Alumna remains to work on campus
In LuAnn Parkinson’s office, there is a rock engraved with the words, “every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it, autograph your work with excellence.” This quote is something she lives by at home and at work.
From managing new campus buildings to budgeting finances, Parkinson has done it all. As senior budget officer for the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services at Utah State University, Parkinson works to keep the college’s finances in order.
Though she has a full-time job at Utah State now, Parkinson used to be an average student on campus. She graduated in May 1978 with an associate degree in office administration, a major the university no longer offers.
Reflecting on her time at Utah State, Parkinson said she wished the major was still available to students, because it was really beneficial to her.
“I really learned a lot. That was back when we didn’t have computers,” she said. “We worked with typewriters, ditto machines and stencil machines. We also had those black phones with the buttons near the bottom.”
Besides typewriting skills, Parkinson said she learned filing and organizational skills, both of which she uses daily. She said after 32 years, she has put everything she learned into practice and “kind of moved up the ladder”.
Parkinson began in the department of secondary education on Jan. 1, 1979. She said it took her a while to find a job, but once she had it, she was set for life.
“I’ve always worked in the College of Education and Human Services,” she said. “I interviewed with a faculty member and then the department head, then they offered me a job.”
Parkinson has worked in many areas of the college, and in recent years, she has been in charge of the college’s building projects.
Though Parkinson has played a role in coordinating projects, she has also been actively involved in designing the building. She said she is in charge of choosing the color of brick, the carpet, the furniture, and almost everything else inside and out of each building.
Her projects include the education building, the renovation of In-Tech High School and Edith Bowen Laboratory School. The start of this semester marked the end of her fourth project, the Emma Eccles Jones Early Childhood Education and Research Center.
Parkinson said the 26-million-dollar facility houses the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management and provides early care and education for the children of USU students, staff and faculty.
Parkinson said her favorite project and biggest work accomplishment was the design and construction of Edith Bowen Laboratory School.
The charter school is located right next to the College of Education and Human Services, and provides education for 300 students, kindergarten through fifth-grade. The school also serves as a training ground for over 200 teachers in training, Parkinson said.
“That was probably my best memory at Utah State. We had a great team,” she said. “Everyone on the team has great memories.”
Though she has had fun with her projects, Parkinson said at times it got very stressful. Learning how to work with people was one of the best things Parkinson said she has learned since working at Utah State.
“USU has always been really people-oriented,” she said.
Parkinson said Utah State has done a good job at “bringing a good face to the university.”
Parkinson also said she is still learning new things at Utah State all the time. She has worked with various deans through the years in the College of Education, all of which have taught her something new.
Parkinson said life is too short to do something you hate. She said it is really important to enjoy what you do.
“I have worked my whole career in (this) college, and I’ve loved every minute of it. I really wouldn’t change a thing,” she said.
When asked what her future plans are, Parkinson joked, “when can I retire?”
– tessa.karrington@aggiemail.usu.edu