Employee Spotlight: Hershel Hartford

Hershel Hartford has worked as the administrative support supervisor for the Department of Communication in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences since 2007. He has seen the campus go through many changes during his time here, and he is passionate about advocating for his fellow colleagues. Hershel stands for improving campus working conditions in his role as president of the UA-Fayetteville Education Association Local 965.

“We are here to advocate for good working conditions for everybody. We are more productive when we, as a community, work together to provide a positive working environment, an economically feasible plan for people to make a living, and when we understand the needs of the people who are working for the university,” Hartford said.

One notable change that Hartford has advocated for since he began working at the U of A is accessibility. Hartford uses an electric wheelchair and has been on the frontlines of advocating for more ramps and wheelchair-accessible entrances. While there is more work to be done in making the campus more accessible, Hartford highlights Razorback Transit’s efforts to support transportation needs.

“The people at Razorback Transit are doing a phenomenal job. Razorback Transit, particularly as a person in a wheelchair, has been extremely helpful in helping me manage travel to and from campus,” Hartford said. “I would like to see us expand the paratransit efforts.”

Hartford has always felt supported by the department chairs he has worked closely with over the years. He recognized professors Robert Brady, Stephanie Schulte and Ron Warren for their support in designing his office so that someone with or without a wheelchair can use it. When Hartford used his tuition benefits to obtain a bachelor’s degree, to show support, then-department chair Brady attended Hartford’s graduation in Monticello in lieu of attending the U of A graduation on the same day.

“The university remains a place where I can continue to work, advocate and be a part of the community,” Hartford said. “I have also stayed here, in no small part, because of my departmental leadership. I have worked under three different chairs, all of whom respect and make known the importance of our work as administrative professionals to the team. I have never been treated like a second-class citizen by the people in my department.”

A goal of Hartford’s is to create more opportunities for networking with other administrative professionals on campus. He works with his department to put together staff events in Kimpel Hall because he knows how important it is to build relationships with colleagues in similar positions.

“One of the things that I have asked our department to do is host an event where the administrative professionals of Kimpel Hall can come together and have lunch, get to know each other, see each other’s faces and talk about what we’re dealing with,” Hartford said. “The department has been very supportive of that, and I think it has helped a lot over the years in finding where we are and who we are as the administrative support staff of each of our departments.”

Hartford recommends that incoming U of A employees find opportunities to build community and always advocate for themselves.

“Seek community,” he said. “Unless you do that, it can be a lonely place. I have built a network of people that I feel comfortable talking with about all aspects of the university.”

About the Employee Spotlight Series: The employee spotlight series highlights U of A faculty and staff members, the impact they have on campus and the community more broadly, and what makes the university an employer of choice for them individually. Each U of A employee plays a critical role in advancing the 150 Forward strategic priorities: advancing student success, achieving research excellence and enhancing the university’s status as an employer of choice. If you have a recommendation of an employee to interview, contact Rachel Gerner at rgerner@uark.edu.

This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.