For the past three years or better Blackburn College has been under construction. From renovations in Bothwell to the new fitness center in Woodward, quite a bit has changed on campus. By the end of February there will be two more changes to come: The New Construction (New Con) department will dissolve and New Con supervisor Michael Slightom will retire.
Functioning on a project-to-project basis, and with no immediate renovations underway, New Con will inevitably be closed when Slightom retires. Blackburn Vice President for Administration and Finance Steve Morris confirmed the department’s closing and offered further details on how it will affect the number of student jobs. Morris stated, “If you think about the new fitness center…and the Jaenke Alumni Center…each of those will require staffing, maintenance and cleaning,” indicating that there will be jobs to replace those lost in New Con.
Morris also confirmed Slightom’s retirement and reflected on his hard work and commitment to Blackburn. Morris commented that Slightom is “very meticulous in the work that he does” and that he has always managed “construction to make sure that we finish on time, under budget and with a quality product.” Morris added that “he’s done a very good job for us, and we’ll miss him.”
Slightom began his career in construction in 1967 and started his own construction business in 1975. He has worked for Blackburn for nearly a decade and has overseen most of the renovations that have happened since. In October 2007, Slightom was hired to carry out the final renovations in the Mahan science building. Over the years, his strong work ethic has earned him the reputation of being an old school, no nonsense supervisor amongst student workers. Sophomore computer science major Braydon Rekart agreed and stated that Slightom simply “expected students to give an honest effort.”
When interviewed about his years of service at Blackburn, Slightom commented, “I hope that I have taught a lot of students not only how to do things in the construction trade, but I hope that I have taught them some work ethics [because] your work ethic will benefit you in anything that you do.” When asked how he feels about retiring, he responded, “I’m ready” with a grin. He also added that he plans to spend his retirement doing what he has always enjoyed – fishing and deer hunting.