Ellen NelsonNews Editor

Schroeder has resigned from SDSU to accept the position as Associate Dean of Student Affairs for Ross University, School of Medicine on the island of Dominica, in the Caribbean Sea.

“I keep my eye out for promotional advances,” Schroeder said. “It’s been a career goal of mine to be in this type of a position … and ultimately, career wise, this position is where I want to be.”

Schroeder found the opportunity to advance her career by an on-line posting of this position and accepted it on Sept. 30. The public announcement of her resignation was on Nov. 17 and her last day at SDSU was Nov. 24.

As this job requires her to move to a vacationer’s paradise, Schroeder said it’s nothing but a bonus for her.

“I tend to be adventurous as it is, so I am really looking forward to this,” Schroeder said.

Students admire Schroeder’s persistence of advancing her career by keeping her eyes open for such opportunities.

“It’s easy to settle with what you have,” said Quinn Holden, junior industrial management student. “I think it’s great that she was persistent in what she wanted.”

After a series of thorough on-line and phone interviews with Ross University, Schroeder flew to Dominica in August 2010 for a formal interview and to get a feel for the campus.

“It was quite an extensive interviewing process,” Schroeder said.

She described the process as comprehensively being online, including résumé screening, leadership and administration assessments, personality inventories, interview-type essay questions, value ratings, international travel concerns and an assessment to measure her tolerance for different cultures.

Traveling and starting at an entirely different school and climate, Schroeder is confident in what lies ahead for her.

“I’m really not nervous; I really experienced what it’s like there and I met with the staff. I got a sense of what the student population was like and the culture, as well,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder has been the Wellness Center director for nearly three years, this coming March. Originally form LaCrosse, Wis., she will be moving far from the only three states she’s ever lived in, including Minnesota and South Dakota.

“I’ll really miss my co-workers at the Wellness Center, and the whole building in general,” Schroeder said. “There was truly great leadership among all of them.”

A search committee will be formed to select an individual to replace Schroeder. Mark Ekeland, coordinator of recreation programs and intramurals started acting as the interim director Nov. 25, and will continue to do so until a full-time director is hired.

Ekeland said replacing Schroeder is going to be difficult.

“If we could clone Dr. Schroeder, that would be great,” he said. “We couldn’t have asked for anyone finer than her.”