with Robert Hirsch
Raised:
Teaneck
Resides:
Waldwick
Family:
Maureen, his wife of 30 years; and children, Robert, 24; Maryann, 23;
Kimberly, 21
Education:
B.S., computer science
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Military:
U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt., 316 Field Maint. Squadron;
served four years, including time in Vietnam
Pastimes:
Photography, collecting model trains and cars
Favorite sports to play:
Softball, football, tennis
Favorite sport to watch:
Football
Robert Hirsch isn't afraid of a challenge. Whether he's
building a 14-by-24-foot deck for his home or creating a computerized
system for Continuing Education, Robert welcomes the opportunity to tackle
a project from the ground up. A conversation with Robert reveals his relaxed
air and confidence that no task is too daunting, no situation unmanageable.
Perhaps that's why Robert was chosen a year and a half ago to fill the
newly created position of programmer/admission specialist for the School
of Graduate, Professional and Continuing Education. His most challenging
assignment is to computerize Continuing Education's operations. "Until
now they've done everything manually, so we're in the process of getting
them computerized," he said. Robert's other focus is setting up the
Graduate School's "On Course," a program that monitors the progress
of students.
Splitting his time between two offices and handling their
different needs are what Robert likes most about his job. "People
always ask me if it's hard to juggle the two and I say no. I like it very
much because I never get bored."
Robert is new to the academic world, having spent most of his 30-year
career working in a corporate environment, but he's no stranger to spearheading
new projects. "My first job out of college was to start up a computer
department at Paxar (a New York-based company that provides technology,
design and consulting systems for retailers and apparel manufacturers),"
he said. "We computerized a finance reporting system, a general ledger
system and a lot of other things."
Another aspect he's found similar in both the corporate and education
industries is the sometimes long process it takes before large-scale projects
can begin. "The hardest part isn't getting the software running,"
he said. "The first thing was meeting with Information Technology
to make sure that what we were trying to do was feasible. You can't start
a project without having a feel for whether it's going to be beneficial
and we knew this would be very helpful."
Robert said the project is about 70 percent complete and once finished,
he'll begin working on implementing some of the report programs similar
to the ones used by the Graduate School.
Despite spending most of his work day in front of a computer,
Robert likes to spend time at home the same way, that is, if the computer
is free. "Between my daughter and my son, there's someone on it almost
all the time," he said. But when he does get the chance to log on,
he likes to surf the Net for interesting gadgets. His latest find was
a special police/military-style flashlight not available in stores. "We
go up to the Thousand Islands (N.Y.) on the St. Lawrence River and stay
in cabins right on the river. It's pitch black there at night, so I wanted
a powerful flashlight that's not big and bulky," he explained. "I
also have night vision goggles. Sometimes there's a lot of noise and it
sounds like coyotes attacking deer. I got them so I could actually see
what's going on out there."
Robert also enjoys building projects at home, ranging from shelves for
his son's videotape collection to the large deck he built two summers
ago. For some, that might seem like an overwhelming project to undertake,
but with the same ease with which he discusses all his tasks, Robert simply
says, "It's really not that hard."