UWF degree and year of graduation:
BS System Science,’72

Why did you choose UWF?
I was a Pensacola native and my best friend and I couldn’t agree on a college. He wanted to go to University of Florida and I wanted to go to Florida State University. So we decided we’d save our parents some money and go to Pensacola Junior College and UWF.

How did you choose your major?
I started out as a math major, but after a while that wasn’t very fun anymore. Computers were coming into vogue, and I knew I could use my math skills. 

What is your best memory from your days at UWF?
My best friend and I joined a local fraternity, Delta Tau Omega, which later went national and became Delta Tau Delta, and that was really a great thing. The fraternity put on talent shows, road rallies and dances at least once a term. We really got involved in the activities on campus. Delta Tau Delta was in charge of conducting tours on the nature trail as well, as helping to maintain its condition. I stayed involved with the fraternity for quite some time. To this day, I keep in touch with a lot of the friends I made there. Even after I came to work for UWF, I served as a faculty advisor and chapter advisor for the fraternity. 

Who was your favorite professor and why?
I really liked all my professors. We had small class sizes of 20 or less, so that made a difference. The professors were always accessible and took the time to know each student.

I do remember Dot Stewart. She wasn’t a professor, but she was the first director of Alumni Relations on campus and she worked hard to make UWF feel like a family. For example, she would set up a Christmas tree in the Commons every year and the Delts would get together with Dot and other administrators for a decorating party with music and food. 

What do you do now?
As software applications engineer for UWF, I work with programs that directly support students.  This includes working with Admissions, Registration and Records, Student Affairs, Housing, the Colleges and the Nautilus Card Office, to name just a few. I submit all of the required student-related data files to the Board of Governors Office that are required by the Legislature regarding our student population, enrollment and demographics.

How did UWF help you progress to this point?
I had two years of course work at UWF that helped me really understand programming languages, and since then, I’ve received further training through workshops, classes and technical manuals that I can access as an employee. I am able to draw on the experience and knowledge of my coworkers and my users. It’s a very collaborative environment.

What quality makes UWF special or unique?
I think the fact that it’s small and young makes a difference. We have a lot of outstanding alumni. As a Pensacola native who has worked here so many years, I am just very comfortable here.

What scientific or technological changes have you witnessed during your time working at UWF?
When I came to school here, we used punch cards. When you registered for classes you would stand in line for a class and if you were admitted they would hand you a punch card. Once you had all your cards, you could register. Eventually PCs came out and at first there was a big debate over whether or not the university should use PCs due to duplication of data and keeping the PC files in synch with the university data. 

Also, registration used to be held in the “bull pen” in Building 18, and when the student population outgrew the size of that room, registration was moved to the Field House. Then, we started developing web registration and other Web applications. Today, students can enroll and take classes online from the comfort of their own homes.