Why have one role you enjoy at a university when you can have several? Mary Dowst keeps happily busy as the office coordinator for both the biology and chemistry departments at the College of Arts and Sciences, serves as the business manager for UHart’s radio station, WWUH, and is also the executive secretary and treasurer for the Emeriti Association.
How does she handle it all? “Not very gracefully,” she says teasingly. “I tend to yell at my computer from time to time.”
Dowst was hired as a temporary worker 30 years ago, helping out the biology and chemistry departments; her skills, work ethic, and demeanor, however, proved that she was valuable beyond a temporary basis.
“The best part of my job is the faculty and staff of both departments—a pretty eclectic group that does interesting research and has diverse backgrounds. They all have a good sense of humor, too, and are able to not take themselves too seriously. That goes a long way when it comes to working with people,” says Dowst, whose even-tempered and gregarious style matches that of her colleagues. “My supervisors have always treated me with respect, and that’s good for any job.”
The road that eventually led her to the roles of office coordinator, business manager, executive secretary, and treasurer wasn’t always clear in terms of ambition. Nun? Photojournalist? A dozen or so others in between? “As it turned out,” she smiles, “12 years of Catholic school changed my mind about the earliest dream. As for photojournalism, which I thought a lot about in college, well, it just didn’t work out.”
What did work out was her UHart career, as varied as it is. As a lover of jazz music, Dowst’s association with WWUH is entirely natural. Her role with the Emeriti Association came about because her former supervisor in the biology department retired, became involved with the Emeriti group, and asked her to work with him once again. Anyone who knows her recognizes that that’s no surprise.
A Manchester, Connecticut, resident with a husband and a grown son who lives elsewhere in the state, Dowst has a full plate that she handles with grace and enjoyment. She’s made many friends at UHart over the years, particularly as a coordinator for countless activities in the biology and chemistry departments, and also at the busy radio station. If she’s not at home, or behind her many desks occasionally yelling at her computers, you’ll find her defining the word camaraderie as she continues to bond with an appreciative team of colleagues and associates.
Watch for more profiles throughout the summer and fall about dedicated members of our campus community who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make UHart a special place.