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For Contreras,
working with people is part of the job
By Jamie Rogers
Summer Forty-Niner
After growing up
with six older brothers and two younger sisters, Armando Contreras
said he enjoys being around people. As executive assistant
for Cal State Long Beach President Robert Maxson, that is
an especially important trait for Contreras.
"I deal with
a lot of students," he said. "Dr. Maxson's philosophy
is very student centered. He promotes and really maintains
a kind of open communication style.
"We also have
a couple of areas that report to us. All four of the vice
presidents report directly to the president's office. That
includes student services, administration and finance, academic
affairs, which is the largest by far, and university relations
and development. The athletics and the office of equity and
diversity report directly to the president also. So those
are all the areas that we oversee and have contact with."
As executive assistant,
Contreras serves as a liaison to the president, dealing with
questions and complaints from students, faculty, the press
and a multitude of others. Contreras' job is to answer everyone's
questions and complaints as fully and cheerfully as possible.
He said it is his goal to inform people that CSULB is the
best place they could possibly be.
"Public relations
is an important part of [the job]," Contreras said. "Not
simply public relations in the sense of marketing, but I think
the president views any contact with anyone from the campus
as public relations. There is always a certain feeling and
a sense of moral that we want to cultivate. How we talk to
people, how accessible we are and how friendly we are makes
a big difference."
Contreras' accessibility
is well known among students and staff. Students with questions
will often stop by his office to ask questions.
The constant coming
and going of students and staff adds spice to the day, Contreras
said. He said he enjoys this job thoroughly because he never
knows what is going to happen each day. It helps, he added,
that CSULB is the best campus he has worked for.
"I have been
at two other campuses," Contreras said. "I started
at Cal Poly Pomona. Then I was at San Francisco State and
then I came here. This is the best campus by far. They're
all really different. Pomona is smaller, rural. San Francisco
State was kind of nuts. It was a really radical, politicized
type campus. This is kind of in between. We have a combination
of a small town feel, even though it is huge. At least we
try to be a friendlier kind of large place. And we have a
very good administration, very well run."
Contreras said
it is meaningful to him to work at a state school like CSULB,
where he said the community is an important one to build.
He is very familiar with the differences between state schools
and Ivy League schools. He attended Harvard for his undergraduate
education, where he studied history and literature. Later,
he went to UC Berkley for his graduate degree in history and
also attended San Francisco State while he worked there.
"People sometimes
ask me, 'well, do you ever want to work at an Ivy League school?'
I've always felt that you can get just as good of an education
here. You have to work a little harder maybe. But I think
that if you are motivated you can get the same quality of
information. I think that access is important. The potential
difference that we make here is greater than someone who goes
to Stanford or somewhere, because you know that they are probably
going to do well. Here people have to work harder so when
they achieve [their degrees] the contribution they can make
is that much greater."
After 8 1/2 years
on the job, Contreras doesn't see himself going anywhere else,
anytime soon.
"I really
can't think of too many jobs I would rather have," he
said. "I really enjoy my job. I have a lot of flexibility
and variety in what I do.
"I really
like meeting students and the idea of what the university
stands for is important. That you can actually help people
become what they want to be, change peoples lives and make
a difference."
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