Congratulations to Debbie Hair
Please join us in recognizing Debbie Hair after a remarkable 17-year career at the
University of Utah’s Bennion Center for Community Engagement. In her ever expanding administrative role, she has been the heart, soul, and connective
tissue between the past and present. In addition to her amazing professional contributions,
her thoughtful approach to personal connections with students, staff, community members,
and beyond are what she will be remembered for the most. In total, Deb has worked
at the U for 20 years. Her last day will be July 7th.
Debbie began her career at the University of Utah in July of 2003 as the office manager at the Tutoring Center under the umbrella of the Counseling Center. There, she matched students to tutors using a paper “rolodex” system, where she was instrumental in helping them transition to digital queries using Access.
In January of 2007, Debbie joined the Bennion Center as the Administrative Assistant and established the drop-in service program, now called Service Corner, among all of her other office management duties. Over her tenure, Debbie especially enjoyed helping students complete thousands of knitted hats and scarves, over 100 quilts, and several hundred Bags to Beds sleeping mats made of plastic shopping bags. Among the countless members in the community Debbie helped learn how to knit, Swoop was easily the slowest learner.
When asked about the impact of her work on students, Debbie said:
“I think that my impact on students was helping them realize their goals and the impact they can make, and helping them work through that. I really liked watching students grow and get to know themselves and just become the best they can be. My goal was to help students realize they can do something. We’ve had students come in with a mission and direction, and we’ve had those come in to finally realize that they could have a mission and goals that help them bloom as a person.
What I will miss is the noise, the chatter, the energy. When someone comes into the room and is so full of energy and happiness that it’s contagious and bubbles over— those kind of moments. The Bennion Center has been a home away from home, it’s been a big part of my life, all of the friendships with students and staff. The hardest part of my job was saying goodbye to all of them as they began their new adventures.”
Debbie’s career has been full of achievements, most importantly, the support she has provided to staff. She has been actively engaged in the growth of all Bennion Center student programs and received the Student Affairs Service Excellence Award in 2009.
Upon retirement, Debbie’s time will be filled with 10 grandkids, her garden, quilts, watercolor painting, bird watching, stargazing, and mountain roads. Rekindling past interests include Dutch oven cooking, where she has competed nationally, trained professional chefs, presided over the International Dutch Oven Society, and has even produced a cookbook. Her advice to all of us is simple, just explore and keep learning.
We want to express our gratitude to Debbie Hair for her commitment to the University, our community, and to any of us individually who she sat down with to help us get through a hard day. We wish her all the best as she embarks on this new journey and know that she will continue to make a positive impact on those around her.
Congratulations, Debbie!