with Terri Giardino
Born:
Hackensack
Raised:
Mahwah and Pequannock
Resides:
Pequannock
Education:
B.A., communications, Ramapo College
Family:
Husband, Joseph, of 14 years, niece Samantha and nephew Paul, twins 2
1/2 years old
Hobbies:
Gardening and reading
Favorite types of books:
Biographies. Recently read those of Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton
Least favorite part of managing her home:
Clipping the lawn
Favorite part of her home:
The poolhouse with a bar and open pavilion she and her husband designed
and had built
Although Terri Giardino didn't live on campus when she went
to college, she can certainly call herself an expert on university residential
life. As assistant director for Facilities and Services, Terri oversees
all of the residential buildings at Montclair State, including the newest,
The Village at Little Falls.
When Terri came on board almost two years ago, work was just beginning
on The Village so she has been involved in the project literally from
the ground up. "It's been a great opportunity to watch The Village
evolve," she said. "It's truly amazing and incredible the amount
of work that's been completed in such a short time."
She's looking forward to hearing reaction from students once they've settled
into the apartments and have had a chance to use all the amenities. Terri
welcomes all feedback--good and bad. "My door is always open to students
and they're welcome to come in any time they like," she said. "I
predominantly communicate with our residence hall directors. They are
my primary points of contact because they live in the residence halls
and talk to the students on a daily basis."
With The Village complete, Terri will turn her attention to the other
facilities on campus. "I want to continue to improve on what we have,
both cosmetically, which is what the students see every day--paint, carpet
and furniture--as well as mechanically, which is what they don't always
see. This work must be done when the buildings are not occupied,"
she said. "What we try to do each year are some things that are cosmetic
and some that are structural and mechanical to maintain the integrity
of the building. It's a delicate balance, but we continue to work with
Physical Plant and Architectural and Engineering Services because they
are the folks who achieve all those things for us."
Residence Life's next big challenge will be rebuilding the Clove Road
apartments, which could begin after this academic year.
Terri got into the field of property management in an unusual way. "It's
kind of a funny story. I moved into a house and my landlord lived next
door. I had been working in media in New York City but I left because
I was getting married and I didn't want to be tied to a bus schedule.
The 12-hour day made it difficult to have a personal life.
"My landlord said I seemed efficient and asked me to
manage the building," she continued. "I thought I would do it
part time until I got another job but I've been doing it for 15 years."
In that time, Terri has managed condominiums, co-ops and apartment buildings,
and is a licensed real estate agent in New Jersey.
Despite leaving one career for another, Terri has been able to mesh the
two in her day-to-day operations. "What I enjoy most is all the different
people I get to meet, from the students, to colleagues in other departments,
to outside contractors. Every day is different," she said. "Some
days I'm out at The Village, some days I'm in the office, some days I'm
walking from building to building depending on what's going on. I like
the variety. For me that's what's fun"
Looking back on her own college experience, Terri regrets not having lived
on campus and says if she had it to do over, she would. "I highly
recommend it," she said. "It enriches your time and gives you
a much more valuable college experience. You develop friendships and become
involved in activities in a way that you can't if you're commuting."
Beyond the construction, decorating and maintenance of the
facilities on campus, Terri believes there is a greater goal. "Our
purpose is to develop living and learning communities and to give students
an experience they will take with them for the rest of their lives."
Is there a colleague that 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.