Cathy Turner

Job Title: Assistant to the Associate Dean in Mayborn School of Journalism

 

Staff Bio:

Tell us what brought you to UNT and what you do here.:
I came to UNT from the real estate business in 2007 because a lovely and dear friend who worked here kept telling me what a great place it was to work. The family-owned business I worked for at the time was wonderful but couldn’t afford benefits such as insurance and retirement. Add that to the fact that the position my friend had asked me to apply for was in journalism, which had always been a passion of mine, and I was sold. I had originally set out to major in journalism in college but left to get married and raise four beautiful children. How awesome that, although I never became a journalist, I could spend my time working to support aspiring journalists and working with seasoned journalists! How could I resist that? I spend my days at UNT running the Dean’s office, scheduling classes, supporting faculty and other staff needs and making students happy even when they might want to be grumpy or sad. From inventory to curriculum to payroll to scholarships to internships to space surveys to meeting minutes to faculty handbooks to accreditation to advising liaison, I enjoy every minute of my time serving others here. I'm the logistical person everyone comes to when they have an issue and I love being able to help.

What do you enjoy most about working at UNT?
I love the safe, respectful and caring place UNT has become over the years. I feel valued and respected here and I know other staff members do too. Being able to use the gifts and talents I’ve been given to serve people and help them in some small way achieve great things for themselves and others is a huge blessing and a privilege to me.

What are your favorite hobbies?
I love to read, travel, play with grandchildren and watch British television shows. But my passion is jigsaw puzzles. Is that why I LOVE course scheduling?

What is one life experience you have had that no one at work knows about?
Before I even started school, I would occasionally go to work with my dad who worked as a cattle order buyer down at the Fort Worth Stockyards Exchange. I would also travel with him in the summers to a few of the cattle auctions that were assigned to him across the state.

Where did you grow up and where else have you lived?
I was born in Fort Worth, Texas and lived in Springtown, Texas until 8th grade when I moved to Arlington and then on to the HEB area where I graduated from L.D. Bell high school. I married my high school sweetheart and we raised our family in Southlake, TX. We now live in Trophy Club....I did spend a year at Ole Miss in college when Archie Manning was a senior but came back to Texas as quick as I could get here.