We’re continuing our series of How I Work, but are putting a “Summer Edition” spin on it. This week, take a look inside the workspace of Nick Steele.

Job title: Coordinator, Chancellor’s Leadership Corps/Mr. CLC/That CLC Guy?

Where do you work? Administration North, Room 202 (one of the oldest buildings but best view on campus)

Describe the view from your desk: View of fountain and beautiful greenery with shrubs, trees, and grass. Busy intersection of sidewalks with traffic between the Old Student Union and Dickinson. In the spring or fall, I will often open my windows to listen to the fountain and birds.

What do you listen to at work? Really not much. I will usually start the day with anything from classical to R&B to yes, rap music; however, it usually doesn’t stay on long as I stop or pause the music due to a phone call or a student coming into my office and I forget to turn it back on.

What is your favorite to-do list manager? I use Google calendar non-stop. I also have post-it notes on the bottom of my monitor for small reminders.

What is your work schedule? I work all the time. Typically I am in my office, Monday-Friday 8-5; however, we have many events on Saturdays and Sundays sometimes especially in August, Interview Days, Orientation, etc. The work also does not stop after 5 p.m. I am answering emails, Facebook messages, text messages from students in the evenings and over the weekends. My job is to help students become successful in college and in life. The questions do not stop after 5 and sometimes they need a quick response.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without? This is a tough question to answer as I am constantly living on my phone or computer. I would say the one thing that is tough for me to live without would have to be Facebook. I know it isn’t a gadget but I stay connected to the students this way. I know many would frown upon this, however, with my job I see it as a crucial part of knowing what is going in the everyday life of a college student and another way they communicate with me.

PC or Mac? PC but I do use an iPhone non-stop, so would that make me a Mac user too? I have been a Dell guy for laptops and PC’s though until the iPhone came out and use it quite a bit.

Favorite workday snack? Popcorn, peanuts, something salty.

Lastly, how is your job different during the summer months? Summer is a time for planning for the new year. In the summer months I spend time meeting with students who are enrolled in summer school attempting to get their scholarships back in good standing. I also spend time planning for our Overnight CLC Orientation in mid-June (June 19-20) this year and I spend time planning for Trojan Days with the Office of Campus Life in August. Also take time to research what we have done over the year. What worked and what didn’t work? I evaluate our retention rates over the year. I also make sure students are geared up for a new year and have everything in place before moving on campus in August.

Do you work on campus and want to share your workspace with us? Send an email to mkmilliorn@ualr.edu and let us know!