First year at KU: 1998

Contact: 210 Stauffer-Flint; 864-4755

Mark Gottschall is a man of many talents. In addition to English, he speaks French and Spanish fluently, he performs both alone and with a band, and he has a brown belt in Judo. Although his guitar occasionally can be heard in the storage room over lunch hour, he has yet to call on his Judo skills in managing the Journalism Resource Center, often simply called the Reading Room.

Gottschall likens himself to the character “Radar” of the program M.A.S.H. He takes pride in anticipating administrative needs of the J-School and filling those needs before anyone asks him to.

He supervises the customer service desk in the Journalism Resource Center, maintains the e-mail distribution list for the J-School, orders office supplies, hires and trains students and assists with audio-visual equipment. He also maintains the Resource Center computer lab and reserve library, handles incoming and outgoing mail and makes sure everything runs smoothly.

Gottschall said he loves his job and the resource center is his favorite spot on campus.

“There is always so much going on here,” Gottschall said. “Each day is different with its new challenges. I also believe that I work with the best people on campus.”

Gottschall also says he enjoys interaction with students, instructors and staff members.

“I like being able to facilitate their access to the things they need to make their schoolwork or job less stressful,” Gottschall said.

Gottschall says he feels that, since journalism is such a competitive field, the faculty and students of the J-School must stay on the cutting edge. He likes this aspect of the School and the constant buzz of activity.