Fun at Work

Working at UNC Charlotte is the best job I’ve ever had – in many ways. One of the reasons is that my work is fun. There’s a goodly amount of stress, but most of that is the fun kind – making decisions under pressure, celebrating achievements by the team and sharing them with others, and learning about the endless array of amazing things being done by students, faculty and staff.

UNC Charlotte, with 25,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff, is a small city – one populated with an unusually creative, curious and driven citizenry. Hence, as a public relations person (read: advocate) being part of these stories is fun for me. Yes, this has been a rough year of sorts, due to lingering budget pressures and uncertainty about how looming cuts will effect this great university and its people -- and the community we serve.

But amid the uncertainty and concern, there remains plenty of fun. In recent weeks, I’ve had the good fortune to enjoy participating in a sneak-peek reception at our 11-story Center City building, which is nearing completion; the 10th annual Five Ventures competition for start-up companies -- $50,000 in prizes and some amazing presenations; a stirring dedication of our Memorial Hall and its tribute to UNC Charlotte "fallen heroes"; and several meetings with deans and campus communicators to find out about their most exciting projects. All those things are my kind of fun because they inform, challenge and even entertain me. What could be more fun than that?