Nov. 11, 2008 issue
I actually came here as a student in 1969. Eastern Michigan was the only
college I applied to. I just fell in love with it. The campus had between
9,000 and 10,000 students. I lived in (now closed) Goodison Hall.
I worked as an undergraduate assistant for sociology professors Bruce
Warren and Pat Ryan. They were like my mentors. I worked with them in
creating the Institute for the Study of Children and Families. They created
a PT job for me in 1976, and that's how I became an EMU staff member.
Despite receiving offers from other institutions throughout my career,
I have always wanted to stay here at EMU.
In 1986, I left the institute and moved to Student Affairs, starting
in the Career Services Center. I was then asked by the vice president
of student affairs to create the Student Judicial Services office in 1996.
I became associate vice president in Student Affairs in 2002 and came
over to HR in winter 2006.
I've had incredible opportunities to try new things during my career.
I've worked in almost every division. I've liked all of my jobs and every
one of them was an entirely new career field for me, which I had to learn
from the ground up. I think EMU offers so many opportunities for growth.
People can go and try new things. I knew nothing about Career Services.
They took a chance on me. Same when I started Student Judicial Services.
I had a law degree, but I didn't have experience in that field. The same
with HR; although I had specialized in employment law, there was an incredible
learning curve for me in the other areas of HR.
HR is probably the right niche for me now. I love the work we are doing
now and the impact we are having on campus. I value the good relationships
I have with others on campus. I can pick up the phone, and people react
positively. I take the time if they need to see me. I pick up the phone
and talk to them rather than e-mail. I'm going to be straightforward with
people, and I think that's appreciated.
I'm proud I wrote the Student Conduct Code in 2000. A good conduct code
defines the culture and the value system of your campus. We had the code
reviewed by outside experts in the profession, and it has been cited as
a model code.
I've also gotten to do extra things here that have been incredible. I
got to go to Fort Knox and duplicate activities that our ROTC students
were participating in, such as rappeling down a wall and driving a tank
simulator. I twice got to be the guest football coach and was on the sideline
during the game.
As I think about winding up my career here at EMU, I value all of these
experiences I've had. But the real joy has been the hundreds
of faculty, staff and students that I have gotten to know
during my career. They
have made my work fun, sometimes challenging, but always
rewarding. — Contributed by Ron Podell
