When students desert university campus, Eric Hamblin and staff take charge.
By: Jeff Milgram
When students desert Princeton University’s campus each summer, Eric Hamblin and his staff know their busy season is about to begin.
"You can’t take a vacation in this office from Memorial Day to Labor Day," said Mr. Hamblin, director of the university’s Center for Visitors and Conference Services for the past year.
Mr. Hamblin, his five permanent employees and 22 summer account representatives organize the 108 summer conferences, programs, athletic camps and even a wedding reception that will be held on campus this summer.
They were the university’s primary contact and problem-solver during the on-campus filming of the Russell Crowe movie "A Beautiful Mind."
They assign rooms, obtain telephone numbers and food and make sure the computer connections work. They are the university’s chief hosts and ambassadors to the thousands of people who will attend these summer programs.
"We take care of everything," Mr. Hamblin said.
Last week, the campus hosted a conference of homicide investigators. The campus also hosted a program for financial managers, electrical engineers and fund-raisers.
His staff is planning to host another 25 groups next week, including 800 football, softball, field hockey and squash players. There will even be the start of a two-week marimba festival at Woolworth Hall. This is an average week, he said.
Some of the visitors, such as the 300 guests at a wedding held at Forbes College on June 9, stay for only a couple of hours. A molecular biology program for nine people began June 10 and won’t end until Aug. 10.
About 40 percent of the programs are athletic camps run by Princeton University coaches. Mr. Hamblin said coaches often use these camps to recruit potential players.
One of Mr. Hamblin’s biggest challenges is to make people understand that they are staying in a dormitory room.
"People conjure up images of what our dorms are like because of our academic reputation. … This is a dormitory, it shouldn’t be compared to a hotel room," he said.
The campus is open to any nonprofit group and Mr. Hamblin does not want the university to compete with nearby hotels and conference centers. He admits his office is run like a small business, in effect renting out the university’s facilities while they are not being used by students.
"Our mission is to make everyone leave with a favorable impression of Princeton," Mr. Hamblin said.
During the summer, Mr. Hamblin and his staff, which he has organized into five task forces, will work 15-hour days.
"We’re all in this together," he said. "We don’t work regular university hours. There’s someone here at 6 in the morning and there’s someone here at 11 at night."
He has trained his staff to be goodwill ambassadors to everyone who visits the campus.
"If you see someone walking around campus and they’re looking at a map, you go and see if you can help them," Mr. Hamblin said.
"We have a lot of repeat business," he noted.
After the campers or program participants go home, each program is critiqued, he said.
"Customer service is the backbone of our operation," Mr. Hamblin said.
Mr. Hamblin came to Princeton after he graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1987, specializing in logistics and conference planning.
He served as the service’s assistant director for 13 years.
Even with all of his experience, his parents aren’t quite sure what he does for a living.
"My parents think I give tours of the university," he said.