hilltopics Images Features
8A
Wednesday, November 29, 2000
or comments, contact Clay McCuistion at 864-4924 or e-mail features@kansan.com
Gay Clock is secretary to Chancellor Robert Hemenway. Clock handles many tasks throughout the day, from talking to Gov, Bill Graves on the phone to calming angry students wanting to speak with the chancellor. Photo portraits by Thad Allender/KANSAN
By Jason Krall writer@kansan.com Kansan staff writer
Sometimes when Gay Clock picks up the phone, it's Gov. Bill Graves or Sen. Pat Roberts on the line. Kansas
Board of Regents members and state legislators drop by her office unannounced, and angry students have been known to storm in occasionally.
Clock is secretary to Chancellor Robert Hemenway and for anyone looking to meet with the chancellor, the buck stops here in her office.
Taking multi-tasking to new heights, Clock takes a call on her headset, opens an invitation for the chancellor and glances at an e-mail. She goes through one after another until it appears she's doing them all at once.
Every phone call, e-mail or letter to the University's first-in-command zoes through Clock.
And whether you're a lawmaker dealing with University issues in the legislature, a faculty member or a student with a beef, if you want to see the chancellor, you'll need to make an appointment with her.
There are a few exceptions, however. Clock has to be aware of which campus issues are the chancellor's top priorities so she knows which calls he needs to be interrupted to take.
Those top priorities include calls from the governor and the senator. Clock said.
"When some of those people call, you just find him," she said. "He wants to talk to everybody, but part of the transition to the job was learning what his ton priorities were."
Her job sometimes includes calming the angry students who storm into the chancellor's office demanding that he address their problems.
"There really are procedures and policies that address student's problems," Clock said. "But sometimes people get frustrated and say I'm going right to the top.' I usually tell them to go through the channels and if you still don't get it resolved, come back."
Clock remembers one time a large group of students was rumored to have been planning to go to the chancellor's office in Strong Hall to address an unknown topic. The confrontation never happened, but Clock remembers that the rumors flying that day created a tense atmosphere.
"I knew it had happened in the past. I'd heard some stories," she said.
Right- Hand Woman
Whether the chancellor is in his office, somewhere on campus, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, or in Topeka working with legislators, Clock's pace rarely slows. Most people hoping to reach him don't know his schedule, so they tend to call as often when he's in as when he's away. Clock said.
Gay Clock keeps a level head while she helps the chancellor juggle his University duties
"It's not necessarily slow when he's not here — it just seems a little less hectic and a little quieter," she said. "But the minute he walks in the door, the phone starts ringing. People must intuitively know when he's here."
Each morning, Clock meets with Hemenway to review his schedule for the day. She informs him of last-minute changes. Each day the stack of mail includes a handful of invitations to various events and meetings, which Clock sorts through to find events the chancellor might want to attend.
Hemenway sees about one student per week on average, Clock estimated. Some are looking for a resolution to a dispute about a fee or a grade, others are seeking advice, and some are his own students.
After raising three children in Lawrence with her husband Rick, a minister at University Christian Fellowship, Clock joined the School of Business as a secretary in 1994. She moved to the chancellor's office two and a half years ago during the quiet month of June, which gave her a chance to settle in to the new job.
"She always has something on her plate, but she's level-headed and really well-respected in the office," said Pittman, who also participated in a Bible study that Clock led at the fellowship last spring. "She never falls to be completely kind. She's one of the most consistent people I know."
Jill Pittman, Haskell, Okla., junior, works with Clock as a student-employee answering phones in the chancellor's office. Pittman says Clock manages the dizzying flow of correspondence through the office with grace.
Mary Burg, executive assistant to the chancellor, works closely with Clock.
"I think where Gay really excels is she is very calm regardless of all the balls she's juggling, whatever crisis du jour we're dealing with," Burg said. "She doesn't get ruffled, and she's surrounded by people who are ruffled. And the fact that she's not allows her to solve problems that come up."
Her duty to manage the chancellor's schedule makes Clock the only person on campus from whom Hemenway takes orders, Burg said.
"It's a job where you've got to be able to tell the chancellor what to do." Burg said. "She's got to boss him around a little and there aren't a lot of people comfortable doing that. That's a thankless part of the job. Everyone wants all the time that he'll give them, and he'll give them all the time he has, but it's up to Gay to blow the whistle so he isn't late for whatever's next."
- Edited by Casey Franklin
A day with Gay
A typical day at work for Gay Clock, secretary to Chancellor Robert Hemenway:
9 a.m. (sometimes earlier): Clock and Hemenway meet in his office to discuss Hemenway's schedule for the day, including last-minute additions and late invitations in events around campus.
Mid-morning: Clock manages the incoming flow of calls and e-mails coming through the chancellor's office. Clock says she takes in many as 50 or 60 calls in a day.
After lunch: Clock tackles the intimidating pile of mail, looking for invitations and letters. Did what is mostly junk mail.
Mid-afternoon: Coaxing the chancellor in and out of meetings that usually run long Clock may take a call from a legislator member of the Kansas Board of Regents or even Gov Bill Graves. She also schedules appointments for students and faculty who come to the office hoping to speak with Hemenway