Shelly R. McDaniel has been appointed the new director of the Thrive Center at Trinity International University. After working in corporate for more than 15 years, Shelly joined Trinity in August 2015, as she had dreamt of working and teaching in higher education for many years. At first, she was employed in the Human Resources Department as Trinity's Benefits and HRIS Account Manager. In the summer of 2019, she transitioned to the Advancement team as the director of planned giving, where she worked closely with Trinity's donors. In addition, since fall 2017, Shelly has been teaching in the classroom as an adjunct in Trinity's Business department.
The Thrive Center provides academic support, career development, and academic guidance to Trinity's students, to help them grow and succeed during their time here. Within the Thrive Center’s overarching mission, all students will have access a variety of services:
- Career exploration
- Internship and job search assistance
- Academic advice for course scheduling, degree requirements and degree completion planning
- Disabilities services such as academic and physical need-based support for students;
- Language tutoring in Greek and Hebrew
- Test accommodations and make up tests as approved by professor
- Test proctoring for non-TIU tests; writing tutoring services
- Academic/theological writing support
- ESL/International Student writing assistance and line editing
- Line editing/proofreading services (for a fee)
Shelly holds a Bachelor in Science in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago; Master's of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance at Benedictine University; and Master's of Legal Studies with a Concentration in Criminal Justice from Trinity Law School. She plans to start the Juris Doctorate program at Trinity Law School in spring 2021.
Shelly grew up in a small town, on a farm, in Mississippi.
"My favorite things to do is not only teach and mentor students, but shopping in antique stores and reading mystery novels," she said. Shelly also enjoys boxing and bike riding with her two boys and husband. She is a member of the Delta Psi Epsilon Christian Sorority, and active in her home church—Willow Creek NorthShore—where she enjoys volunteering to serve the needy, human rights, and missionary initiatives.