A new member of the Big Orange family is looking to interact with all aspects of university housing.
Chandra Myrick, new executive director of University Housing, began her role in late January.
“I am most excited to work with the housing team here,” Myrick said. “This is a very strong housing department.”
University Housing, which falls under the Division of Student Life, strives to foster a positive and student-centered residential community while supporting UT’s academic mission.
Myrick was a doctoral candidate who served as associate and assistant director for residence life at Florida State University. Prior to that, she worked as a complex director at Georgia State University and a residence hall director at the University of Georgia.
Myrick was selected as the 2015 Max Carraway Employee of the Year at Florida State for her service and dedication to her job as the associate director for the Office of Residence Life. She earned her Bachelor of Science in print journalism and history from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama, and her Master of Science in higher education from Florida State.
According to the UT Housing website, the department’s vision is to “cultivate innovative leadership opportunities, positive learning experiences and an appreciation of university traditions for students and staff,” providing a foundation for student success.
Myrick hopes to aid in this vision by improving UT’s current facilities and developing new programs to further engage students and ensure a positive experience for them on campus. She also said she wants to ensure that tradition is kept and that students’ needs are accommodated.
“(I want to) be mindful of the services that we are providing as well as being mindful to the conditions of a building and a preference and changes that we need to make to make sure the needs are being met,” Myrick said.
Myrick’s goals as director align with freshman in civil engineering Emane Menad’s hopes for UT housing.
“They should make their presence more known as a resource to students … who may have some problems concerning housing,” Menad said.
Along with promoting the department’s vision, Myrick will have the opportunity to be a part of events for students and staff planned by UT housing. Several events organized by UT housing this past year include a Thanksgiving feast at Orange and White Hall and an “Adulting is Hard: 90’s Night” at Stokely Hall.
One of Myrick’s top priorities is to provide students with the means and resources to become leaders and forward-thinkers.
“I really love being on a campus for students and being excited about being part of a campus community,” Myrick said. “I am really excited to be somewhere that has a higher appreciation in tradition but also an institution that is about making progress.”
