Professor Andrea Lieberman has been teaching for 22 years. Ten-and-a-half of those years have been at Montclair State University in the School of Communication and Media. However, she’s leaving the university to begin a new job in Basking Ridge, N.J. She’s been hired as Director of Team Enrichment at Fellowship Senior Living.
Lieberman wasn’t looking for a new job; however, she was intrigued when a recruiter contacted her. She thought the interview process would be good practice. The recruiter says she found Lieberman’s profile on LinkedIn.
They were looking for someone with her experience as a training and development specialist who has also worked in both the health care and hospitality industry. The process began with an interview by the President and CEO of Fellowship Senior Living.
They boiled it down to the top two candidates, one of them being Lieberman. Then, within a week, she found herself interviewing with seven vice presidents simultaneously. “It was invigorating and exciting to hear about the culture change initiative, but I still wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to take on a full-time position,” said Lieberman. The very next morning, she was offered the position, with a generous salary. She told the president and CEO of Fellowship Senior Living that she must be able to continue to finish out the fall semester. Her loyalty is to her students and MSU, therefore she wouldn’t leave at the beginning of the semester. The president agreed to allow her to continue to teach the rest of the semester.
At the new job, she’s responsible for a cultural change that brings excellence in hospitality to the seniors and clients at Fellowship Senior Living. She also creates a warm, supportive environment for team members who work at FSL.
Lieberman oversees and implements many reward and recognition programs. “I write a daily newsletter that highlights our values and mission as well as offers up a daily educational topic to help our team members better serve not just our seniors but also each other to create the best environment in which to work and in which to live for our seniors,” said Leiberman. She also delivers multi-day training programs to team members in the hospitality program and runs the mentor program.
Lastly, she serves as a resource for the team members who may have questions about Fellowship Spirit. Lieberman believes this organization is a wonderful and inspirational place to work. “It was a fantastic decision and the organization is wonderful,”she said. Lieberman was glad that the recruiter found her and is glad that she accepted the position.
Lindsay Bednarz, one of Professor Lieberman’s students and a senior said, “Professor Lieberman never leaves the class she’s teaching bored. Between her personality and personal anecdotes, she draws students into the material and keeps it relevant and fresh. Her high standards for the class, such as her policies about cell phones and timeliness, fully prepare students for the professional world they will enter after the classroom.”
Professor Lieberman has made a huge impact in the School of Communication and Media with teaching here as long as she has. She taught the courses of Interpersonal Communication, Fundamentals of Speech, Public Speaking, Family Communication, Nonverbal Communication and Organizational Communication. “I have loved teaching these courses because communication is my passion and the subject that fascinates me the most. It is at the root of all human relationships and yet so many of us haven’t learned how to be effective communicators,” said Lieberman.
What satisfies her most is when students come back and tell her that the information she shared with them, the techniques taught to them and the practical applications of theory, have worked for them in both their professional and personal lives. “I will miss teaching and being a part of an exciting development of our School, but I have a feeling I won’t be gone for long. I am sure that I will be back teaching a course either at night or on Saturdays,” said Lieberman.
