she was offered a resident director position and she decided to stay. Dr. Hamid graduated with her master’s degree in Christian education from Lee in 1991. She went on to receive her Ed.D. in educational administration and policy studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2004. All the while, she remained loyal to her alma mater.

“Lee just grows on you,” she said, grinning. “I just never got bored. There was always something new and challenging.”

Dr. Hamid faced and overcame many challenges during her time at Lee, and the products made the school stronger. She established the Office of First Year Programs and the Office of Student Events (now known as the Office of Student Development), developed and coordinated residence hall programs, and served on countless boards for the improvement of Lee University. But most importantly, Suzanne Hamid has helped to purposely enrich the lives of Lee students.

“It is important to find your passion. Mine is working with students and working with people to enhance the experience of students. I don’t look at these kids where they are right now, but where they will be.”

Dr. Hamid is a pioneer in first year programs for Lee University freshmen. With this position, she supervises 72 freshman seminar instructors; directs a 50-member student leadership team; and designs and executes a new student orientation program for 2,500 students, parents, and faculty twice a year. She is recognized nationally for this initiative and has written more than five books on how to improve a student’s college experience. Her first year experience program was included in the John Templeton Guide to College and Character roster.

“I was very fortunate to have met and befriended movers and shakers in the first year programs movement,” says Hamid. “I started the Office of First Year Programs in 1996 and most of my professional life has been spent serving first-year students. Gateway is not just a course but rather a comprehensive program designed to assist first-year students in adjusting to university life.”

Dr. Hamid is also the director of the Global Perspectives program and the chair of the Global Perspectives committee. In this position, she supervises 30 study-abroad programs as well as the global perspectives class (GST200) taught by 25 instructors. She has notably created a global perspectives policy and procedure manual that is used throughout the country.

“Because of Lee’s emphasis on global studies, our graduates have a competitive edge when they enter the job market, they enter the real world with a degree and passport in hand, and they leave Lee better prepared to be world citizens,” said Hamid.

During her time at Lee, Dr. Hamid has served on numerous committees and task forces including the general education core, international students, homecoming, campus events, New Student Orientation, Freshman Year Experience, diversity, SACS re-accreditation, registration, and academic advising. She has also overseen several assessment projects including the Cooperative Institutional Research project, Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI), and course evaluations. During this time, Dr. Hamid also squeezed in time to teach six different courses at Lee.

Unfortunately, Dr. Hamid is saying farewell to the university that she loves so much. In December, she will marry Dr. David Holt, director of the Middle East Studies Programs for the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, and they will be moving to Cairo, Egypt. They will be traveling regularly throughout the Middle East, most notably through the countries of Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan.

“I need a new challenge. I can’t think of a more fun challenge than getting married and moving to the Middle East,” she says. Although she will not be working for a time, Dr. Hamid has already connected with social organizations and plans on heavily volunteering when she is not traveling.

“This has been my life and my home for all of my adult years,” she says when she ponders all the things and people that she will miss. “It’s all I have known for 20 years. But it is time.”

She leaves a word of advice for students: “Since we’re not going to hurry God up, you might as well settle down and enjoy where you are at right now.”

Posted on - 11/13/07