By Mary Haley, asst. features editor and social media editor
Meredith Gatzke started her tenure as vice president of Human Resources on March 11. Her position lies in the cabinet of Manhattan College’s President, Milo Riverso, Ph.D.
“We are thrilled to have Meredith join us at Manhattan College,” Riverso said in an article on manhattan.edu. “Her deep human resources skills and experience in academia along with her proven leadership capabilities will be a huge benefit to the entire college community. I am also pleased to announce that she will become a member of the President’s Cabinet.”
tenured vice president of Human Resources.
manhattan.edu/COURTESY
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in History from Muhlenberg College, Gatzke went into teaching and working in public education for 17 years at schools in New Jersey, but wanted to explore other options in her career path. This led her to working as a recruiter.
Gatzke then went on to get her master’s degree in human resource management from Saint Elizabeth University, and began her journey working in higher education. Gatzke explained to The Quadrangle how her time at Bergen Community College was fulfilling for her, especially to see the students graduate and begin their post-graduate careers.
“Community colleges set students up for success,” Gatzke said. “There’s a lot of [students] who are first timers in their family to go to college, and sitting in MetLife Stadium, watching them graduate and seeing their families is huge, so it was a lot of fun. I love higher [education]. It has a whole new set of challenges and a whole new niche to learn, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Nicole Papay, a junior psychology student at MC, weighed in on what she wants to see with the new vice president and for any representatives in human resources, as she aspires to go into the field of human resources and industrial psychology.
“I hope through her work she is able to advocate for faculty at Manhattan College and ensure that faculty who are being fired are guaranteed their severance, and [that they are] treated with grace,” Papay wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “I think a good HR representative advocates for those who are employed and works to listen and actively help with problems or issues that are being raised within the college.”
Because Gatzke has only been with the college for about three weeks, and with breaks being frequent in March, she has not been faced with many problems to help work through just yet, although she is confident in her abilities to get answers to questions.
“I know what my skill set is, and it is supporting the employees, supporting the institution…[there] is where it is,” Gatzke said. “ I am a resource for everyone. I am not trying to tell people how to teach or educate, that’s not what I am here to do. I am here to provide stability.”
Gatzke also has initiatives she plans to take as graduation season is upon the college and she gets more acclimated to the MC community. She wants to be as involved as she can be with all groups that she communicates with, such as administration, faculty, the rest of the president’s cabinet and especially the student body.
“I look forward to figuring out how to get [human resources] more involved with the students,” Gatzke said. “Even just going to student events to support, and I want to be someone that you don’t just see once a year at a convocation ceremony. My goal is to be out and about and [involved] in student groups.”