Thomas Retires as UT Psychology Admin
When Sandy Thomas was looking for a job in 1986, a good friend encouraged her to apply at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Because of the people in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, she stayed for 38 years.
Thomas started as a “suite secretary,” sharing responsibilities with another staff member and working with about half a dozen professors. After a while she started working for the director of undergraduate studies, and her responsibilities evolved to include scheduling and registration. She was an administrative specialist before her retirement in August, also serving as a departmental liaison for students and planning the annual awards night.
“Working with students is one of the main reasons I stayed at UT,” Thomas said.
They appreciated her too, with several naming her in the acknowledgements of their doctoral dissertations. Before the work moved to personal computers, Thomas explained, she typed many graduate students’ dissertations.
Thomas also represented the College of Arts and Sciences for numerous years on the Employee Relations Committee (ERC). “I feel that the ERC is a very important outlet for staff to voice their concerns as well as share ideas to help make changes to benefit all staff,” she said.
“UT is a great place to work,” she said. “It is not always perfect, but just have patience and work through any rough times,” she advised. “It will be worth it.”
By Amy Beth Miller