The ^
> Stentorian
vol. XXIV, Issue 1
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
August 2014
stentorianl23@gmall.com
Terry Lynch succeeds Barber as
Vice Chancellor for Student Life
By Sierra Dunne
Editor-in-Chief
Over the summer, Terry
Lynch was selected as the new
Vice Chancellor for Student
Life at NCSSM. Lynch has
replaced Joan Barber, who
previously held the position 28
years before retiring after the
2013-2014 school year.
Lynch is originally from
Hampton, Va. He grew up
there and later attended the
University of Virginia, where
he got his undergraduate
degree in Economics and his
graduate degree in Educational
Policy Studies. He is currently
working on obtaining his
doctorate degree in Education
from the North Carolina State
University.
After his studies at UVA,
he went on to become a
Residence Coordinator at
Duke University, where he
worked closely with students.
He held this job for four years,
and afterwards he held the title
of Associate Dean of Housing,
Dining, and Residential Life.
He held this position for eight
years before leaving in June
2014.
While touring campus
he was impressed with the
achievements and ambitions
of all the students and faculty
he met.
For Lynch, the biggest
adjustment he will have to
face is working with high
school students rather than
college students. “Working
regarding
Lynch was not very familiar
with NCSSM even though he
has lived in the Durham area
for years. However, once he
saw the job opening online for
Vice Chancellor for Student
Life, he became immediately
interested.
“Usually, when 1 saw job
openings 1 would tell my
colleagues about
them in case they
wanted to look
into them too,”
said Lynch. “This
one 1 kept to
myself, because
1 was seriously
interested in the
position.”
Although
he did not have
many connections
with the school,
he did know Lynch (left) discusses with an NCSSM student about his
Dean of distance cc/o,-
Education Jamie
Lathan from college. He
called Lathan before applying
in order to get a sense of the
school’s culture, which is
when he knew this \yould be
the right place for him.
with high school students will
be different, because not only
am 1 responsible to them, but 1
am also responsible for them,”
Lynch stated. It will also be
different working for a state
institution rather than a private
one, but he is excited to be a
part of a larger system.
As Vice Chancellor for
Student Life, Lynch oversees
many different aspects of the
school including residential
life, counseling, and athletics.
He says no major changes
student life are
expected to occur
this ’ year, but
instead it will be a
year of observation
and learning for
him and other new
faculty members.
“1 don’t want to
break down what
has been built here
in terms of student
life, but I want to
build on the great
experience that
is already here,”
Lynch explained.
“The Science and
Math train is already running.
I’m just looking to jump on.”
Lynch is most looking
forward to interacting with
students and learning more
about them. He is especially
interested in what they enjoy
most about the school, and
what they want to change to
make the school a better place.
Before he left Duke, an
NCSSM alumnus who is a
current student there told
him that the best thing about
NCSSM was the student
life and the opportunities it
provided. He wants to get to
know each individual student
and learn more about them.
Lynch is excited to get
his family involved with the
school as well. He is married
and has two young children, a
3 year old son and a 1 year old
daughter. He hopes to bring
them to many school functions,
including sports games and
perfonnances.
He is also anticipating
many other events on campus
including the musical. College
Eve, and especially Airband.
Lynch is enthusiastic about
starting his new career at
NCSSM, and he plans on being
here awhile. He stated that he
would be happy to stay here
as long as he could and retire
from here, just as Barber did.
Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza, political
strategist, to speak at 35th Convocation
By Betty Liu
Editor-in-Chief
Rebecca Buckwalter-
Poza will speak at the 35*'’
NCSSM Convocation on
Aug. 10. Buckwalter-Poza is
a well-known author and legal
consultant who offers political
and legal insight on a variety of
contemporary issues ranging
from religion to healthcare.
Some of her more recent
articles include “The Scariest
Virus; Ebola Is Back, and It’s
Worse Than Ever,” giving
some context and background
information about the recent
ebola outbreak and “Double
Jeopardy Isn’t What You
Think It Is—And It Won’t
Save Amanda Knox,” an
article explaining how the 5"’
amendment does not proteet
against the consequences of an
appeal.
She has
eontributed to
publications
including The
Nation, The
Atlantic, The
Paris Review,
The Daily
Beast, Pacific
M
Standard. The Hutfington Buckwalter-Poza has Asian Legal Resources Center.
Post, and CNN; as well as worked on political policy on She has also been named
coauthoring “40 More Years: five continents, most recently one of the Top Ten College
How Democrats Will Rule working in Hong Kong at the Women by “Glamour
the Next Generation”
with James Carville, the
acclaimed Democratic
strategist President
Clinton’s eampaign
manager in 1992.
Along with her writing
career, Buckwalter-Poza
was also the Deputy
National Press Secretary
for the Democratic
National Committee for
the 2008 presidential
campaign. She also was
an intern in the White
House Counsel’s Office
and led research for Paul
Begala’s “Third Term:
Why George W. Bush
Loves John McCain."
Buckwalter-Poza
has also completed a
civil rights fellowship
at the Office of the
Attorney for the j
Connecticut
and a progressive media Buckwalter-Poza, an NCSSM alumna, has made a name for herself
fellowship at the Center in law. journalism and politics. She now works for NPR as a legal
for American Progress. clerk.
Magazine,” a 1 larry S. Truman
Scholar for Public Service, and
a 1 lenry Luce Scholar.
Buckwalter-Poza graduated
from NCSSM in 2004, where
she went on to continue
her education at 1 larvard
College. After obtaining her
undergraduate degree from
Harvard, she reeeived her
J.D. from Yale Law School.
She received her first job at
age 19, after writing a letter
to James Carville. Since then,
she has found success in all her
endeavors.
Currently, Buckwalter-
Poza serves as a law clerk for
National Public Radio, where
she has recently coauthored an
article detailing the ‘qualified
immunity” law officers receive
when facing persecution
and authored a piece about
Alabama’s odd tendency of
judicial overrides in favor of
the death sentence.
Buckwalter-Poza is a prime
example of a non-scientific
career for NCSSM alumni
and a paragon of suecess
young adults can achieve in
hypereompetitive fields.