People you should KNOW

Pat Gordon says he loves his job. He has been working at Temple since before he was a student, and now he’s the guy who helps you take the right classes. He is also a freelance sports writer and is pursuing his Master of Arts in journalism at Temple.

The Temple News: What is your job as an adviser?

Pat Gordon: Right now, it’s funny. I do the academic advising in the mornings. In the afternoons, I’m working on professional development. What is going to happen within the coming months is we are going to be opening up a center for student professional development here in the School of Communications and Theater. We are working in conjunction with the Career Center on bringing that to our students. This semester, we are doing programming for that, and that is one of the other items in addition to what I’m working on right now.

TTN: How did you end up doing this? Were you a student here?

PG: I graduated in 2005 from Temple. My background is in journalism. I’m currently in the Master’s journalism program right now. I came to advising last June. I enjoyed my time here in the school. I loved the faculty. I work as a freelance writer. It’s a great family here, so I’m more than happy to be here, and I look forward to all the things we’ve been doing for the future.

TTN: So you’ve been in advising since June? How do you like it?

PG: I love it, I really do. You know the interaction with students is something I thrive on. I really enjoy helping, especially when we work with the freshmen. I teach two freshman seminar courses. Working with them, getting them oriented to the campus and all the different resources available, it’s a blast. It really is.

TTN: What else do you like to do, outside the job?

PG: I work as a freelance sports writer. I’ve contracts with several publications. I’ve had stuff published in newspapers across the country, the [Philadelphia] Daily News, the [Philadelphia] Inquirer, the Saint Pete Times, the Las Vegas Sun. I primarily work as a baseball writer. I also work as managing editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review. It’s an online baseball publication. It covers the sports within all facets here in the city and the surrounding suburbs.

I’m here from eight to five. I go home, eat, and then, it’s usually doing freelance stuff, so my ears perk up when a journalism student comes in here because I identify with them immediately. It’s a lot of sports, a lot of writing and working toward my [degree], which I should have in probably another year and a half or so.

TTN: Who’s you’re favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?

PG: Michelangelo. He was the orange [one], right?

TTN: Right.

PG: Yeah, I remember that. Then there was Splinter, he was the Rat. I remember that. It’s funny, I was born in ‘82. I sit here and I keep saying, I still identify with students, I still identify with students. The more and more I talk with them the more I can tell like, ‘Oh, maybe I am getting a little older,’ but I’m only 26.

TTN: You’re still in Ninja Turtle territory.

PG: Yes, I am.

Greg Trainor can be reached at greg.trainor@temple.edu.