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The Daily OrangeWork hard, play hard
Elizabeth Liddy, newly hired dean of the iSchool takes on the position while maintaining a busy personal and professional lifestyle
By Katie Papo
Posted: 3/19/08, 12:26 AM EST Section: News
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Yet, she wakes up at 5 or 6 a.m. to do work - before even
That's probably true. Most people
But this is the life of Elizabeth D. Liddy. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
"I've never worked when I didn't like it," she said. "I like being busy. It's just a natural for me."
Liddy, the newly appointed dean of the School of Information Studies (iSchool), loves her life and her work, even if it means her days are hectic. In fact, she loves what she does because it keeps her busy.
"My pet peeve is when people don't really try and kind of float through life and don't work at things," Liddy said.
As the saying goes, if there is something important that needs to be done, give it to the busiest person. The saying holds true in Liddy's case. Juggling countless responsibilities and undertakings would probably turn the average person into a workaholic, but Liddy takes on her demanding schedule with fervor.
Jeff Stanton, associate dean for research and doctoral programs, said despite Liddy's schedule, she manages to stay on top of everything without appearing at all overwhelmed.
"Usually she's very quick and very energetic. But at the same time, she's not like a workaholic type of person," he said. "She loves life. She works really hard, and I know when she goes home at night she keeps working,"
Liddy served as interim dean since last summer after former dean, Raymond von Dran, stepped down. She was appointed as permanent dean Feb. 13 after a national search.
"This is a really natural step for her," Stanton said. "She's an extremely talented and creative person who has the capability to lead. It's the perfect next step for her to be dean. It just fits."
Even though Liddy's full deanship is viewed as a natural next step, Liddy did not plan on becoming dean in the first place. She said she had never considered full deanship while she was interim dean, but then she found that she liked the position and applied as permanent dean.
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