Meet New Staff Member Shannon McLean
MCO Staff Member Shannon McLean
MCO welcomes Shannon McLean who has now been a Secretary in the MCO Dean’s Office for five months after 23 years working for the College of Business Graduate Programs. She brings with her professionalism, outstanding communication skills, a wealth of experience with policies, procedures, and curriculum, and her passion for working with students and faculty. Shannon has been the recipient of many awards such as the Distinguished Staff Award in 2019 and the Award of Excellence for the RSO Advisor of the Year in 2022.
Shannon’s education came from Detroit, Woodhaven, and Stockbridge, before attending Western Michigan University for Industrial Education and Graphic Arts to teach high school drafting, printing, and shop classes. While at Western she was a starter on the Field Hockey team and competed in the Pentathlon in Track and Field, for which she placed 4th in the MAC Conference. She said, “That seems like a hundred years ago.”
Shannon has had a very eclectic career path ranging from Job Planner at a book printing company to Carpenter in Commercial Construction, to Fashion Model, and even a Chauffer, driving a stretch limousine. She came to Big Rapids in 1990 to manage Medler Electric and has been here since then. After a couple of years at the Chamber of Commerce and a couple more at Mecosta County General Hospital, she was hired by Dr. Greg Gogolin at the FSU College of Business managing the graduate programs.
Outside of work, Shannon loves to travel, whether it’s weekends around Michigan in her Winnebago motorhome, trips to Kansas to visit her sister, or small trips with her family. This summer she spent two weeks solo traveling around Scotland beginning with the annual MacLean Gathering at the Duart Castle on the Isle of Mull.
Shannon has hosted several high school foreign exchange students over the years, so her upcoming travels will take her to Norway, Germany, Spain, and India, to visit her international families.
Closer to home, Shannon truly enjoys all the time she gets to spend with her granddaughter, Hazel, who is almost 2-years old.
Shannon enjoys being involved with activities that enrich students’ social, academic, and cultural lives. She has camped in the deep woods of South Manitou Island with 30 International students from India, and at Petoskey State Park with international students from many countries. She has participated in more than 25 years of international festivals, and celebrations.
Shannon helped student bowlers revive the Ferris Bowling Club and has been the Bowldogs Advisor for ten years. She spends much of her personal time at bowling practices coaching the recreational members, and many weekends with the three Ferris teams at Collegiate Bowling tournaments in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana.
When asked what she enjoys most about being a part of the MCO family, Shannon said, “All the people here at MCO have been very welcoming. It really is like a close-knit family.” She works in the Dean’s office doing purchasing, scheduling, event communications, etc., and spends a few hours each week working in the University Eye Center, so she is enjoying a variety and diversity of responsibilities. She is hoping to help on some SVOSH mission trips in the future to bring eyecare to those who do not have access.