Librarian, Poet And Faculty Union Representative Retires From West Campus

Steve Kronen dedicated his time at Miami Dade College to augmenting the student academic experience.

In 14 years at the College, Kronen, who was the West Campus’ only full-time faculty member in 2009, left his mark as a librarian serving as a union representative and co-advisor to the YES! Club.

He retired on Oct. 29 due to health issues.

“He made time for the little interactions that meant the world to students,” said Joshua Fernandez, the manager of the Immersive Experience Lab at West Campus. “Despite him having many responsibilities, he made time to let students tell their stories, struggles and triumphs. These connections are what I remember when I was a student and I am sure that all who spoke to Steve will remember him because he took the time to listen.”

Identifying His Passion

Kronen graduated from Miami Killian Senior High School in 1971 and went on to pursue a pre-bachelor of arts associate’s degree at Kendall Campus. He also started his career at the College that year taking a part-time job at the library, but a year later he dropped out.

He moved to Gainesville and found work at stores that sold organic food and at the Gainesville Sun’s newspaper delivery operation site.  

As he continued to search for his calling, Kronen moved to New York City in 1979 to study calligraphy—creation of letters with writing instruments like pens and ink brushes, but after two years, he realized that wasn’t for him either.

But he noticed that he enjoyed spending a lot of time at the library.

“I was young and back then I always thought that if I wanted to learn something then I’d go to the library and read a book about it,” the 68-year-old Kronen said. “So I spent a lot of my time in libraries, reading and checking out books but then at a certain point in my 30s I didn’t know what direction I wanted to go.”  

When he was 35 years old, Kronen returned to MDC and finished his associate’s degree. He also has two master’s degrees: one in poetry writing from Warren Wilson College—a private liberal arts college in Swannanoa, North Carolina, and another in library science from the University of South Florida.

Finding A Home At MDC

In 1986, Kronen began working at the College as an adjunct English professor at Kendall Campus and in 2007 he became a librarian. Six months later he transferred to West Campus and became their first librarian. 

“He is eloquent, an excellent writer, a humanitarian and a wonderful librarian,” said West Campus philosophy professor Sarah Jacob. “MDC needs more people like Steve who realize that academic pursuits are gateways for the discovery of a self—a self who needs to be engaged with the world to make a difference.”

In 2007, Kronen added to his responsibilities becoming a faculty union representative. His duties included ensuring faculty had fair working conditions, salaries and representation.

“He has an impeccable moral compass that always finds true north,” said Elizabeth Ramsey, the president of MDC’s Faculty Union. “He is humble enough to keep learning all the time, and brave enough to stand up for what’s right. When faced with a complicated dilemma, where the interests of various groups of people don’t align, Steve has a gift for finding the path of integrity through the problem. He considers the feelings and needs of other people before his own, and he is patient and generous with his time.”

Outside of work, Kronen has written more than 700 poems and published three books. In 1992, he published his first book, Empirical Evidence, through the University of Georgia Press. Fourteen years later, he published Splendor through BOA and in 2018 Homage to Mistress Oppenheimer through Eyewear.

Some of his work has appeared in The New Republic, The American Scholar, The Georgia Review, Slate and The Cincinnati Review.

Now that he is retired, Kronen wants to dedicate more time to his writing and reading. 

“Before retiring I used to want to rush what I loved to do most,” Kronen said. “But now I get to say, ‘take your time,’ and slow down to do them more relaxed. I can’t tell you how happy I am. I am very fortunate to have had a wonderful career.”