Many staff members at WSC are required to juggle many responsibilities. Pam Hanson experiences this daily as she doubles as an office assistant as well as a graphic designer for the School of Arts and Humanities.

“I truly appreciate the good working environment I have with all of my colleagues and the help of the staff,” said Hanson “The respect and appreciation go a long way in making a work environment positive.”

Hanson graduated from the University of South Dakota, receiving a degree in mass communications with a journalism emphasis. She will be entering her third year at Wayne State this summer.

Hanson supervises the work study students; handles the mailings for studio arts and music; and ensures that everyone who enters the Peterson Fine Arts building is welcome. She considers herself a jack of all trades in helping the department.

Hanson has extensive experience in commercial printing as well as in writing, editing and public relations. Prior to starting her position at WSC, she spent more than 13 years working for Pacific City Graphics, a local print shop in South Sioux City.

Her goal is to promote all the 40-50 School of Arts and Humanities events per semester. For each event, Hanson provides a press release, poster and kiosk that are posted throughout campus.

“The most fun part of the job is when I get to design things or when I get to write, that’s where I feel like I can shine the most,” said Hanson. “I have to balance the interruptions with my creativity, which is a challenge but one that I enjoy.”

Hanson goes in-depth with her research when she designs posters for an event in order to grab the attention of the viewer. Her goal is to attract the attention of the reader to encourage people to attend the event.

“Balancing between the office assistant duties, the interruptions and the creativity is a challenge but I like challenges,” said Hanson. “The gratitude and compliments I receive for my hard work makes all of the challenges worthwhile.”

Hanson has a very instrumental role in the process of presenting campus art galleries. To prepare an exhibit for a show, she provides labels for the art pieces; collects an artist statement, along with a biography; and takes pictures of the exhibits and events.

Hanson also creates postcards to send to the general public. They provide a look ahead to the key art, theatre and music events. Hanson hopes the postcards give people an incentive to attend events on campus.

She also uses the postcards to gain a presence in the community. Her objective is to strike the interest of potential students and encourage them to enroll in the future.

In her free time Hanson enjoys activities where she can work-out, such as like hiking, yoga and weightlifting. She also enjoys spending time with her retired Persian show cat, Twinkie.