New Residence Director Makes Changes in Residence Life
Tiana Lawson
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: News
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A native New Yorker, Lowney was born to Trinidadian parents in the projects of Far Rockaway, Queens. However, he never used this as a crutch saying, "We had values, so it was never about the money." Through it all, he and his siblings all received a formal education.
Lowney received his undergraduate degree in English from The College at Brockport, State University of New York. While there, he was a student leader, the President of Student Government and began his career with Residence Life as a Resident Advisor. Upon graduation, he chose to remain at Brockport and earned his master's degree in Counselors Education in 1994.
This soon led to a position at Brockport as a Resident Coordinator, which he considered to be a smooth transition. "Having been an active undergrad, I made a smooth shift from an active undergrad to an active leader," says Lowney.
This was followed by similar positions at Goucher College and Montclair State University. But after a while, Lowney left the field. "I had lived on a campus for so long," he says. "I needed a change of pace." This bought him to the Division of Youth and Family Services, where he stayed before heading to Binghamton University and finally Lincoln University.
"While working at predominantly white institutions," he said, "I always felt that students of color gravitated towards me." Therefore when the Director of Residence Life position became available at Lincoln, he jumped at it.
"Working at a Historically Black College and University has always been attractive to me," he said. It was during his telephone interview with Thelma Ross, Associate Dean for Student Services that he was sure he wanted the position. "She challenged me," he said. "That was something I had never experienced."
Upon taking the position, Lowney immediately took charge, implementing many necessary changes to Residence Life.
"These changes were made based off of things I was hearing from students," he says. As a result, some dormitories have received new furniture, while both Resident Advisor selection and room selection have undergone a major overhaul.
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