Students get the full college experience and even make connections with other individuals on campus because of events and clubs offered by the school. Much of that wouldn’t be possible without Sharon Silverstein, director of the Office of Campus Activities and Student Leadership Development, who is retiring after 23 years at the Ammerman campus after the 2023 spring semester. 

Silverstein, who has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Wisconsin, as well as a master’s in education from the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale, said there is no greater joy than working and helping students on campus. 

“I would say the highlight of my job is working with students directly and watching them appreciate and take advantage of the opportunities that my office provides,” she said. “And whether that means getting involved in exploring what a student leader is, or being a member of an organization, or simply attending an event and having fun, or going to an event and learning something, that is my highlight.”

Silverstein plans to enjoy her retirement by traveling to places like Alaska in July, and later Spain, Portugal and Morocco.  

Silverstein said she will miss the day-to-day encounters with her colleagues. “I’m definitely going to miss that the most.” 

Frank Vino, who is counselor in the Office of Campus Activities for the past 13 years, will now have to say farewell to said Silverstein has been a steady force as the head of the department.

“It’s sort of that over overseeing hand that helps bring the bigger picture together,” Vino said. “She’s got to know each of our individual pieces, and also work with the bigger picture to ensure the work that’s coming out of here is cohesive. And that, that all the areas that are intended to be represented through campus activities, and student leadership development are.”

Vino added that Silverstein has been supportive of students and students rights.

“To me, especially in the area that we work in, this is where students are supposed to have autonomy and choice in the activities and events and the programs that they see or would like to see happen here,” Vino said. 

“Sharon is just a tremendous supporter of students’ rights in their abilities to be able to have a say and engage in the process of creating the events, the programs, the activities that occur in this area that we work in.”