Erinn Finley
Staff Writer
efinley1@murraystate.edu
The Murray State community voted Tressa Ross “Best Staff Member.”
Ross has been working at Murray State for about 20 years. Before she came to the University, she was a regional marketing manager for a cable company.
Ross said when she came to Murray State she worked for the Career Discovery Center, which started to help displaced workers find a career or go back to school after a local plant shut down. Then, she worked with Gear Up, a grant that works with middle school-aged kids to inform them about and generate excitement for college.
After that Ross came to work in her current job at the Recruitment and Retention Center for the College of Education and Human Services. In this job, Ross works with students from before they come to Murray State to well after they leave.
She said her job is to get students to Murray State and help them on their track to graduation, as well as find employment post-graduation. Ross works in recruiting future Racers through campus visits, orientations, Racer Days and other similar activities.
“The retention part of it is basically right now, like I’m working with students, reaching out, making sure people know if they have a hold on their account or if you’ve contacted your advisor,” Ross said. “Just anything I can do to help them get their schedules together for the fall.”
Ross said she has lived in Murray all her life and attended the Training School on the main campus in her younger years before the program dissolved. She later went on to attend Murray State.
Ross said she loves teaching her transitions course as well as watching sporting events on campus. She is also a sorority advisor here at Murray State.
“It’s just the students,” Ross said. “I love being around the students. It’s what makes it good.”
Ross said it was nice to be voted “Best Staff member.”
“You hope you make an impact on people, and it’s just wonderful that people recognize that you want to help and that you love what you do,” Ross said.