Meet Deborah Pack, August 2019 Classified Employee of the Month

T he purpose of the Non-bargaining Classified Employee of the Month award is to acknowledge and recognize those who are setting the standards for excellence and innovation at Ohio University.

This recognition is  Classified Senate ’s way of awarding those employees who have shown outstanding individual achievement and performance of their jobs, while inspiring and supporting the achievement of others. Criteria include:

• Positive attitude and serving as a role model
• Productivity and commitment to quality
• Initiative and taking on additional responsibilities

The August 2019 recipient is Deborah Pack, a dministrative specialist in the Department of Social Work. She was nominated by Sarah Garlington, an assistant professor in Social Work.

The following are a sampling of the comments Garlington wrote about Pack on the nomination form:

Deb serves as our program’s institutional memory. She helps train and situate every new faculty person as our program grows, and she acts as an informal mentor to the students who go through our Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs.

Many of our students are first generation and Deb helps demystify the program’s structure for them. She serves as a welcoming gatekeeper to link them with faculty and resources the students may feel too intimidated to access on their own.

Deb worked with the MSW program director and other faculty to initiate and complete the process of moving the social work program to a department of our own. She also worked with the MSW faculty to develop and launch an online MSW program (launched January 2019).

Deb’s work as the Social Work program’s administrator is made even more challenging by the fact that the offices are in Morton Hall and not in Grover Center with the rest of the College of Health Sciences and Professions programs. She manages to stay connected with the CHSP administration without the informal face-to-face exchanges and support daily that often make administrative roles easier.

These are Deborah Pack’s answers to some get-to-know-you questions:

How surprised were you to win the Employee of the Month award?

I was extremely surprised when they arrived to present me with the award since my faculty have been so busy with our online program. I wonder how they found the time to make sure I was acknowledged for my work. It goes to show how selfless my faculty are. Also goes to show that I don’t always know what they are up to.

What is your job title and how long have you worked it?

My current title is administrative Specialist and I have been with Social Work for nearly 20 years.

What are the most enjoyable things about your job?

I truly enjoy my job in so many ways. Probably one of the most rewarding parts of my job is finding solutions to obstacles, whether it be for students, faculty or the overall university. My faculty also respect me as part of the team and have given me the opportunity to be a voice in our department meetings. It’s tremendously fulfilling to be able to play an active role in these meetings that include ways to always be improving and expanding our programs.   

What is your hometown and where do you live now?

I’m from the small town of Tuppers Plains and now live in the country outside of Albany.

What was the last good book you read?

I have a stack of books that I want to read sitting beside my chair. They keep

getting pushed to the side to be able to read books with my grandbabies.

If you weren’t in your present job, you would be ___?

Traveling.

What things in life are the most important to you?

My grandbabies. They are my pot of gold. 

Where is your favorite vacation destination?

In an oasis with plenty of sunshine where it doesn’t snow.

What are your hobbies?

Grandbabies and crafting.

What is something that most people don’t know about you?

That my family used to own some of the Ohio University buildings and land of the campus.

What are your favorite TV shows?

Not much on TV that I like. 

Who are your favorite musicians?

No one musician is my favorite. I have a long list of genres of music that  I listen to.

What is the next big event you can't wait for? 

I try to live each day to the fullest. Retirement is a big event many years from now.

What is your dream car/truck/SUV?  

I don’t have one dream car. However, a convertible to feel the wind through my hair, a dune buggy to run the sand dunes, a motorcycle to feel free of confinement and a truck to mud run are vehicles that you would be dear to me.

What is your favorite sayings or quotes? 

“Take a job and make it fulfilling.” “It all has to do with your attitude towards the task.”

“Your life will be much happier if you eliminate the negativity.”