On Friday March 9th, 2012, University leaders, team members, and faculty joined family members and friends to celebrate the life of Linda Boitos. Linda headed the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning for four and a half years, introducing industry-leading standards for academic program review, project management, survey design, and statistical analysis. Although her role was “behind the scenes” from a student point of view, her work continues to contribute to our goals of continuous improvement of academic quality and ensuring student success.
Linda believed passionately in the value Northcentral brings to its many working adult students, in part because she had walked a mile in their shoes. Often carrying a full-time student load, she worked at the General Motors Technology Center by day, then drove to Wayne State University in Detroit, where she attained both a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and a Master’s Degree in Library Science. While she held several positions at GM during her 30-year career there, her last several years were spent as a Research Analyst at the General Motors Research Library. As her husband Jim puts it, “She would never have reached that level without all the effort she put into her education. She knew that being smart was not enough to succeed in our society in this day and age.”
Linda felt a strong need to give back to a broader community, to serve others in a way that would allow them to benefit from education in the way she had. After almost three years at West Shore Community College in Ludington, Michigan, Linda joined Northcentral in 2007 and in June of this year would have celebrated her 5th anniversary at the University. To serve a community of people seeking achievement through higher education was a dream come true and she considered her role in helping Northcentral achieve continued U.S. regional accreditation one of the high-water marks of her career. Her husband Jim explains, “She felt both challenged and respected for the work she performed. She felt a lot of gratitude for those here who helped her in achieving the goals of the University.”
Linda Boitos personified the purpose and spirit of Northcentral University and will be greatly missed.