with A.J. Kelton
Born:
Newark
Raised:
Whippany
Resides:
Kearny
Education:
B.A., English, Montclair State University
Hobbies:
Traveling and watching soccer. He holds season tickets to the MetroStars
and follows the Brazilian national team. "That's my passion."
Favorite vacation spot:
Madrid
Where he'd like to go:
On a photo safari to Africa and the Orient
Favorite movie:
"Young Frankenstein"
Favorite Music:
Everything from Mozart to Garth Brooks
If it has a plug, A.J. Kelton takes care of it. As director of Technology
Services for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), A.J.
is responsible for everything from the computers and fax machines to the
copiers and printers. But he'll be the first to admit he's not a fanatic
when it comes to technology. He says he doesn't take his computer with
him everywhere he goes, he doesn't play games, listen to music or get
e-mail on his cell phone, and he can't even program a VCR.
But one gadget A.J. says he can't live without is his Palm Pilot, which
he says helps him stay organized. In addition to working for CHSS, he
regularly attends technology conferences and is working toward completing
a master's degree here. "I've always been interested in technology
that can make life easier and fun," he said. "I remember in
1981 telling my parents that we needed to get a computer because I recognized
its power."
A.J., however, didn't integrate technology into his career until 1997
when he began working as a student assistant in the dean's office. At
the time, technology was an interest, while English was his first love.
"Toward the end of my undergraduate studies, I realized that writing
and technology go hand-in-hand in many ways," he said. When a full-time
position opened up in CHSS, A.J. saw it as the perfect opportunity to
combine his passions. "Dean [Richard] Gigliotti has a clear vision
of the overarching idea of how technology fits into education," he
said.
A lot of A.J.'s time is spent as a liaison between the faculty and Information
Technology. "The faculty speaks the language of academics while IT
speaks the language of technology," he explained. "So I try
to be the viaduct; the person whose voice is heard on both sides to help
bridge the gap."
Because there are so many facets to his job, A.J. says each day brings
new challenges. "You never know what the day is going to hold,"
he said. "It's a two-edged sword in that each day is new and exciting,
but sometimes I wish there was more regularity. But the good thing about
working here is the semesters. There's always a new start and a finish,
a sense of closure and accomplishment."
With the assistance of Elizabeth Mayfield, technical services specialist,
and student workers, A.J. says the department works as a team. "Maybe
I'm the quarterback or the coach, but if you don't have someone to throw
the ball to, and someone to block for you, you're not going to be successful.
Every single position is important," he said.
A.J. believes that how you treat employees is an integral part of how
they perform. "I try to involve people in the decision-making process
because their input is important. When people have a say or a stake, they
take ownership and they're more likely to do a good job and care more
about the outcome," he said. "This job is successful because
there are good people around me who care about their jobs. The whole picture,
everything that gets done in this college is successful because all of
us make it that way."
Last month A.J. took on another leadership role, as chair of edTeXpo,
a day-long event that focused on education and technology. The conference
included a variety of presentations by faculty, staff and librarians as
well as a hands-on Technology and Vendor Exploritorium. "Overall,
it was a huge success," he said. "It's an excellent opportunity
for people to show off their talent right in our community. I can see
it becoming not just an annual event involving our campus, but next year,
we'll probably invite other sister universities and colleges to join us."
Having integrated technology with education in his own life--his writing
studies master's thesis is titled "Access, Culture, Technology and
the Basic Writer"--A.J. hopes more faculty will embrace the tools
that can assist them. The key, he says, is to explain the benefits. "There
are people who are afraid of technology. Faculty have to understand why
something is important to them. That has become my mantra in CHSS. If
someone doesn't understand why something is important, they won't care
about it. Once they understand the why, the how will fit into place."
Is there a colleague you'd like to nominate for "On the Job?" If so, e-mail his/her name along with a brief description of how he/she contributes to the campus community, to Jennifer Fusco at fuscoj@mail.montclair.edu.