Housing director leaves after years of service

By Lance Dwyer

When Housing Director Linda Franke leaves this week, some say she will be sadly missed.

"She is a wonderful person," said Luke Smith, Facilities Operations Manager. "She's going to leave a gigantic void, not only professionally but personally. I'm going to miss her sense of humor, the endless support she gave her staff ... and her level-headed approach to any situation."

Smith said a lot of what made Franke an asset to Santa Clara was her attitude.

"She can take an ugly situation and without fail, work it out somehow," said Smith. "She has a cunning ability to find a common ground between two opposing groups and allow each side to feel like they've been heard."

In an e-mail sent to faculty and staff, Vice Provost for Higher Education Helen Moritz said "under Linda's leadership over the past 15 years the staffing, scope and quality of the University's student housing have improved dramatically ... Linda has been absolutely key in the transition from separate academic student life silos to making our collaborative Residential Learning Communities a reality."

The Residential Learning Community (RLC) program which Moritz referred to is one major area in which Franke made an impact on the university. Along with many other administrators in different departments at Santa Clara, Franke helped to solve what she called the "schizophrenia" the common student experienced in keeping their academic and residential lives completely separate.

Franke said she was able to help develop the concept for the RLCs and then make it a reality by figuring out the logistical aspects of the program. She said RLCs are still in the early stages of development, but that hopefully they will continue to grow in the future.

In addition to the RLCs, two other main contributions Franke also aided in the development of include the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and the building of the Sobrato Hall and the Casa Italiana addition, two projects she said she "had a hand" in creating.

Originally intending to become a high school guidance counselor, Franke said she simply "fell into" the housing field, becoming a Resident Director for Ball State University and eventually winding up as the HRL director at Santa Clara.

After living most of her life on the East Coast, Franke said she found herself open for a new experience. After spending eight years working in housing at Tulane University, she began applying for jobs across the country. Franke said she was attracted to Santa Clara by what she called the "perfect size" of the school, coupled with Jesuit ideals and values.

Fifteen years later, Franke again finds herself open for a change; this time, her search will bring her back East to be closer with her family and specifically her father. For several years, Franke said she has wanted to be able to reconnect with her family, the majority of whom live in Pennsylvania. The turning point for Franke came when she lost her mother in August.

"Even if I stayed, my mind was back east. I realized that my heart is closest to my dad and that I physically needed to get back east. I just couldn't have the kind of relationship I wanted with my family from 3,000 miles away," said Franke.

When asked to consider what she loved so much about her job she said it was the new challenges that came with each day.

"No day is the same as the last day," said Franke.

She also said that she loves the environment at Santa Clara, commending the university for being open to change and growth throughout her tenure.

But more than anything, Franke said that she will miss the people she is leaving behind, including the faculty, staff and students.

"This isn't just a job, you really become family," said Franke. "There are so many people here who take pride in their jobs and who really care about what they're doing."

Among the people she has worked with is Matthew Duncan. Duncan has worked with Franke for more than a decade after serving as a Resident Director and now as the Assistant Dean of Student Life.

"She's always garnered the confidence and trust of her staff, in that they recognize her leadership and they go to her and don't discount what she has to say or what she thinks," said Duncan.

For the remainder of the year, Duncan will take on the responsibilities of HRL director, after which a national search will be made to find Franke's permanent replacement.

û Contact Lance Dwyer at (408) 554-4546 or at ldwyer@scu.edu.