"I realized I wanted to work with college students, especially adult students who were returning or just starting college. So, I returned to The College of New Rochelle, NYTS Campus, as an adjunct in 1993. Now, as the Assistant Campus Director at the JOC Campus I can emphatically state that education is truly my passion." Samuel Lilly Assistant Campus Director John Cardinal O’Connor Campus School of New Resources

What is your position at the School of New Resources?

I serve as the Assistant Campus Director at the John Cardinal O’Connor Campus. I assist the Campus Director, Dr. Joseph King, in the overall responsibility for the campus. I work toward maintaining the student-centered, holistic academic advisement model primarily by direct supervision of the Instructional Staff Team. 

I understand you’re a graduate of SNR. What were you doing when you first heard about The College of New Rochelle?

I was working full-time at the New York Telephone Company (Verizon) as a trained engineer. In addition, I served on the ministerial staff of a church as the Director of the Church School with a membership of over seven hundred. The church membership was almost ten times as large. I was also a husband and the father of three young children.

How did you go about returning to school?

I remember taking the entrance examination and completing the writing sample with much nervous energy. It was a relief when I learned that I had successfully completed the assessment process and would have the opportunity to complete my college education.  My mother was extremely satisfied, recognizing that this would be another opportunity for me to become a college graduate. I had not been successful at my previous attempts at tertiary education. At the time of my re-entry into school, I had been out of academia for about fifteen years.

So you know what it is like for an adult to return to college?

I certainly do and it helps me be a better administrator. I have experienced the long hours of late-night study, the early rising to prepare children for school, and the work-week that seems to never end. I’ve been there. I have done that. And most importantly, I know it can be done. If you are willing to put in the time and effort, you can earn a college degree, especially if you attend CNR’s School of New Resources.

When did you graduate?

Well, with much support, dedication and prayer, I graduated from the School of New Resources in 1989. I was then admitted to Princeton Theological Seminary where I earned two more degrees: the Master of Divinity and the advanced Master of Theology.

While you were at Princeton, were you also working?

Yes, I was as I had a family to support. I served as a student pastor at a UCC church in Newark, New Jersey.  I also served as an outreach minister of a Presbyterian church in Paterson, New Jersey. And finally, I worked as the director of the transition program for homeless men at an Episcopal church in Paterson, New Jersey.  These experiences led me to an opportunity that was to reveal to me my true passion.

And what is your true passion?

I realized I wanted to work with college students, especially adult students who were returning or just starting college. So, I returned to The College of New Rochelle, NYTS Campus, as an adjunct in 1993. Now, as the Assistant Campus Director at the JOC Campus I can emphatically state that education is truly my passion.

From your experience why is a college degree from CNR’s School of New Resources the right degree for an adult learner?

One of the major benefits of the ‘Liberal Arts’ education received at the School of New Resources is that it provides a person with the tools to choose any field of endeavor with confidence, knowing that he or she will be equipped to succeed. The College of New Rochelle, for example, gave me the instruments necessary to negotiate my future. Now I am able to turn around and help others gain the same sort of experience, knowledge and confidence to be successful for themselves. That’s a great feeling for any professor or administrator. You just can’t beat that experience. It makes all those long nights and long hours worth all the effort.

What sort of student is successful at the School of New Resources?

I am not certain that there is a specific profile for the successful student at the School of New Resources. Those who are willing to engage new time management parameters, focus on the academic tasks and seek to enhance written and presentational skills, develop goals that reach beyond the undergraduate experience and who are intent on service to others will make the successful student.