MADE AT SAC STATE

Made at Sac State - Deneilia Pappas

In this summer edition, we feature Deneilia Pappas, scheduling coordinator within Space Management. Below, she shares her remarkable story, and history, of how she was Made at Sac State.

When did you start your academic/professional career at Sac State?

I first arrived at Sac State in the fall of 1982 as a freshman to study Computer Science. All computer labs had terminals (yikes) which connected to the mainframe housed in the old computer center in Sequoia Hall. I was active in Greek life, student council and loved attending football, baseball and softball games as well as track meets.

I have fond memories of attending speeches made by Jesse Jackson and Vice Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. I was a terrible computer science student and eventually changed my major and earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration concentrating in MIS.

When did you get your first job on campus?

A few years before graduation I began working as a student assistant in the Alumni Office which was then housed in Sacramento Hall. Plans were in the works for the Alumni Center as we know it today. I helped coordinate Alumni events and endlessly tied balloons around the football stadium on game day. My primary responsibility in the Alumni Center was helping assist a newly hired computer technician implement the first software for the office.  Goodbye paper records.

My next endeavor was landing an entry level staff position in the Academic Senate Office which is known today as the Faculty Senate. It was here that I was exposed to faculty governance and learned how policies and procedures are moved along the various faculty committees, to the Executive committee and then the full Senate. Senate meetings were always interesting and I enjoyed watching the interaction amongst the faculty. Many staff members don’t realize that Senate meetings are open to the campus community to observe. I would recommend to anyone to attend at least one.

What was next for you?

After leaving the Senate Office I accepted a promotion in the General Education Office in Academic Affairs. The General Education Program was undergoing a major overhaul at the time. Every course under the program had to be reviewed to determine if it would meet the requirements of the new area criteria as mandated by the Chancellor’s Office. This is where I would also get my first experience at organizing a large scale event. I worked with ASI, Inc. in a joint effort to bring Dr. Maya Angelou to campus.

The year was 1995 and the Ballroom in the University Union didn’t exist.  Hornet Stadium wasn’t anything like it is today and it was too cold to hold the event outside at night. The main gym was what we had. Protecting the floor, bringing in the stage, and the chairs in addition to the bleachers and sound system - all needed to be facilitated with outside vendors. Facilities Management provided much needed help as faculty, staff and students enjoyed the readings of the great American poet, author, and civil rights activist.

How did you stay connected to the University?

I also worked in the Community Engagement Center while working for Academic Affairs. This was a new office at the time which focused on encouraging faculty to work with the greater community and introduce a service learning component into their course curriculum. I assisted with the implementation of an Access database which tracked faculty and community partners and their programs. During this time I also served as Vice President and President of the University Staff Assembly.

Do you have examples of working with the local community?

My next position was in the Office of Space Management. It was here when I first learned about scheduling campus and community events such as the Thanksgiving Day Run to Feed the Hungry, the Pig Bowl football game now known as Guns and Hoses, and Earth Day. I worked with long time KCRA news anchor Stan Atkinson on a station celebratory event and former Mayor Kevin Johnson for a discussion with students promoting St. Hope (Helping Others Pursue Excellence), an after school program for kids in the Oak Park neighborhood. I also worked closely with an aide in the Governor's Office when then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke to a small group of students. In addition to working on events, it was here when I first began scheduling facilities for classes and final exams. I worked on faculty office audits and was responsible for classroom furniture.

From Space Management I accepted a promotion back to Academic Affairs when the campus began to implement CMS. I was the catalog and class schedule module lead. I worked with consultants to learn PeoplesSoft on class schedule building and trained the academic departments. I was responsible for updating course and program materials both in CMS and online. During this time, Dr. Mike Lee asked if I could explore moving away from a paper university catalog. All CSU campuses where moving in this direction. A year after the implementation of CMS, the project began. With the assistance of academic departments, IRT and support staff, the first online university catalog was born.

Now I am back in the Space Management Office where I have worked for the last five years. There have been many changes; new faces and a new scheduling software but the primary function of facilities scheduling for academic classes, final exams, and campus and community events remains the same. Lecture classroom inventory, faculty office and space audits are still conducted as well as yearly lecture and instructional laboratory furniture purchases.

Final thoughts?

There have been endless changes over the past 30 years but I still enjoy working with faculty and staff colleagues. Many of these relationships have been long established while others are quite new but growing. l am looking forward to the years ahead and the excitement that every fall term brings as students return to campus to study. Like many of us before them, they too will become Made at Sac State.