Rick Thomas sometimes feels like a freshman. As the new Executive Director of Norris University Center, Thomas has been at Northwestern since August 18, just one month longer than has the class of 2008. But he has a tougher job than any student here—running the most prominent and bustling building on campus. Not content with simply running Norris, Thomas already has visions of how he can make it better.
“I would like to put Norris back on the map on campus in terms of having students think of Norris as a home away from home, as a community center,” he said.
Thomas plans to do that by enhancing services that Norris offers to everyone, from students just grabbing lunch to those who practically live in the student group offices on the third floor.
In fact, he’s already started. He has noticed that there is a perception among student groups that there is almost too much happening on campus. But he doesn’t think that’s a bad thing. Students want to build a community, he notes, and sometimes the small organizations and the larger ones don’t always coexist very well.
“I encourage groups to collaborate and work together,” said Thomas, “but also to respect the fact that some groups will want to work just for themselves.”
And Thomas certainly wouldn’t neglect the 200 student employees at Norris, because he was once one himself. Twenty-two years ago, as an undergraduate, he was hired as the building manager at University of Wisconsin—Plattsville. He enjoyed the dynamic and excitement of the student center so much that he has been working in them ever since. So he can understand perhaps more than any other Norris administrator the needs of student employees.
“My goal is that working at Norris is a learning experience for students,” Thomas said. “It should be more than just a job and a paycheck to them. I hope that because I’ve walked a mile in their shoes, they’ll realize that I know what it’s like.”
One way in which he hopes to do that is by getting students’ guidance on how he can make Norris a better place to serve both students and employees. He’s been there, and he knows that there are some things that the adult faculty just doesn’t see—they need a student’s perspective.
Since coming to Norris, Thomas has noticed some striking differences between Northwestern students and those at other universities for which he has worked: DePaul University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Valparaiso University, and University of South Florida.
“I’m encouraged by the social consciousness of the students wanting to get involved in political and charitable causes,” he said. “Unique in some ways to Northwestern is the strong desire to do activities that contribute to the greater world.”
It’s a good thing Thomas has found encouragement here, because he may need it to make the hour and fifteen-minute commute each day from Whiting, Indiana, where he lives with his wife and eight-month-old son, Robert.
“If I just had a boat, I could literally go across the lake faster than driving,” he jokes.
All kidding aside, Thomas is well on his way to making an impact at Norris. So when will he finally stop feeling like a freshman?
“I think it takes about a year before I won’t feel so new,” Thomas said. “I have to see the cycle of an entire year at Northwestern. I haven’t seen a lot of events yet, like Dance Marathon and Dillo Day. I’ll be a freshman as long as this class is.” |
