{"257171":{"#nid":"257171","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Beattie Takes Pride in \u2018Doing Housing Well\u2019","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESummer is when things slow down for most people on campus \u2014 but not for Jennifer Beattie.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is when all of the conferences we\u2019ve planned over the year are finally on campus,\u201d said Beattie, manager of Georgia Tech\u2019s Conference Services. \u201cIn the mornings, we might check in a group with 700 people, and that day we might also check out another large group. It can be pretty hectic, but I actually enjoy it.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe idea behind Conference Services is that during the summers, there are very few students who use the dining and residence halls. This unit serves as a one-stop-shop to coordinate overnight conferences on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, the national nonprofit Teach for America has selected campus to be one of its annual nine flagship summer institute locations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe group brings hundreds of future teachers here for seven weeks in June and July,\u201d Beattie said. \u201cThe best aspect of my job includes building relationships with new and returning clients, as well as other campus departments such as parking, dining, and the student center. We work as a team to ensure that customer expectations are exceeded.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAnd Beattie doesn\u2019t just assist off-campus groups.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe also have on-campus departments that need lodging for their interns, for example, and we\u2019re able to help coordinate this,\u201d she added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, \u003Cem\u003EThe Whistle\u003C\/em\u003E had an opportunity to learn more about Beattie and her time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you get into event planning?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe funny thing is that my bachelor\u2019s degree is actually in photojournalism. But while I was in college, I worked as a resident assistant at Rochester Institute of Technology, and I loved working with students and on a campus. So, I ended up earning my master\u2019s degree in Student Affairs Administration. While I was earning that degree at Texas A\u0026amp;M University, I got a job with Residence Life planning conferences. Things just kind of took off from there.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhen did you arrive at Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAfter my master\u2019s, I worked on a few rural college campuses. At that point, I came to the realization that I wanted to live in a city, and I wanted a job that would allow me to live off campus (which can sometimes be a challenge when you work in my field). So, when I had a chance to come to Tech in 2002, I took it.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is one thing most people don\u2019t know about your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EThat my office exists! We are trying to get the message out that when it comes to having a summer conference on campus, we do housing well.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the greatest challenge you face in your position? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFinding meeting space for everyone can be tough. And I\u2019m always trying to find spaces that are close together so that groups don\u2019t have to walk all over campus to get from one workshop to another.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot on campus?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EMy office in the Commander Building. I spend so much time there that it\u2019s kind of like a second home.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to eat lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EHighland Bakery, and I\u2019m a fan of the chicken chili. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you like to do in your spare time? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI like to volunteer. For example, I am one of the advisors for the Women\u2019s Leadership Conference that students put on through the Women\u2019s Resource Center at Tech. I also donate my time to the Georgia Aquarium, Passion City Church, and the Alliance and Fox Theatres. My latest adventure is being a foster mom for the Atlanta Humane Society.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESummer is when things slow down for most people on campus \u2014 but not for Jennifer Beattie.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Summer is when things slow down for most people on campus \u2014 but not for Jennifer Beattie."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2013-11-25 15:27:13","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:25","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-11-25T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2013-11-25T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"256861":{"id":"256861","type":"image","title":"Jennifer Beattie","body":null,"created":"1449243856","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:44:16","changed":"1475894936","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:48:56","alt":"Jennifer Beattie","file":{"fid":"198237","name":"jennifer_4.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jennifer_4_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/jennifer_4_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":264932,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/jennifer_4_0.jpg?itok=18cFbMtR"}}},"media_ids":["256861"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"80811","name":"Conference Services"},{"id":"80801","name":"Jennifer Beattie"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}