Sheila Goebel Says ‘Goodbye’ to BSOS After 36 Years of Service

After 36 years of service, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences Graduation Clearance Coordinator Sheila Goebel retired this summer, leaving behind a legacy of helping students—and sometimes their parents. For decades, Goebel made sure that students completed all the coursework needed to earn their degree and walk across the stage at commencement.

It was never “easy” to review hundreds of students’ transcripts in only a few months. But it really wasn’t easy when Goebel was hired in July 1990, before there were computer systems through which students could share their information. Back then, Goebel could only reference paper transcripts.

“In those days, all the files moved from place to place. It was embarrassing when a student would call and I would have to fudge my way through the conversation because I couldn’t quickly find their file,” said Goebel. “I thought ‘This has got to change. I’ve got to do something different.’”

So, Goebel bought a book about databases, and ultimately built one for herself. Then, she built another database for an assistant dean who was going to a conference, to help them organize registration. Then, she built another database for the advising office. Then, she built another for major changes. And then, she built yet another database for the BSOS travel office, which was used until 2020.

“Building and enhancing the databases over the years has been a lot of fun, and a big part of the picture for me in terms of my career at Maryland,” Goebel said.

Despite having to work some late nights toward the end of each semester—especially spring—Goebel gleaned some sweet memories along the way.

“I remember we were playing in a championship basketball game against Duke, and I was in my office that evening, and we won, and all of a sudden the whole campus came rushing down the Mall screaming and cheering. It was pretty wild,” she said.

Another fond memory of Goebel’s includes winning a bulletin board contest that the college organized in 1995, which involved Goebel decorating the board in a “Tour de BSOS” theme that gave viewers a look at what each year of college looked like for a BSOS undergraduate via a bike route. Others include working out at Eppley Recreation Center, running with colleagues in a scholarship-benefit campus 5K in 2013, and winning an outstanding staff award from the college twice, in 2012 and 2025.

“Sheila embodies the trademark student-centered approach that we aspire to in BSOS,” said BSOS Associate Dean Katherine Russell, a research professor in the Department of Anthropology. “In her many decades of leading graduation clearance for BSOS, Sheila has taken care to fully understand the details of every degree requirement, every transfer course nuance, and every question or concern from a student or colleague. Through her careful and caring work, she has helped to ensure that every BSOS undergraduate student got to their graduation day as smoothly as possible. Most students never personally interacted with Sheila, but every student benefited from her extraordinary work.”

A genuine love of her role was a big part of the reason why Goebel decided to stay with BSOS all these years.

“I liked the job. It’s the kind of job that you rarely see advertised anywhere, so I knew that if I left this job, I wouldn’t get it back,” Goebel said. “And, there was always something about being on campus that I just wasn’t ready to give up.”

UMD’s campus has a special place in Goebel’s heart, but not just because she was an employee here for many years. Goebel grew up on UMD’s campus—first as the young daughter of a university employee, and then as a student here herself.

Goebel’s father, Ernest “Ernie” Goebel started working at the UMD in 1965, when Goebel was just around one year old. He helped the Department of Physics repair equipment for 30 years.

“My brother and I were very young, so we just spent our whole lives on campus, visiting my dad’s office, and the campus farm,” Goebel said.

Goebel’s mother, Thelma, also worked at UMD’s Office of the Registrar for 10 years. Goebel and her brother, Ernie Jr. both went on to become UMD undergraduates and eventually student workers on campus.

Given that history, Goebel says that her retirement marks the first time in roughly 60 years that there won’t be a member of the Goebel family on the University of Maryland payroll.

“This will be the first time I will have a summer off since I was 17 years old,” she adds.

Goebel doesn’t have any big plans for her summer yet, aside from spending time with her mom and getting some things done around their family home in nearby Beltsville, Md. But, she does enjoy visiting the Ocean City, Md. and Rehoboth, Del. beaches, and hopes to do so in September, when they aren’t so crowded.

“I probably won’t miss all the stress, but I will miss the people. The people in BSOS have been very special, and the students that come through here these days are so just talented,” said Goebel. 

Goebel’s colleagues will miss working with her too.

“I had the pleasure of working with Sheila for more than 25 years in BSOS,” said Christie Cradock, the Beardsley Director of Advising in the Feller Center for Advising and Career Planning. “Before I started and throughout our time together Sheila brought so many ideas and improvements to the graduation process. While Sheila’s work may have seemed somewhat behind the scenes, it was very much front and center as every student’s goal is to graduate. I will miss working with Sheila but am so happy for whatever she does next.”

During the course of her career, Goebel cleared a total of over 57,000 students for graduation.

“In the graduation clearance process of reviewing thousands of students' records, Sheila humanized each record with care and detail as if the students were present in her office. Sheila was just as detailed in her interactions with colleagues, remembering events and happenings in the lives of her coworkers and following up to ask how things are going. It was always a pleasure to share a chat with Sheila,” said T.C. Lloyd, an assistant program director in the Feller Center. “Sheila Goebel's legacy of productivity, innovation and care is incomparable. I am blessed to have worked with her and been a witness to her legacy.”

Published on Wed, Jul 1, 2026 - 12:14PM