Denison University Academic Administrative Assistants (AAA) are heroes to Denison students and faculty alike. They keep the complex workings of individual academic departments running smoothly, serve as employers and mentors to students, and effectively function as a living memory base for the college.

Denison's AAAs are dedicated to doing their job well, and as part of that effort, in September 2017, they organized an inter-state conference for their counterparts at Albion, DePauw, Earlham, Hope, Kalamazoo, Kenyon, Oberlin, Wooster and Wabash colleges and universities. Education academic administrative assistants Brenda Franks was part of that effort.

The conference, titled “Engagement in the Academic Workplace,” was a day-long event with speakers addressing topics that included “Gender & Personality difference in the workplace: How to assume a consistent positive attitude and exude positive, productive, energy;” “Moving from passion to compassion: The art of appreciating the best in ourselves and others,” “Our Students Today: A Changing Student Demography,” “Building Professional Relationships,“ “Internet Security and Phishing,” and “Mad Men and Working Girls: Talking Back to Media Representations of Workplace Culture.”

The conference also provided time for discussions about common issues and networking.