August 9, 2021 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
When Pamela (Pam) Metz retires in September, she plans to travel, spend time with family and friends and enjoy time at the beach. She will also work with her daughter, who owns an online business. After four decades in the workforce – many of those years in public service and eight of them at the Arnold School – she is looking forward to a new chapter in life.
I am forever grateful to Pam for all she has done to keep our department running so beautifully.
-Daniela Friedman, HPEB Chair
“I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to work with my chair, faculty, staff and all the amazing team of the Arnold School as they work hard to make a difference each day, and they care about our students,” says Metz, who has served as the administrative assistant and office manager for the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (HPEB) for nearly a decade. “I will always be forever grateful for the friendships I made over the years.”
One of those first friendships was with Ann Cassady, the beloved HPEB business manager who worked at the Arnold School for 13 years before passing away unexpectedly in 2017. Metz was working part-time at a Hallmark shop at Columbiana Mall when Cassady – a frequent customer – spotted Metz’s talents and encouraged her to apply for an opening in the department.
“The rest was history, and my most favorite part of my job has been the relationships developed through the years with faculty, staff, students, building contacts, outside vendors while working on tasks, solving problems, having answers and making a difference each day,” Metz says.
For the Abbeville-born and Irmo-raised South Carolinian, those relationships included working closely with academic programs coordinator Casey Giraudy and graduate director Ken Watkins to maintain student files, organize campus visits, coordinate presentations and schedule conference room reservations. She also supports HPEB chair Daniela Friedman with faculty searches, office space assignments, social events, IT/building maintenance requests and other day-to-day department requests.
“Pam is one of the kindest, most positive, and all-around incredible people I have ever met,” Friedman says. “She has never met a stranger. Her smile lights up a room, she brings warmth on difficult days, and I tell people jokingly that I am pretty sure she can read my mind. I am forever grateful to Pam for all she has done to keep our department running so beautifully, and I am humbled that I had the opportunity to work with her so closely over the past several years. I look forward to keeping in touch with Pam and on behalf of HPEB, I wish her all the very best on her next adventures.”
Prior to joining UofSC, Metz spent 25 years working for the state government. Some of her positions included working with parks recreation and tourism, the Governor’s Office, and the Division of Economic Opportunity. She also leant her administrative support and expertise to Lexington/Richland School District Five as the compliance secretary for special education at Nursery Road Elementary.
Her eight years at the Arnold School has been the perfect way to end a fulfilling career working in many areas of public service for the state of South Carolina. She has many fond memories of the times she has completed a specific project or task, and even more special recollections of times she has made an impact on a co-worker or student’s life.
“One of my favorite proud memories is when I had a student leave me a note on my desk after working the summer with us, and he was thanking me for making him feel part of the HPEB family. The note said, ‘It was a great pleasure to work here. Please always keep that smile on your face, it makes the day brighter,’” she recalls. “You never know where you will make a difference.”
The Staff Spotlight Series is sponsored by the Arnold School's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.