A can-do attitude
Working at Rutgers requires both competence and organization
Archived article from Oct 27, 2000
By Alice Roche Cody
Throughout the various departments at Rutgers, it is the behind-the-scenes workers who keep the university running smoothly. These staff members pick up the phone, schedule meetings, file documents, type reports and direct visitors. Many routinely go the extra mile. Here are just a few examples.
Mary French
Administrative assistant, New Brunswick
For Mary French, who works in the College of Pharmacy’s associate dean’s office, nothing is more irritating than dealing with messages on little pieces of paper. In the past, when prospective students called for applications, their personal information was written down on paper and later entered into the computer.
“I found ways to use the computer to make things go more smoothly,” says French, who streamlined the system. When a prospective student now calls, the telephone system records the person’s name, address and phone number. That information is then entered directly into a database that French developed.
The system is shared with the Office of Academic Services and Student Records, so that data doesn’t need to be re-entered. French is also investigating how to transfer data received via e-mail to the database.
As co-editor of the college’s newsletter, French also produces a four-color publication. “She monitors what goes on at the college, and if it’s a good story, she goes to the event with a camera,” says Donald Woodward, associate dean. “The newspaper used to be a throwaway. Now, it’s a 10- to 20-page glossy. I’ve gotten compliments from other colleges on how good it is.”
Patricia Kastner
Administrative assistant, New Brunswick
What Patricia Kastner enjoys most about her job in Cook College’s communications and public affairs office is the diversity. One minute she is figuring budgets, the next she is in the stables clicking pictures of horses.
“I do so many different things that I never become bored,” says Kastner, who has worked in the department for seven years.
Kastner recently learned desktop publishing, and she has created a variety of brochures. One of her pet projects was the development of a pamphlet displaying horses for the department of animal sciences’ horse auction in April.
What about the job gets her goat? When other employees do not take their duties seriously. “I try to do the best job I can,” she says. “When I work with people who don’t have the same point of view, it’s frustrating.”
Mary Krebs
Administrative assistant, Camden
When employees on the Camden campus need help, they often call Mary Krebs in the Office of Facilities and Maintenance Services.
“A lot of people from other departments call me because they know I can get the answer. Nine out of 10 times, I’ve done it before,” says Krebs, who has worked at Rutgers for 11 years. Her current duties include payroll services and conducting orientation sessions for new hires.
Her motto for getting the job done: Do it now. “I never put anything on hold,” she says. “I get it done and get it off my desk. If there’s something I don’t know how to do, I do it first. If I put it off, it never gets done.”
This can-do attitude has helped Krebs return to college. In December, she expects to earn a bachelor’s degree in English. Balancing work and school hasn’t been easy. Yet her job performance never suffered.
“Mary completes a tremendous amount of work in a limited time frame,” says Bernie Del Guidice, facilities director. “She balances school, family and work. She does all three and does all three well.”
Maria L. Lund
Administrative assistant, New Brunswick
Every day on the job, Maria L. Lund strives to see the good. Perhaps that’s what has kept her at the university for more than 30 years.
Lund has served in the dean’s office at the School of Engineering for the past nine years; previously, she worked in the Graduate School of Education.
“My job is to see that everything runs smoothly with as little conflict as possible,” she says. “Every day is a different challenge. I never know what I’m going to be called to help out with.”
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