 |
|
|
|
MAINPAGE | HEADLINES | FEEDBACK | HOW TO JOIN | ABOUT US | EDITORIAL STAFF | HELP | SEARCH | FORUM | SPECIAL |
|
College Park Planning Director Enjoys Job Security By Meghan Carpenter, TheWorldJournal.com 
E-MAIL THE AUTHOR
PRINT VERSIONAfter three years as a student at the University of Maryland, Terry Schum never thought she would end up making a career in College Park, but the 52-year-old geography major successfully carved a niche for herself as the city's planning director. As planning director for 13 years, Schum created a comprehensive plan in the 1990s, which she calls her "baby." The plan is a series of vision statements and steps to take to help the city realize its potential. Schum said it outlines strengths of the city and problems future improvements would face. Schum said her position continues to evolve, requiring her input in areas such as housing, community and economic development, public information and data review. Originally from Silver Spring, Md., she reluctantly came to Maryland as a student, but she hated the school's size. Wanting a small school, she found the geography department where she majored in urban planning. As a student, Schum said she wasn't used to seeing "the other side" of Route 1, so she never considered working there. After graduating, she got a job as economic developer for the city "by mistake," she said. "I didn't apply for the job," Schum said. "I got a call from someone who had heard about it." Schum went for an interview and they hired her. "The job kept evolving," she said. "It's a small city and a small department. You get involved in everything. It's a kitchen sink department and a think tank. If you need something done, you give it to us, we figure it out from there." Local government may be exciting, Schum said, but it has its stresses. One of the initial stresses involved where Schum lives: Washington, D.C., not College Park. "I used to get flak for it," she said. "But I feel like I live here. It's my adopted community. It's hard enough to get away from it as it is. I want to be able to walk around my neighborhood without running into a neighbor who wants to talk about the latest zoning case." Schum said only the city manager is required to reside in the city, but others are encouraged to live there. The job has also put a lot of stress on her as a wife, mother and human being. "You have disagreements that can be stressful," she said. "There are a lot of night meetings and long hours. My kids used to say, 'tell your meeting you have to go home.'" Both of Schum's children, ages 12 and 15, are interested in government and planning, but both have sworn against it as a career, she said. "It's table talk, definitely," she said. "They'd sit in back of meetings and come into the office. Two years ago, my daughter took geography and had a project to do. It was amazing. She really knew what she was talking about." When asked whether she would ever consider leaving the department she created, Schum laughed as she said, "I'm working on an exit strategy." Schum said she would like to travel more, especially to India, where her husband, an architect, is from. She would also like to finish renovating their home. With her family established here, Schum said she isn't ready to move on just yet. "My family is established here, and at this point, to move up is to move out. It's fun working at the local level. It's where the action is." © April 23, 2003 |
|
|
MAINPAGE | HEADLINES | FEEDBACK | HOW TO JOIN | ABOUT US | EDITORIAL STAFF | HELP | SEARCH | FORUM | SPECIAL |
|
|
|
|
Sponsored Links |
| Web Hosting Forum - Web hosting, marketing and webmaster related issues. Find the best hosting for your website! |
| Since
1999 ©
TheWorldJournal.com, All rights reserved. Student Media Network For the best advertising rates at TheWorldJournal.com (120x600 - new banner format by the Interactive Advertising Bureau), click here. Back to top |
e-mail: info@theworldjournal.com sales: sales@theworldjournal.com |
||