It's not unusual to see Gail Hurley, interim vice president for Student Affairs as of Thursday, in her office on a Sunday.

In fact, she said she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Sometimes you just can't get everything done during the week," she said from her office yesterday afternoon. "If you love what you do, you do what it takes to accomplish those things that are important."

Hurley, who accepted the position after Vicky Triponey's unexpected resignation Thursday, will lead Student Affairs while maintaining her current duties as associate vice president of auxiliary and business services.

"[Penn State President Graham] Spanier had talked with me on Thursday," she said. "I guess I wouldn't say I was shocked. There were some prior conversations, but it was all very tentative."
Hurley came to Penn State in 1984 as the director of Residence Life and is no stranger to juggling duel responsibilities.

"Earlier on in Student Affairs, I was working as the director of Housing and Residence Life and assistant vice president for Student Affairs," she said. "It's all do-able, once you map out your calendar."

That calendar will be considerably mapped out this week as she has already been invited to speak with several student organizations.

"I think that part of the role here is to meet and talk with students individually and in groups," she said. "With my balancing two roles, it might not be that I don't want to hear students, it might be just balancing my schedule."

She said she is most anticipating reconnecting with her former colleagues in Student Affairs, despite the department's recent shrinkage.

"There have been some transitions," she said of the recent departures of Felicia McGinty and Michael Gilbert, former associate vice presidents of Student Affairs. "First thing, I need to talk to the staff about how we move forward from here. There are some vacancies that we are in the process of filling."

She said she also plans to work closely with the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA), which, under Triponey's direction, replaced the former Undergraduate Student Government last fall as the official voice of Penn State students.

"UPUA only came into existence in the time I've been away from Student Affairs," she said. "I need to gain a better understanding of how this all works. It makes sense to me, that I spend time with them, assuming they want me to meet with them."

UPUA president Hillary Lewis, who was writing a congratulatory letter to Hurley last night, said she hopes to work closely with her.

"We are inviting Gail Hurley to an executive board session so we can discuss goals and programs we'd like to see achieved in the coming months," Lewis said. "I think it's great she's reaching out to other organizations and contacting them directly because it shows she is dedicated to students' concerns."

Students' issues, Hurley said, are close to her heart as her husband, Chris Hurley, is the senior director for Housing and Food Services at the commonwealth campuses and her two nephews and a niece are currently Penn State undergraduates.

"I certainly feel at home here," she said. "I come from a very proud Penn State family."
She said she hopes students learn to see her as a person, rather than a title.

"We're all people," she said. "Just because we might be administrators doesn't mean we don't have things that are important to us outside our work. We have families and hobbies and important, special people in our lives."

Having worked outside Student Affairs for two-and-a-half years, Hurley said she doesn't plan to tackle any major policy changes right off the bat.

"A lot has changed, and I have a lot to learn," she said. "Dr. Triponey has done some really wonderful things for the staff and students. This whole notion of being a caring and engaged community -- I will reflect on that. It would really be premature on my part to say 'I'm going to change this or do that.' "

In Triponey's four years as Student Affairs vice president, she was highly criticized by Safeguard Old State (SOS), a student advocacy group that recently gained club status.
"[Hurley] actually called me this afternoon ... to let me know she wanted to meet with Safeguard Old State and myself as soon as possible," said Gavin Keirans, SOS executive director. "It looks like a promising step forward and a good relationship with the vice president of Student Affairs."

SOS followed Triponey's actions as a Student Affairs leader closely and even featured the "Vicky Triponey Timeline of Terror" on its Web site.

Although Triponey is now gone, Keirans said, a lot of her existing policies still have "some problems."

Hurley's response to such rhetoric?

She's all ears.

"Why wouldn't I be? I think that we can always grow and learn from constructive criticism. Sometimes there isn't always a solution to please everyone, but it's important to get feedback," she said, adding that she is always happy to chat.

Even on a Sunday.

-Collegian Staff Writer Lauren McCormack contributed to this report.