My Education & Career 

   

Education 

I graduated number 5 of 156 in the Gwinn High School Class of 1988.  That September I moved to "the big city" of Ann Arbor from Arnold (population:  72) as an extremely naive, 17-year-old, country bumpkin.  I attended the University of Michigan for 2 1/2 years, but did not complete my degree.  When I got here, I found a job right away, adapted fairly quickly on a social level, and became active in different student groups, but academics were another story.  My grades were OK for the first 3 semesters, but the huge classes and lack of personal attention--not to mention the humbling demotion from "top of the class" to "average"--took their toll on me after a couple years.  I have no doubt I was every bit as smart as most of the people in my class, but go figure, I didn't have the desire or determination to work my ass off for Cs and an occasional B.  

I thought I'd found my niche in the tiny Scandinavian Studies program (Scandinavian Literature). In my junior year, when my mentor and friend, Gesine, moved back to Sweden, I quickly lost interest in the program and found myself with no desire to go to class or learn anymore.  The final nail in the coffin was when Governor Engler took office, and my financial aid package went from a full ride down to a couple small grants and offers of loans.  So alas, I am not a wolverine alumna.

Disheartened, discouraged, and a little embarrassed, I looked into other local schools in 1992, and found Cleary College (now Cleary University) in Ypsilanti.  Founded in 1883, the school specializes in Business programs for working adults.  The average age of students at the time was 33.  Since by then I was employed full-time, managing a business, I felt it was a perfect fit.  Cleary consistently ranked (and continues to rank) in the top 15 of specialty colleges in U.S. News and World Report, and they offered me a good financial aid package, so I started taking classes part-time.  I finally finished in 1996, with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management.  I feel extremely pleased with the quality of education I received at Cleary, and I still stay in touch with several teachers, administrators, and other students.

Career 

I still work at the University of Michigan as the Manager of the Billiards Room.  In 1994, I also took on management of Michigan Advertising Works (MAW), which coordinated the use of advertising space on campus.  MAW moved into the newly-renovated 4th floor of the Union in 1997, increased its services to include computers, a copy machine, a balloon business, and meeting space, and changed its name to the Student Organization Resource Center.  Here's me at work, posing for the Billiards Room "Meet the Staff" website (click to enlarge):

Both of my facilities are under the direction of the University Unions Arts & Programs Department.  I do a fair amount of "programming" and only a little "arts" though.  Mainly I recruit, hire, and supervise the 30+ students of the Billiards Room and The SORC during the 180 hours a week that those facilities are open.  There are also a million other things that go along with the routine, day-to-day happenings of two 7-day-a-week facilities.  Here's a picture of me and several of my co-workers (click any photo to enlarge, then "Back" to return to this page):

 

UU Arts & Programs staff, February 2006 Me & Shawn, Billiards Room Asst. Manager from September 2004 through August 2006 Just a few staff members of the Michigan Union, May 2006

 

I have been doing this for a long time, and for the most part, I love it.  But the hours and nearly round-the-clock commitment became tiresome, and I started a job search in the summer of 2001.  I interviewed for a couple of positions, but when the job market went sour (thanks largely to 9/11), I stopped searching.  I got approval to hire a part-time permanent assistant manager in January 2002, and that eased the load quite a bit. Unfortunately, though, this position was cut in 2008 and converted to a graduate internship.    

Although I'm very happy with my job, I am always keeping my eyes and ears open for a job that would allow me time and financial flexibility to go back for my Master's Degree at Cleary University.  What I'd love to do for a living:  be a technical writer.  One of my favorite responsibilities as a manager has been writing procedures manuals that answer almost every conceivable question that a student employee might have during a shift.  This was a discovery I made only out of necessity, having gotten numerous phone calls after 2AM for several years.  Meaning no disrespect to my student employees, I call this writing "idiot proofing," and I enjoy it immensely.

The Assistant Manager is responsible for most of the student training, scheduling, and daily operations of the Billiards Room.  This allows me to focus the 25% of my salary-effort that is devoted to Recreation on campus programming plus some regional and national projects.

 

Presentations

In March of 2003 I presented "Recreation Success Stories" at the annual conference of college unions professionals (ACUI) in Chicago.  I am proud to have built several recreational programs and clubs from scratch at U of M, and now I feel I've learned and accomplished enough to share my stories--good and bad--with people across the country.  The presentation was well-received.

 

Hosting international tournaments

I am also pleased to have gotten the support from my Director to host the Billiards Congress of America (BCA) Junior National Championships in late July 2003.  About 150 of the nation's best 18 & under pool players--many of them future touring professionals--did battle on our greens.  It was a lot of work (I logged 83 hours in 7 days) but an unforgettable experience that I look forward to doing again, perhaps in 2005.*   Click here for photos and a recap of the week.

*The BCA Junior National Championships (18 & Under) and the ACUI 9-Ball Championships (collegiate) were held concurrently at The Michigan Union Billiards Room on June 15-19, 2005.  Go to the Billiards Room website and/or the BCA website for to read more about it or see pictures.

 

Directing international tournaments

In January of 2004, I was asked to be the Tournament Director for the Association of College Unions International 9-Ball Championships.  This was an opportunity that I have been interested in for a long time, but for over a decade the job has always been filled.  When the previous Director resigned three months before the tournament, I had the opportunity to step in.  It was considered by many to be a Herculean undertaking, but as you might have guessed by now, this is something I'm passionate about.  I jumped into it headfirst and never looked back.  (Add that to my long list of reasons I'm happy that I don't have kids...I'm too much of a workaholic!)

