“Good morning! Hillsdale College.”
Hillsdale’s Switchboard Operator Linda Solomon’s greeting has warmly welcomed callers and guests to Central Hall for nearly 10 years. Her position has put her on the front lines in representing the institution she loves with a kind voice on the phone and a big smile at the door. She will have to pass on that job to someone else, though, as she plans to retire at the end of this year.
“I’m excited and sad,” she said. “I’ve had a blast here. I’m really just experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions.”
Solomon characterized her years at Hillsdale as a time of ease where she could be around students without the extra work of teaching and called it “the best job ever.”
“Being employed as the switchboard operator at Hillsdale College has been a most pleasurable experience,” Solomon said. “It has afforded me the opportunity to hone my social skills, to spend my days in pastoral splendor, and to accrue a savings account!”
She looks forward to leaving behind the daily grind for more time of relaxation and taking care of things around the house.
“I have a lot that has piled up over the 50 years that I’ve been in the workforce,” she said. “I need to stop working so I can get busy.”
Solomon said she has seen the school change during her years here.
“I’ve seen them put up five new buildings and six statues since I’ve been here,” she said. “It has been fabulous. This place is top notch. [President] Larry Arnn came here and has done some incredible things.”
Just 10 feet to the left of Solomon’s desk, Janice Posante works as a cashier in the business office. Solomon calls Posante her “best bud.”
“Linda is a wonderful person,” Posante said. “She will be missed.”
Solomon doesn’t plan to leave for good, though. She intends to visit frequently to maintain on-campus relationships and visit her favorite spots on campus.
“I’ll be around all the time,” she said. “Hillsdale College is a great place to hang out. I’ve found all the crooks and nannies, and I want to see all the friends who I have here.”
Solomon commended the college for continuing to keep a switchboard operator on staff rather than automating the position, because it adds a personal touch.
“A lot of people who call here wouldn’t want to deal with an automated system, so I think it has been great that they’ve kept me here,” she said.
Solomon graduated from Olivet College with a degree in history and a teaching certificate. She taught at a few schools and finally ended up in nearby Pittsford, Mich., where she taught sixth grade for 28 years. Some of her students went on to attend Hillsdale College.
“Hillsdale students are unique in some ways, but they’re really just regular college kids learning and doing what they’re supposed to do,” she said. “I think they’re great.”
After retiring from teaching, Solomon began working as the switchboard operator in 2002. After 10 years of serving the school faithfully, she maintains her admiration for the school and its mission.
“The great thing about Hillsdale is that you get this great environment to learn,” she said. “It’s a perfect place. It’s like winning the lottery.”
