Administrator of the Year: Franco finishes first with students
Juan Franco loves his job, and it shows.
That’s why the vice president of Student Services has been selected as the 2004 Utah Statesman Administrator of the Year.
Franco was hired at the end of the 2002-03 school year and during his first 11 months on the job has helped see the start of many projects and impressed a lot of people.
“I definitely think he’s the administrator of the year,” said Director of Student Involvement Tiffany Evans. “He genuinely wanted to come and make a difference and enhance the quality of student life on the campus.”
And that he did.
Franco has been involved with everything from planning a new childcare facility and residence hall to working with students on changes to the Taggart Student Center.
After all that, Franco still has time for his family, to teach a psychology course, represent the students with the administration and attend most student activities.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with students and that’s why I took this job in the first place,” Franco said. “My own priority was to help the students to achieve their goals, to get to know the students well.”
He’s done that too. Franco can often be seen stopping students as he walks past them, asking how they are doing and how their classes are going.
Evans, who served on the search committee to hire a new Student Services vice president, said she could tell Franco was excited about the position when interviewing him over the phone. She said she asked him why he wanted to be vice president of Student Services.
“He didn’t even think,” she said. “It was just, ‘the students. It’s all about the students. I want to work with the students.'”
He wasn’t kidding.
“Students have just over and over appreciated what he has done in the short period of time that he has been here,” Evans said. “He’s available, his door is always open for students, and he’s actively engaged in what the student body is doing.”
Franco was present and visible at Aggie basketball and football games, hockey games, he was a judge for the Kappa Delta Star Search event and has served as a moderator for a number of debates and functions put on by various student organizations.
“To watch his genuine concern and his genuine care for the students has been inspiring,” Evans said. “I am just thrilled to have him on campus and to have the opportunity to work with him.”
Those who work with Franco are hard pressed to find a fault with his work.
Perhaps the most important of Franco’s job duties, representing the students with the administration, is one of the areas Franco succeeds in most.
“He has done an excellent job at speaking up for students at the administrative meetings that he is involved with,” Associated Students of USU Executive Vice President Tagg Archibald said. “The administration is definitely up to date with student concerns with Dr. Franco representing the students.”
For all he does for the students, Franco said he loves the work, especially since the students he represents are such a good group.
Franco recently attended a conference where he spoke with other people in positions similar to his at other schools.
“They were all whining about their students, saying they drink and they smoke,” Franco said. “I know it sounds corny, but we really do have some good students.”
Franco said he really enjoyed his first year on the job, and looks forward to seeing the continuation of projects that have been started.
“What I think I have going for me now is I know how things work at Utah State a little better,” he said. “We’ve got so many things to complete.”
Having served on the committee that recommended Franco be hired, did Evans have any regrets about the recommendation?
Don’t count on it.
“I would just have to say that was one of the best recommendations that I have seen a committee make,” she said.
-str@cc.usu.edu