I can give you the data about Lynn, show you the new recreation center or the butterfly garden or the auditorium that hosted the Obama-Romney debate in 2012. But what makes Lynn special isn’t the buildings or the Florida sunshine. What makes Lynn special is the remarkable intentionality that goes into its curriculum.

Stefano Papaleo, executive director of undergraduate admission, took the time to answer some of my questions following my tour of campus. (Thank you, Mati!) I already knew a bit about the block scheduling that differentiates Lynn from other universities, and I had entered into the Snyder Sanctuary, a nondenominational space for reflection. Though I’d visited Lynn before, I felt that I got to really understand the ethos of Lynn in conversation with Stefano Papaleo.

Blocks

In the block schedule, you take one course at a time. There are four blocks, each four weeks long, in the 16-week semester. You can double up during one of the blocks so that you’re taking five classes in a semester. Each class meets Monday through Thursday for two-and-a-half hours, and you can choose early morning, late morning, or early afternoon time slots. 

I noted to Stefano that this is especially useful for students with learning differences, but he pointed out that it’s really ideal for everyone. Mati told me that when she took five courses at once, she could only give 20% of her brain to each one, but with the block, each course got 100% of her brain. In addition to allowing you to focus on one course at a time, you have the benefit of really getting to know your classmates and professor, and they get to know you as well. 

Fridays are set aside for meetings with professors, so if you need help with a paper, you can get the help directly from the professor who assigned it. Research, labs, and writing labs hosted by professors in the school or college take place on these free-flowing Fridays.

Apples

Lynn gives every student an iPad Pro, a smart keyboard, and an Apple pencil to use while at Lynn and to keep after graduation. (If you leave before graduating, you’ll have to give it back.) Lynn’s IT staff is like an on-site Apple Genius Bar.

Sports

Women’s volleyball and men’s soccer won Division II NCAA national titles this year. They don’t have a football team, but fans cheer on the Fighting Knights in basketball, lacrosse, and swimming and diving; altogether there are 19 women’s and men’s DII teams. Visiting during spring break, I saw mostly athletes on campus to attend practice and work out in the new gym.

The Sanctuary and multi-culturalism

The Snyder Sanctuary lies within seven walls that lean in toward each other. I learned that each wall represents one of the seven continents of Earth, and the design emphasizes the interconnectedness of humanity. They say that if one wall were removed, the others would fall down. The Sanctuary’s design fits the school, as the international population at Lynn is 18%, with students from 100 countries. Flags of all the countries of students past and present greet visitors at the entrance to Lynn.

Stefano Papaleo and the Discourses

Papaleo came to Lynn from Italy as an undergraduate tennis player 30 years ago, and he has stayed ever since. He told me that every important decision Lynn makes comes from research. What’s effective? What isn’t? What do employers want and how can we make sure our graduates have these skills when they leave Lynn?

Employers, surveyed by numerous organizations, overwhelmingly say that they want their employees to have a combination of cognitive abilities, technical skills, and interpersonal qualities: critical thinking; analytical reasoning; problem solving; strong reading, writing, and presentation skills; teamwork to work effectively in groups; adaptability. A liberal arts school like Lynn inherently teaches these skills in the context of a broad education. Lynn teaches the liberal arts with a job orientation.

As a master’s degree recipient from St. John’s College, which uses the Great Books curriculum, I truly appreciate the Socratic seminar approach that Lynn embeds in its core curriculum, called, appropriately, the Dialogues. Excerpts from the Great Books are used as readers in the classroom to inspire conversation about the most important issues in life and to promote critical thinking and debate among students in the seminar-style environment. 

Papaleo said that studies show that the distribution system for core curriculum does not work to produce these skills because there’s no common focus. Taking one course from Column A and another from Column B doesn’t necessarily improve your writing or presentation skills. If you only give a presentation in a speech class and never return to that skill again, you’re not likely to really get it. 

“We started from the skill sets and reverse-engineered our curriculum,” said Papaleo. The Dialogues ensure that all of the skills are practiced over eight semesters. In the first two years, you study a “Big Issue” using the Socratic approach. The big issues are conversations embedded in the three main social science dialogues: Self and Society, Belief and Reason, and Justice and Civil Life.

Everyone takes a math course called Personal Finance, which applies college algebra to real life, and later Statistics, again applying what you learn in the classroom. You take Scientific Literacy, a course that teaches you how to read and interpret literature and data from across the sciences. You will also take two courses in the social sciences, such as ethics, history, English, psychology, or sociology. 

In years three and four, you continue working in groups, writing, speaking, presenting, and practicing critical thinking and analytical reasoning, but these skills are now embedded in your major courses. When you graduate from Lynn you will have these skills that employers want because you will have practiced them throughout your time as a Fighting Knight.

A few noteworthy programs in the colleges

Aeronautics Lynn has its own building at the Boca Raton airport with its own planes, and you can not only earn your B.S. as a professional pilot, you can get all the hours you need for certification to fly.

Arts and Sciences “Learn to ask big questions, think creatively, and explore without limits,” says the website. Undergraduate programs include, among others, forensic investigations, environmental science and policy, and a B.F.A. in drama. You can also earn master’s degrees in five areas, including an M.S. in clinical mental health counseling.

Business and Management About half of the undergraduates at Lynn have their major in this college. Over a dozen majors are available, several offered both in person and online. Aviation management, data analytics, fashion and retail, international business management, and wealth management all offer real-world learning and leading-edge technologies. The business college also offers certificates and specialized M.B.A. programs, from entrepreneurial management to hospitality management to sports management.

Communication and Design Lynn purchased an art institute a few years ago, and this combined with the existing communications department to form the College of Communication and Design. As Marshall McLuhan wrote, “The medium is the message,” and so I believe that Lynn had it right in marrying communication and design. This college offers four B.A. programs, including multimedia journalism. Students get to use the latest technology in the 360-degree green studio. It also offers B.F.A. programs in computer animation, film production, and graphic design.

Education The B.S. programs focus on early childhood and elementary education; Lynn also offers master’s and a doctorate in educational leadership.

Conservatory of Music Bachelor’s of music degrees include music composition and performance; master’s degrees are also available. Every student enrolled in the Lynn Conservatory receives a full-tuition scholarship.

The Institute for Achievement and Learning Lynn has long been known for its IAL, Institute for Achievement and Learning, a fee-based program that helps those with learning differences become successful college students. The $5,500 per semester covers three areas: 

1. A professional, certified academic coach for as long as needed. This is the student’s anchor, providing study skills and emotional support.
2. Professional tutors with a master’s or above in the specific area they’re tutoring. The tutors are trained in multi-modality delivery of instruction.
3. A writing center manned with two to three professional writing coaches.

I asked if the writing center was available to everyone, but this particular writing center is only for IAL. However, the colleges each have their own writing labs, and the librarian is always available to answer APA citation and research questions.