Elecia and Jeremy Hadley

Posted by Franco Romero in Staff

Sharing a workplace with a significant other may be challenging for some, but not for Jeremy and Elecia Hadley. The married couple have working together in Mouton hall for almost two years now. While they were still engaged, Jeremy moved to New Mexico to fill the position of the bursar at SFUAD, and rented a house for three months before Elecia moved down as well. The couple then briefly returned to Indiana for their wedding before settling into their new home. Elecia briefly considered a job at the University of New Mexico before SFUAD came through with an offer for her, and she became an academic advisor. This meant she would be working down the hall from her husband, a situation they both enjoy greatly.

Jeremy and Elecia’s wedding rings. Photo by Kyleigh Carter

“We’re best friends too,” Jeremy says. He admits that he and Elecia love getting to see each other throughout the day, despite the fact they cannot seem to stop talking about work well after they have both gone home. Nonetheless, the couple has the ability to keep their home and work lives separate and feel that their constant communication is beneficial for their jobs as well.

“As soon as a balance is cleared, I know about it,” Elecia says. “I know they can register. Your hold is gone, let’s get you registered. If people aren’t registered, it’s not for a lack of trying.”

Elecia went on to discuss the ways in which she sees Jeremy and herself as a team. Whenever possible, they try to work together in their separate areas of expertise to ensure students who need help receive it in Mouton.

“Especially when we started to bridge things like graduation,” Elecia says. “When I first came there were no senior meetings, so we started senior meetings. Then we started including information. Here’s information for financial aid. Here’s information for career services. Solidifying things like, yes, you go to the bursar to pay your deposit and such.”

Baby Sawyer is the newest addition to the Hadley family. Photo by Kyleigh Carter.

Perhaps one of the strongest points of their joined efforts is the dedication both Hadleys hold as individuals; both Jeremy and Elecia affirm their commitments to their positions at SFUAD, as well as to the students they assist each day at work. Jeremy feels an important aspect of his job is explaining math to students that may not always be math oriented and ensuring that they have a full understanding of their balances, and other such things that may not come naturally to them. Elecia, likewise, goes to great lengths to set up registration meetings and workshops in which students are assisted in the selection of their classes, and attempts to assist students in any way she can, even when they present her with questions that do not necessarily pertain to her area.

“I’m 100 percent here for the students,” says Jeremy. “That’s always been my focus. I’ve always been in customer service jobs and I don’t see this as any differently. The students are my customers, so I do anything I can to try to help them out.”

Elecia concurs with, “I try to solve problems. Sometimes their problems have nothing to do with me. I can’t fix financial problems. I can’t make their money come in, but I think we’re just both really good at remembering. We care enough to remember students. We remember things about them. So, it’s like, ‘did so-and-so get that thing taken care of in financial aid? I don’t know, let’s go check.’”

The results of these efforts are evident across campus. Many students have stories about the ways in which the Hadleys have helped them with any number of problems, and the gratitude they have for their efforts.

“Jeremy single handedly got me to stay at this school,” said Creative Writing junior Jen Hanson. “It looked like I wouldn’t be able to stay for my sophomore year until he went out of the way to get me the financial aid I needed. I wouldn’t be here now as a junior if it weren’t for him. Elecia, where others never seem to have time, always welcomes me to speak with her about classes and my goals for the school year. Both the Hadleys have made my experience a good one, and I hope they know how grateful I am for what they do.”

“They have a very distinctive care and appreciation when it comes to the important things,” says Graphic Design senior Brandon Schmidt. “They understand my concerns and where I’m coming from, and always do their best to take care of it.”

Big things are in store for the Hadleys in the coming year. Jeremy looks forward to furthering activities and assisting with the development of new programs on the student life half of his job. Elecia will be meeting with seniors in a few weeks to help plan out their final semesters, and likewise is eager to assist in the planning of on-campus activities.

The greatest excitement for the Hadleys however is the presence of their newborn son, Sawyer Hadley, almost eleven weeks old. Both Hadleys stress how accommodating the school has been in terms of their new family, as Elecia works a little less and they bring him with them to school from time to time. The couple has also moved into a new home recently, close enough to SFUAD that they are able to walk to work if they please. They are excited to be closer to work and to their friends, and to begin this new chapter as a family unit.