Lynn Hastings and Donna Smith have both been working at Peabody College for 7 years. Lynn, the Administrative Officer for HOD, has been with Vanderbilt for 15 years. Donna, a Vanderbilt employee for the past 33 years, is the business operations manager. As part of the administrative team, both are tasked with providing general support to faculty and students but in different ways. Smith ensures the day to day operations of HOD run smoothly while Hastings oversees the administrative team as well as the HR and fiscal needs for the department. As key members of the department, Hastings and Smith played integral roles in the remodeling of Mayborn, the building that houses the Human and Organizational Development (HOD) department.

Lynn Hastings

Mayborn’s grand staircase, with hand sanitizer station.

In-set, dome shaped water fountain

Ornate railings with the letter “P” encase the hallways connecting to the stairway.

Stained glass ceiling above main staircase

However, Mayborn’s updates are just as dazzling. A 15,000 square foot link building connects Mayborn to the former Home Economic building (now called 6 Magnolia Circle). Through the link building, Mayborn has an accessible elevator. Individually, Mayborn holds three active-learning classrooms, one new event space to host community guests, new offices, a basement cafe and student study spaces. The building, and the large auditorium specifically, were also reconfigured for accessibility. In the midst of all these changes were two women whose experience helped Mayborn shine.

Hastings’ involvement with Mayborn’s modernization was mostly in the planning stage. As part of the planning committee, she spoke to the department’s needs and desires for the new Mayborn. Additionally, Hastings tested furniture, advocated for maintaining Mayborn’s historic architectural features, and organized viewings of the site during construction. The role was perfect for Hastings: “I feel very lucky that I was a part of the planning process. To see what all goes into picking out everything from furniture to rugs to colors…” As a child, Hastings loved to help her father renovate old Victorian homes. As a part of a larger renovation, Hastings said, “It was neat to see all the different possibilities to seeing it actually here.”

For Smith, Mayborn’s renovation entailed a large effort to move the HOD department to the Sony building during the renovation, and back into Mayborn after renovation. Luckily, Smith is no stranger to moving departments. During her tenure with Vanderbilt’s library, Smith worked diligently through a multi-step transitioning process for the Central Library’s renovation. In comparison, moving out of Mayborn went quickly.

The trouble came when it was time to move back into Mayborn. Due to the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 virus, dates for re-entry into Mayborn were temporarily suspended as the University grappled with how to handle moving during a pandemic. A week before classes began, HOD faculty and staff were moved into the newly renovated Mayborn. However, coming back was a much longer process than leaving for the HOD department. Since there were never more than two people allowed on a floor at a time, coordinating and packing took much longer. Months before the move, faculty and staff began to pack up following a strict socially distant schedule. Each faculty and staff member had a two-hour slot to pack by themselves. To complicate matters, some were not able to return to pack up their belongings, others had more items than time to pack. For these reasons and more, the department required assistance from the Dean’s office and student volunteers.

Pandemic complications haven’t been restricted to re-occupying Mayborn. Many of the new features of the building, designed to promote community and collaboration, have yet to be fully utilized. For example, dedicated hoteling spaces throughout the building, which were meant to provide students with temporary spaces to work and study, are largely empty. Strategically placed, first-come, first-serve student lockers are another under-utilized amenity due to COVID guidelines. “I know that this isn’t forever, and we’ll get to see the spaces work the way we envisioned.” says Hastings. In the meantime, Smith and Hastings can be found in the first floor office suite, focused on filling in the details that will rebirth Mayborn as HOD’s home.