Travis Vail / Roundup
More than 50 faculty members and staff gathered around the campus Mall entrance to conduct a flag-lowering ceremony to mourn the loss of Sharon Levick, Ph.D., a professor at Pierce College since 2002.
Levick suffered a brain aneurysm in Chicago on July 14, and died yesterday morning.
Interim President Joy McCaslin addressed the crowd, which included several students, before the flags were lowered to half-mast in Levick’s memory.
“Sharon was a very smart woman and a dedicated professional,” said McCaslin. “She was the type of faculty member who would always step up in the line of duty.”
Levick, who worked at Pierce for eight years, became the chairperson of four different departments, as well as committees in the Academic Senate.
“She’s helped raise the standard of the curriculum at Pierce,” said Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, Vice President of Academic Affairs. “She formed a strong link between faculty and administration, especially in accreditation matters.”
In addition to her involvement with school activities, Levick was also highly involved within the Pierce community off campus; she participated in a weekly social science forum with other instructors to discuss current events.
“[The forum] exposed us to other people’s ideals; it was an important time in our lives,” said Betty Odello, a retired professor of philosophy at Pierce. “Sharon was a person who kept trying different things; she grew, but people also grew with her.”
Levick’s funeral will take place Aug. 5 in Franklin, Ind. Pierce will host another ceremony in her honor during September.
“Sharon was very understanding, bright, willing to work, fair-minded, and all I can think of her is positive,” said Mitra Hoshiar, a professor of sociology at Pierce. “She will be missed; God bless her.”
Levick is survived by her husband, Mark, and twin daughters Tracy and Kelly, who celebrated their 13th birthday today.
Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to the Foundation for Pierce College; donations should be designated for “Sharon Levick.”
*Additional reporting by Kat Mabry
A crowd of faculty and staff mourners attending the flag-lowering ceremony for Sharon Levick. The ceremony was conducted at the Student drop-off today. (Tyler McGee / Roundup)
Donna Rumaldo, Reprographics Specialist, at CopyTech, wipes her eyes at the flag-lowering ceremony for Sharon Levick at the Student drop-off today. (Tyler McGee / Roundup)
