Madison Shumway
Life Editor
Last week, ISU named Lyn Redington as its new Vice President for Student Affairs. That was a smart choice.
Redington boasts two graduate degrees and decades of experience making decisions that impact university students.
She hails from another ISU—Iowa State—where she received her bachelor’s in sociology and a master’s in professional studies in education. Two decades later, she returned for a Ph.D in educational leadership and policy studies.
Her education prepared her for several residence life positions in Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and Arizona, which she held for over 25 years combined.
Redington rounded out her pre-Idaho State career as the Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students at the University of Iowa, presiding over student life and involvement.
As VP for Student Affairs at ISU, she’ll be responsible for housing, student clubs and organizations, as well as campus resources like Counseling and Testing, Career Center and Disability Services. Redington’s experience has more than prepared her for these responsibilities.
At the University of Iowa, Redington’s office emphasized diversity and inclusion, campus safety and affirmative consent and made early intervention resources readily available to struggling students (and those who worried about them). The office also published detailed annual reports about students accessing those intervention resources.
ISU is home to the Diversity Resource Center and many students and faculty members who prioritize diversity. But the school’s international student retainment problem points to a need for concerted diversity and inclusion efforts.
It’s also home to the Students of Concern team, which provides intervention resources for struggling students. Those resources can be more widely publicized at ISU.
It’s my hope that with Redington at the helm, ISU’s campus resources will look a bit more like Iowa’s, with emphasis on promoting diversity and inclusion, providing easy access to intervention services and teaching affirmative consent.
Lyn Redington will come to ISU this June with decades of experience and education under her belt. In the university’s press release last week, she said she’s “very excited about being part of the Bengal family.” I’m excited, too.
