Several words came to Grace Hampton's mind on her first day as Old Main's newest vice provost --leadership, positiveness and concern.

Hampton said this was the atmosphere she encountered while working with the administrators and supportive staff in the Office of the President, an impression that has continued since Dec. 1.

The former director of the School of Visual Arts, Hampton is now responsible for academic personnel matters, encompassing issues such as faculty promotion and tenure, sabbaticals and other faculty concerns.

Hampton was hesitant to speculate on issues she foresees in the near future, saying she did not want to create issues where none actually exist.

"Those kind of specific problems depend on what issues arise in relation to the Faculty Senate," she added.

In order to assist the administration with those future problems, Hampton will act as a direct liaison to the University Faculty Senate.

"I will be attending senate council meetings, faculty affair committee meetings and the regular monthly meeting of the Faculty Senate. I'm responsible for assisting and making recommendations to the administration as they act upon recommendations from the senate," Hampton said.

George Bugyi, the executive secretary for the Faculty Senate, said he has contacted Hampton about her new position. While some of that contact concerned sensitive and confidential issues, he said significant work has also been accomplished in relation to promotion and tenure policies.

"She is a very astute worker, open-minded and a clean thinker. She possesses the unique ability to not make unilateral decisions, meaning she isn't doing things by just herself."

Hampton chuckled when asked how one becomes a vice provost after being director of the School of Visual Arts.

"That's a good question, and if one looks at the professional background of the Visual Arts School, they'll find it's a complex organization."

The structure of the school is almost a microcosm of the University, Hampton said, and for a school like Penn State, that's a big "almost."

As director, Hampton gained experience dealing with academic issues such as tenure and promotion. Her present duties are similar, though they now cover a broader area, including the entire University as well as the Commonwealth campuses.

Before coming to the University in 1985, she held the post of assistant director for expansion at the National Endowment for the Arts. In that position Hampton had the opportunity to become familiar with the practices and processes of a major federal grant-awarding agency.

"You learn organization -- how parts function together -- which are basically administrative skills," she said.

As the administration's most recent vice provost, she is not only settling into a new job, but also a spacious office in 201 Old Main. The office looked as if an administrative transition had just blown through -- a desk cluttered with official-looking papers, piles of folders covering shelves and prints on the walls adding a personal touch.

At the time of her announcement, Executive Vice President and Provost William C. Richardson said Hampton will assume some duties previously administered by Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Programs Carol Cartwright.

In adherence to her job title, Cartwright played an important role as liaison between students and the administration. But Hampton said that close working relationship with students is not included in her job description.

"That's not to say the administration isn't open to students, and I would like to spend some time with key students."

She declined to comment on what topics might arise if those meetings were to take place.

Hampton said her appointment is part of a general reorganization of the administrative staff. Along with her new vice provost position, Hampton said, the University is creating other administrative offices -- including vice provost and dean for undergraduate education, senior vice president and dean for the Commonwealth educational system, and vice provost spot to deal with equal opportunity positions.

The goal of the upper-level restructuring is to improve the organization of the University to better facilitate the educational process, she said, adding, "After all, that's why we're here (at Penn State). We're not here for each other, we're here for the educational experience."