By: Sienna Escobar
Southern Adventist University Residence Life staff and students said goodbye to
Associate Dean Susan Pennington as she moved into retirement after more than 13 years of
service.
According to Lisa Hall, dean of students and director of Residence Life, Pennington was
primarily in charge of student housing and running the associated software during her time at
Southern. At one point, she managed all of Talge, Thatcher and Thatcher South dorms.
Eventually, as the number of students grew, Pennington transitioned to overseeing just Thatcher
and Thatcher South.
On top of these responsibilities, Pennington had weekly office hours when she was
available to help students in person. According to Hall, Pennington’s duties included a large
variety of tasks.
“The extra hours housing requires to stay on top of emails during the summer, working
through challenging roommate issues, parents who were upset about something regarding their
student, having to occasionally plunge a toilet, taking a student to the ER in the middle of the
night — the list is lengthy,” Hall stated in an email to the Accent.
According to Pennington, she graduated from Southern with a degree in management and
had no intention of ever serving as a dean. After over 25 years working as an accountant, she
happened upon a listing for a temporary dean job and felt impressed to apply.
“Being a dean was all God led!” Pennington stated in an email to the Accent. “I had
never thought about being a dean!”
After working as a temporary or part-time dean for some time, Pennington quit her
accounting job and began working full-time at the residence halls.
“I fell more in love with being a dean and the residents,” she stated. “Over a year later
and [after] many prayers, Southern offered me the full-time dean job.”
“…. There are no words that can adequately say how much I loved the residents and being
a dean,” she added.
According to fellow deans and student Residence Life workers, Pennington brought a
sunny spirit to her work environment.
“Dean Pennington doesn’t know any strangers,” Associate Dean Chamra Anthony
said. “You walk in, and she’s just talking and happy and very sanguine.”
Nema Ogal, a senior chemistry major and residents’ assistant (RA) who worked with
Pennington, shared similar feelings.
“She is so trustworthy,” Ogal said. “You can confide in her.”
Despite the different conflicts and disciplinary actions Pennington had to address with
residents, Ogal said she seemed to view all students with an attitude of grace and
impartiality.
“She treated everyone the same, and she was so authentic,” Ogal said. “She just
genuinely saw them holistically.”
Makenzie Martz, a junior elementary education major and a student dean who worked
with Pennington, said she valued Pennington’s example as a Christian. According to Martz,
Pennington would make a point of praying with all the RAs who were on duty when she was
working in the evenings.
“She modeled Jesus so well, and she’s such a role model for how I want to interact
with young people someday because I looked up to her so much,” Martz said.
According to Anthony, Pennington’s last day of work was Oct. 2. On Sept. 28, an email
sent to residents of Thatcher and Thatcher South dorms and Southern Village informed
students of Pennington’s retirement and invited them to a goodbye reception being held for
her.
The RAs and Dean Sara Chase also planned a surprise party for Pennington on her
last Thursday shift at the dorms, according to Anthony. The RAs set up a pickleball court in
the center courtyard of Thatcher, since Pennington is well-known for her love of pickleball
among friends and coworkers.
Ogal recalled the party and laughed about the results of playing against Pennington.
“Dean Pennington will destroy you guys at pickleball,” Ogal said. “All of us got to play
her [and], of course, lose.”
According to Hall, Pennington’s position will be filled by Chase and Associate Dean
Mary Neri. Chase will be taking over management of the Thatcher and Thatcher South desk
areas while Neri moves into the housing role that Pennington occupied.
Chase, a Southern alumna, worked as a student dean in college and joined the Residence
Life staff this school year after spending nearly 20 years as a high school dean. According to
Hall, Chase has shadowed multiple deans to become familiar with all their different roles.
Chase said one of the biggest differences from working at an academy is the sheer
number of students and new names to learn. At the same time, she said meeting people is one of
the most rewarding aspects of her job.
“A deaning job is predictably unpredictable: there’s certain things you have to do each
day, but you also don’t know what’s going to happen each day,” Chase said. “Building those
relationships and hoping that along the way I can have some sort of positive impact– really,
just show Jesus [and] get to know people — that’s the fun part.”
Reflecting on her time at Southern, Pennington also found relationships to be among the
most rewarding aspects of her job. She brought up times she had bonded with students over
Chik-fil-A, offered a hug during personal tragedies or medical emergencies or spent time with
students who came into her office just to say “hi.”
“I loved the hugs, prayer time and conversations with the residents,” Pennington stated,
“RA worships on Thursday nights I absolutely loved! … Being able to openly talk about God
[and] praying every day for God’s Wisdom and to show His love to the residents.”
Pennington stated that she plans to spend more of her time now with her elderly mother,
husband, children and grandchildren. She and her husband like to try local restaurants in the
Chattanooga area, she said. And, of course, she plans to play more pickleball.