The tournament was in Boulder, Colorado on April 15-17, 2004.  If you've never been there, seize any opportunity to go!  What a gorgeous town and gorgeous campus!  This was quite an adventure, but the shortest version of the story I can muster is that it was perhaps the most successful and rewarding program I've ever put together.  The tournament, the trip, the entire adventure were simply unforgettable.  It was an enormous amount of work, especially for a volunteer gig, but when the event came together in such grand fashion, it was all worthwhile.  I worked from 7AM until midnight those three days, running the tournament chart, scheduling matches, refereeing matches, and talking to the press.   

After completion of the tournament, there was an awards presentation.  As the Tournament Director, I was in charge of the program for the dinner.  Our volunteer Head Referee (former Director of all league operations for the Billiard Congress of America, John Lewis), Laura Smith from the WPBA, and the Colorado Billiard Room Manager and Marketing Manager and I sat at the head table on the stage.  Seated on the main floor were about 60 participants, parents, and guests.  After dinner, I took the podium and handed out awards for “Best Break,” “Best Sportsman/woman,” “Shot of the tournament,” and finally the coveted real awards, 3rd place through 1st place in each division.  When that was all finished, I told them to all enjoy their last night in Boulder, what a great pleasure it had been to meet all of them, and thanked them for coming to the tournament, and the students gave me ....I'm still getting choked up thinking about it.....a STANDING OVATION!!!  Over half of the students had played in the tournament last year.  After recent experiences with bad Tournament Directors, they didn’t necessarily have high hopes for a well-run event.  But after a day or so, they figured out and appreciated that I knew what I was doing, and that made it a memorable experience for them.  It was one of the most rewarding moments of my career!  Aside from playing in a tournament, it is the thing for which I would most like to receive that kind of recognition.

Mark Ritter, the Michigan State player representing the Michigan/Ohio region, was my surrogate Derek for the week.  He rode around in the mini-van with me, navigated, and posed for pictures on the last day we were there.  Unlike Derek, however, Mark hardly criticized my driving at all!  :-)  The day after the tournament, our flights didn't leave until the afternoon, so we drove up into the mountains to take in the view seize some prime photo opps.  This was an experience that Mark and I both raved about for WEEKS afterwards.  Click to enlarge: 

         

 

Serving on committees where I can directly impact intercollegiate recreation

ACUI - ACUI - ACUI - ACUI - ACUI - ACUI - Are you sick of hearing that yet?  ACUI is a large organization of college unions professionals throughout the US and several other countries.  I became involved as a student participant in Recreation Tournaments in 1989, and I am now deeply entrenched in ACUI, mostly Recreation.

ACUI Conference 2004        ACUI Conference 2003     Gretchen Laatsch Outstanding Service Award, 2004

In its heyday, the ACUI Recreation Program boasted over 25,000 participants nationwide, and a few from "the rest of the world" (hence the "international" moniker).  But since the mid-1990s, there has been a noticeable drop in the level and number of participants in the annual regional recreation tournaments, and as a result, ACUI has been struggling to find sponsors.  As I became heavily involved at the regional and international level, I was asked to serve on a task force to examine the ACUI Recreation Program and its future.  It has been very challenging because of the radically opposing viewpoints of other people on the committee, but I have used that opposition to inspire me and encourage me to stay on it and stay vocal.   There is a very real possibility that intercollegiate competition will be discontinued...rather, it will die off because it is not properly managed or promoted.  I am convinced that, unless I continue to give my input, I would effectively pave the path of obscurity for this beloved program.  I expect this committee to continue to develop and grow, so ask me later how it's going!

Update, March 2006:  At the annual conference in Kansas City last weekend, I was asked to apply for the position of International Chair of the ACUI Recreation & Leisure Time Activities Program.  It's not official yet, but if I am appointed, I believe it will be the position in which I can have the most impact on intercollegiate recreation competitions.  Still a volunteer gig, but could have significant impact.

Update, July 2007:  It's been a whirlwind year!  Unable to fill the 9-ball Director position, I've been wearing both hats all year, to the tune of about 20 volunteer hours a week.  It has taken its toll; I am volunteered out.  But a new 9-ball Director was selected in May 2007, and she'll serve as my apprentice in Mankato at the Championships this summer, then assume full duties as the summer progresses.  Yay for me!

 

Write articles for pool magazines

I wrote about "What's Happenin' on the Youth & Collegiate Pool Scene" for the regional pool magazine, Inside English, for about two years (05-06).  This magazine has a circulation of about 5,000 pool players in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio.  This was a great experience for me because it allowed me to indulge my love of writing.  

Because of my involvement with the International ACUI championship, I was asked to write a monthly column called "Campus Corner" for the national publication Pool & Billiard in late 2006.  I'm not sure what the circulation is for that magazine, but I'd guess well into the six figures.  It's not a paying position, but one about which I am very enthusiastic and passionate.  ACUI does receive payment of sorts; in exchange for my monthly contribution, P&B sends a free subscription to any ACUI member school that has pool tables (roughly 500 memberships a year).  It's one thing to say you support collegiate and junior pool, but that's putting your money where your mouth is!  Kudos to P&B--the Editor, Shari, in particular--for being so supportive of ACUI collegiate and junior endeavors--not just giving it lip service.  Look for my byline in any issue that is dated January 2007 or later!

 

How about that gorgeous building I get to work in...

One of the best aspects of working in the Michigan Union is the building itself.  

It's easy to take it for granted, being here every day, but it is really a magnificent structure!

 

May at the Michigan Union (exterior) The funny thing is, I took these two pictures 2 years apart, but it must have been the same week, because the same banner is hanging in front of the Union!

This photo was taken by a professional photographer.  Courtesy of Larime Photographic, Inc.  734-996-0994

       

Another one of my personal snapshots Perspective shot My desk (it's always this messy or messier, much to my dismay)

        

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This page was last updated July 17, 2009 7:07 PM