There’s a new player on the team of staffers working in the Continuing Education office.

“I’m sort of like a relief pitcher or utility infielder,” said Doug Pearson, who will serve as the Interim Director of Continuing Education for the next three to six months. The former English professor sat on the bench when he retired in 1997.

He has taken the field two other times, playing the role of chair of the Sociology and Anthropology department for one year in 1999, and the role of assistant dean in the College of Arts of Sciences last year.

“He has a lot of experience on this campus,” said Outreach Specialist Libby Thurston, “so he’s incredibly savvy about how the campus operates and how we can better operate within the framework. He’s also just very personable, and I think he’ll be a pleasure to work with.”

Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor Steve Tallant drafted Pearson Oct. 15, and he came in Oct. 18 for Robert Whitcomb, who accepted a position working for a Continuing Education office in Alaska, Thurston said.

Pearson said Whitcomb’s last official day was Friday.

He said the first week prior to taking office, he worked out of Schofield Hall to avoid interfering with Whitcomb’s work.

Now, the former director’s taking vacation time to prepare himself for the move sometime before fall semester ends.

“I’ve only been in this office now for about 12 hours,” Pearson said Tuesday afternoon. ” … I’m just learning.”

He only will be on duty for a short time, however, as a committee soon will scout a permanent director.

“Dr. Tallant will start the ball rolling,” Pearson said of getting a team together in “not too many days” to review candidates.

In the meantime, he said, he’ll work with staff and ensure projects and connections to UW-Eau Claire and to the community are well-handled.

He also said he’ll develop existing program managers who plan events and work with departments to coordinate credit-outreach offerings, as well as non-credit offerings.

He explained not all sponsored projects provide credit like classes would; citizens, those in business, health professionals and teachers, for example, either take courses for credit or attend workshops.

An example of a workshop, Pearson explained, is a foot-and-nail workshop where nurses trained one day and treated about 200 senior citizens at the senior center the next.

He said Continuing Education also offers youth programs enabling high school students to take a course, such as College Writing (ENGL 110), on site.

“My job is to assure they can get that job done,” Pearson said.

His main job last week, he added, was to prepare for presentations given at Luther Midelfort hospital, 1221 Whipple St., Thursday and Friday on behalf of Continuing Education. The presentations were on what the hospital calls The Luther Midelfort Academy. The office, as well as other institutions in the community, are presenting educational opportunities to the staff.

“We got through that all right,” he said of the end of last week, “and now, (the question is) can I get through Tuesday? It’s not that bad; it’s just when you’re going into something new, you’re trying to keep going what was already moving and understand it … so that’s my main goal right now – just keep it going.”