The Director of the Hiatt Career Center will resign from his position next month, Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy announced last Tuesday.Marty Ford, who led the center for almost two years, will step down in the first week of November for family reasons, Eddy wrote in a campuswide e-mail.

Before Ford's arrival, Hiatt experienced staff shortages that led to numerous student and alumni complaints over the center's accessibility and service. A study of several peer institutions found that Hiatt was understaffed by three or four workers in comparison to other college career centers.

When Ford took over Hiatt following the departure of Meryl Glatt-Rader-who left the University in March 2004 after 17 years with the center-he planned to create new positions for pre-law advisers, internship and business development advisers and broader career counselors.

He told the Justice last year that 28 percent more students came to Hiatt to use the center's services than the year prior. coming in spring 2006. This semest er, the center's studentwide e-mail outreach efforts have increased as well.

Hiatt staffers credited Ford for the Center's expanded offerings this year.

"He helped hire new employees who are bright and capable and are really working hard in their various areas to create a full-service career center," Assistant Director for Career Counseling Abigail Crine said.

Eddy said Ford will help the Hiatt staff with ongoing projects until his departure. A national search for a new director will commence, Eddy said, and a new director will be hired by the spring.

"We have a wonderful staff in place at Hiatt," Eddy wrote in an e-mail to the Justice Friday. "We'll pull together and work through this transition."

Ford did not return multiple messages left by e-mail, and refused to talk when the Justice came to his office.

Under Ford's guidance, Hiatt was able to revitalize itself by increasing student contacts with alumni and outside employers, according to a University self-study report.

The report, part of the University's reaccredidation application, also said that with a reorganized system, new resources and a new Web site, Hiatt has been able to develop programming for career and graduate school fairs, rsum help, credential files for letters of recommendation, online resources, networking, internships and mentoring opportunities.

Crine said Ford improved Hiatt's student outreach efforts by creating more student programs, with an emphasis on programming for seniors. These programs provided seniors with advice about the job market and graduate school applications.

Ford also started programs that encouraged students of all years to come to Hiatt, rather than waiting until their senior years.

"We've had more first-year students in here this fall then there's ever been," Crine said.

Crine said she is confident that Hiatt will maintain the "momentum, energy and enthusiasm" that the Center has grown accustomed to.

Kate Kavanagh, Hiatt's associate director, said the center has become more technologically advanced because of Ford's efforts. Hiatt's Web site now contains an operating system that controls and stores information such as student, employer and event information, she said.

"He's brought the emphasis of saying that technology is an important part of career services," Kavanagh said.

Kavanagh said she hopes Ford's replacement is "a strong advocate within the administration to get the kind of technology support we need to make that next jump.