The Hartman Union Building, Plymouth State’s ‘grand central station’, has been Jennifer Smith’s stomping ground for the past five years. Wearing the hat as Administrative Assistant and also Reservationist for the HUB are two demanding positions that she manages with intricate organization, and a warm, friendly demeanor.
Smith is no stranger to the Plymouth area that she has become so deeply involved with. She went to Plymouth High School, has family in Rumney, and currently lives in Thornton. “This is home for me. Even though I didn’t go to school here,” explains Smith who attended Keene State College, “it’s always been here so it’s home.”
While attending Keene State, Smith earned dual degrees in Business Administration and Journalism. From there she went on to work for Northway Bank for nine years.
“I did everything from [being a] teller to customer service, then eventually I became the trainer…I trained all of the new tellers and customer service folks in all the branches,” said Smith. “It was exciting because I got to travel throughout New Hampshire.”
For a good portion of her life, Smith has had another job that is a little bit louder and more exciting than retail banking, “I work at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. I’ve worked there for 18 years now part-time in the ticket department. Currently, I supervise the main ticket office during race weekend.”
The thrill of fast cars and diehard fans is a pastime that Smith is happy to have in her life, “I love racing, mostly NASCAR and stock cars but I’ve always loved racing since I was little.”
After her time at the bank, Smith worked a full summer working full time at the track. During this time she looked for other opportunities to further her career, “It gave me a chance to job search and be selective, and that’s how I landed here,” said Smith.
With her work cut out for her, Smith found her way through very demanding expectations and managed to fulfill those expectations and then some on the Plymouth State campus.
“In my job, I’ve been working and streamlining processes and procedures to make things go more easily and making sure that things run smoothly,” explained Smith, “[I was] able to take the initiative with things or have input on things that have an effect on how we interact with students and go about our daily operation of the building.”
Her position in HUB has made her vital to the on-goings in the building and the student based organizations across campus, “I have a little hand in everything. Usually if people don’t know or have questions about something they think ‘oh Jen will know’, and usually I have a clue.”
As reservationist, Smith is in charge of scheduling who is where at what time when anyone wants to schedule anything in the HUB. “I approve and process all of the reservation requests for the entire building,” said Smith, including meetings, events, and tabling.
As Administrative Assistant to the HUB, Smith is directly involved with all of the programs and organizations that Plymouth State has to offer its students. “I work with all of the professional staff in the HUB and the student life area,” explained Smith, “programs like Community Service, Rec Programs, the Wellness Cennter, the outdoor center, etc.”
She gets involved even further with the students by working with the woman who manages the building and its student employees, “I work in conjunction with Kerry Keating who is the Director of Union operations with the students on the facilities side of the HUB. These are people like the info-boothers, the office assistants, coverage for the ID Print Shop, and the building managers.”
Located physically in the epicenter of campus, Smith is at the core of student involvement that breaks beyond classroom doors, and that takes a lot of organization. “I do a lot, I’m very multi-functional,” said Smith.
However, her job isn’t always easy as she makes it out to be. Her job is no stranger to daily challenges, “I think just trying to keep everything in order. I’m very detail oriented so that comes naturally to me, but every once in a while its just a matter of trying to keep the balls in the air and everything going and flowing without something missing. Some days that’s challenging.”
The position of her office allows her to be around students and faculty constantly, “There’s always so much going on at different times between the staff and the students and what the orgs want to do for events…there’s never a dull moment which I love.”
Those students who stop in every day or work in the Admin office of the HUB do not stay forever, and Smith manages to balance her sadness with graduating students with her unwavering support of their future. “It’s sad that they’re moving on to another stage in their lives, but I’m happy that they’ve accomplished their goals while they were here and that they are moving on to bigger and better things,” explained Smith, “We all do that, it’s just the next stage of life.”
Just as the students she knows have reached goals while being at PSU, Smith has reached goals in her personal life that have been a direct result of her working for Plymouth State, “I just finished my master’s degree in Business. That will be coming this December and I’ll be walking in May,” said Smith, “That’s been four years in the making. That’s a big deal for me.”
With such an accomplishment at her fingertips, it’s realistic to imaging Smith pursuing other careers in her professional life, but she is sure to say that Plymouth is where she plans to stay.
“I’ve always said that if the perfect opportunity presented itself, then I would be foolish not to pursue it, but really my passion lies here. That’s where I want to utilize my strengths and my skills to benefit the union,” said Smith.
Without individuals like Jennifer Smith to direct, design, costume, and manage the on-goings of Plymouth State University, it is safe to say that many of our critical programs and organizations would not have the support that she whole-heartedly gives them. As in most cases of the faculty here at PSU, Smith focuses her dedication towards the students and the bonds that can be formed in a college environment as faculty member:
“I love my job, it’s a pleasure to come to work everyday and to form relationships with students and to see them through their time here, and see them grow either through a student group or a position here in the HUB.”
As the Unsung Hero for this edition of The Clock, Smith has been a noteworthy candidate of praise from the Plymouth community, and she welcomes the recognition with open arms:
“I’m honored. Considering that it comes from a student organization, that’s the highest form of praise. I just feel honored and blessed to work with you guys everyday. To be recognized for that is pretty special.”