Last December, the college brought on Lucy Burke as Director of Procurement and Administrative Services. Burke is new to the Hamilton College staff and works in the Office of Auxiliary Services, tasked with duties such as the Hill Card services, dining services, the bookstore, Opus, Euphoria, and much more. Burke enjoys meeting new students and making new connections with faculty as well as the student body. I visited her in her office (located in the Bristol Center) for an illuminating conversation about her journey to Hamilton. The conversation is excerpted below.
How did you end up at Hamilton College?
Most recently, I was at Upstate Cerebral Palsy, a large human services agency that supports people with disabilities. It is a great agency and I was their Chief Administrative Officer. I’ve been very familiar with Hamilton for many years, and have always been interested in working in Higher Education. When I became aware of the position through a friend that works at Hamilton, I reviewed the job description and felt that my skillset would be a nice fit.
What are some things you guys do here?
The Auxiliary Department has a wide range of responsibilities for the Campus. One of the many important things we do that impacts students is managing the Hill Card program. Anywhere that you use your keycard to get in or pay for something is all managed out of this office. The other campus services that I oversee include Bon Appétit, the Bookstore, the Mail Center, and the Print Shop. Our office is also responsible for Laundry Services, vending, Opus, Euphoria and the purchasing process for the campus. Every day is busy, but it’s fun, and we have a good team that works well together.
Another responsibility we have is to manage the campus housing. Not residential housing for the students, but the college-owned properties situated around the campus. Faculty and staff are able to buy or rent houses or apartments that are situated on campus land. We also review many of the contracts for products and services purchased for the campus community.
Are you from the area? You said you were familiar with Hamilton.
I am from Rome, it’s about 25 minutes west of here. I grew up there and it has been a wonderful place to raise my family. I went to Binghamton University and I received my masters at SUNY Poly.
Do you encounter a lot of alumni working in the area?
Yes. Actually, my financial advisor is a Hamilton alum and he’s still very involved in the campus community. He’s very involved with athletics and is on campus quite a bit doing speeches and helping recruit new students. Another Hamilton alum assisted a previous employer with its retirement program, she was very sharp and great to work with. So yes, I know several alums and they are all quite successful!
Do you still live close by?
Yes, I actually still live in Rome. I have three children, one finishing up College, one on the way to College and a son entering High School in the Fall.
Have you enjoyed being at Hamilton so far?
I really have. I think that one of the greatest things that I’ve experienced so far is the culture here. Everyone is very supportive of each other, and keeps the mission in mind, which is about the students. It is a very positive environment. I am very happy with my decision to come to Hamilton, every day I am learning something new, and meeting great people, and the students are fantastic.
