In the midst of the busy bodies across the Plymouth State campus resides a woman whose dedication to her job supports an entire flock of faculty, as well as the students who step into her office.
Mary Petz, administrative assistant to the English Department and mama bear of all English majors and composition students, works as an integral piece of the puzzle that makes up Plymouth State University.
Petz has been at the university for ten years and has spent eight and a half working in the English department.
“I feel like my job is to empower the faculty and students, particularly within the English department, but all of the students end up taking Composition. I may not meet them all but they all come through the door at some point.”
Located in Ellen Reed House, Petz’s office is the first place to see when walking through the English department’s door.
“I can see everybody that comes through the door, particularly the people that come in and just stop because they don’t know what to do or how to find somebody. I feel like I can give those students a positive impression of the department by being friendly.”
The comfort of her smile and demeanor isn’t limited to specific times of the day. For anyone who needs her help Petz says, “My door is almost always open.” She understands the need to welcome students into the building right away.
“This is kind of an imposing building, I have thirty-seven people under one roof.”
In order to ease student’s worries about where to go in the building, she keeps a board that lists the instructors names and which number office belongs to them to direct people in the right way. She also posts each instructors class schedule on the wall outside of her office, accompanied by their office hours and some way to contact them.
Even if they are still confused, Petz is not afraid to physically lead the students to their destinations. “I’ll show them the way and that way next time they will know how to get there,” but this doesn’t always occur, she joked, “when they need to get to the third floor I don’t always go up there with them-I give them very good directions.”
An administrative assistant within a major is not just a secretary, but is in charge of several different responsibilities. She enters all of the English courses online so that students can register for them in the upcoming semester.
“I do everything from making sure that the office supplies are updated and we have what we need when we need it, to coordinating rooms for movie nights, the Fall Social for English Majors, and the spring recognition ceremony as well.”
Her job includes some of those more trying tasks as well, “I can’t tell you how many work orders I put in during a year’s time.”
Petz is extremely close with “her faculty” which is a driving force in her work ethic. “My little kids-they’re very active in the different organizations on campus. They go out of their way and give up their free time to support the students.”
She emphasizes her respect for them in the way the department interacts as a whole, “this has got to be one of the most pleasant places to be on campus.
While the faculty focuses directly with their organizations, Petz does her part to support them. “I try to do the behind the scenes stuff by making things flow for both the students and the faculty.” Together, her and the faculty are vital to the success of their organizations, “we kind of help make it happen.”
Personally, Petz has had some humbling experiences while in her position. “I had a student worker about 7 years ago when I was new to the department…she wasn’t an English major but she worked for me for three years. When she graduated she said ‘you have made such a positive impact on my life, I’m driven, I know what I want. You helped me to decide to stay in school.'”
With two sons of her own having graduated or studying in college, Petz wants to make certain students are headed in the right direction. “Stay in, get your degree, do it while you’re unencumbered.”
These intentions aren’t just due to her kind-heartedness either. “The reason I suggest getting it done then is because I didn’t. I got a two-year degree and worked and worked and worked for years and then I went back to school. It took me twelve years of part-time classes to do my second two years of my bachelors degree.”
Now successfully graduated, she makes sure students understand the benefits of staying in school while outside distractions are low. “I was really pleased that I stuck it out and got my degree because it wasn’t easy…I had children, I had a full time job, I had priorities that took precedence over school.”
Petz’s role on campus is crucial to the well being of both faculty and students in and around the English department. Her dedication to making everyone else’s lives a bit easier is where her remarkable colors shine through.
“What I hope to accomplish in my support role for the department is to help the students to understand that the English department is not just this institutionalized thing, I see us more of as a living, breathing entity.”
“I think what I bring here and what is most useful is my ability and desire to help people…I just feel like that’s what I’m here for. I could teach somebody the nuts and bolts of the job, but that’s just a piece of it.”
She made sure to mention that she is not the only person on campus that includes “being the friendly face or the helpful hand” their job description, “I think that you’d find with any of the administrative assistants that it’s a huge part of what we do.”
Mary Petz is a wonderful person. Her radiant personality allows her to work in an environment where she can be utilized and appreciated but a vast number of people.
“Its not to say I know everyone because I don’t…but if I cant lend them a helping hand, wonderful, I’m happy to.”
When informed of her nomination as a Plymouth Unsung Hero, she modestly answered, “I am totally honored. It came out of the blue. I’m pleased and I’m humbled…I don’t look for a pat on the back to do what I do, I do it because I want to, and I think it makes a difference.”
If there is someone in the Plymouth State Community that you believe should be considered to be a Plymouth Unsung Hero, please contact Danielle Blanchette at dmblanchette1@plymouth.edu with a recommendation.