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Three retiring members of the administration were recognized at Lafayette’s annual trustee-faculty dinner May 19. They are Jeannette Majka, assistant to the president; Barry W. McCarty, dean of enrollment services; and Lorraine Mineo, general biology laboratory coordinator. President Dan Weiss read the citations.
JEANNETTE MAJKA
Jeannette Majka’s Lafayette career began in 1970 here in Marquis Hall – not as a College employee but as a secretary and administrative assistant with M.W. Wood dining services. She moved to Lafayette’s payroll in 1979, serving first as secretary and research assistant to the Frank Lee and Edna M. Smith Professor of Economics and then working in the Office of Career Planning and Placement and the personnel office.
In 1985 she was promoted to a position in the president’s office, where David Ellis was the first of four Lafayette presidents to benefit from her exemplary loyalty and dedication. She has held the title of assistant to the president since 1994.
From her northeast-corner office on the third floor of Markle Hall, Jeannette has coordinated a number of important programs for the College. Her efficiency and professionalism were put to particularly good use on the two occasions when she served as the Secret Service’s on-campus contact: first in 1998 when George H.W. Bush received an honorary degree from Lafayette and then in 2003 when Andrew H. Card, Jr., spoke in the Kirby Hall of Civil Rights.
Jeannette treasures the many friendships she has made over the years with Lafayette undergraduates – some of whom have gone on to be trustees and other prominent volunteers. Her three favorite alumni, however, have a last name in common: Majka – husband Richard ’71 and sons John ’85 and Rick ’87. Jeannette, we know your retirement will be deeply enriched by the many hours you will spend with your family, including your four grandchildren, and by the personal satisfaction you will also derive from travel, golf, gardening, and orchid-growing.
BARRY W. McCARTY
As an economics major at Muhlenberg, Barry McCarty acquired skills that have made him adept at interpreting the esoteric nuances of college admissions and financial aid. Equally relevant, however, is the M.A. in teaching he earned at Lehigh. For Barry is at heart a teacher and communicator. Countless Lafayette families – and readers of his two books, How to Pay for Your Child’s College Education and Making College Affordable – have benefited from his talent for describing a daunting process in a way that is clear, candid, and reassuring.
Barry’s Lafayette career began with his appointment as assistant director of admissions in 1967. Two years later he also assumed responsibilities within the College’s financial-aid program, which he directed for a number of years. In 1997 he was named dean of enrollment services. A member and officer of such leading professional organizations as the state and national Associations of Student Financial Aid Administrators and the College Scholarship Service, Barry also contributed articles to, among others, The New York Times and Chronicle of Higher Education and appeared on The Today Show, CBS This Morning, and other national programs. His expertise has been equally valued abroad. He has traveled extensively as a representative of the U.S. government as well as of the College.
Barry’s dedication to Lafayette and its students did not diminish as retirement neared. He chaired the Steering Committee for our 2006 NCAA certification and served on the working group on athletics. He will continue to assist the College in retirement, including a fall admissions trip to Asia. Barry, we know that travel for pleasure will be a special priority for you and Pam, however, with well-deserved time in Alaska and at your home in Ocean City on your schedule for this summer.
LORRAINE C. MINEO
Dr. Lorraine Mineo has expertly guided and encouraged undergraduate biology majors at Lafayette College since 1970.
Although her service to the biology department has been wide-ranging, her primary affiliation has been as the coordinator of the general biology laboratory program, for which she also trained and supervised the student teaching assistants. She has taught a course in vascular plants for the past 28 years and has also offered courses in introductory plant biology and botanical measurements. Eight honors research projects have been completed under her direction. She co-taught an interdisciplinary senior colloquium on Darwinism for two years and served as the general biology laboratory liaison to the writing-across-the-curriculum program. She has also managed the department’s greenhouse.
Lorraine earned her B.S. in natural sciences from Muhlenberg, her M.A. in botany from Duke, and her doctorate in science education from Lehigh. Her professional achievements include a number of publications and presentations, and she has planned and evaluated science programs at the pre-collegiate level.
In 2000 she received the Aaron O. Hoff People’s Choice Award, which is presented to individuals “known on campus as being unusually productive and concerned for the betterment of the College and its students.” We know she also treasures the less public acknowledgments of her impact, as when one of her student assistants commented that working with Dr. Mineo had taught her “how much I love doing research.” Lorraine, we gratefully acknowledge and applaud your many important contributions to Lafayette and its students over the past 36 years.