After 31 years as part of the Harlaxton family, one of its most influential members will be retiring at the end of spring semester.
Jan Beckett, vice principal of academic services, first came to Harlaxton after discovering a job posting in the local newspaper.
“In August I had just come back from holiday and was thumbing through the newspaper when I saw a job advertisement for a part-time librarian here at Harlaxton,” she said. “The job deadline had passed but I decided to apply anyway and a week later I started.”
Since 1977, Beckett has been working at Harlaxton, where she worked as a part-time librarian for 12 years. In 1989 she became the full-time librarian and in 31 years hasn’t looked back.
“For me, it’s a wonderful opportunity to contribute to such a unique academic community,” she said. “It’s the best job anyone could have.”
Now, Beckett is the vice principal of academic services and is a member of the Harlaxton administrative cabinet, which makes many of the major decisions affecting the school. She is also in charge of establishing class schedules, buying textbooks, organizing library resources, and scheduling class-related travel.
Throughout Harlaxton’s almost 45 years as a university program, Beckett has worked with four of the six principals, including the current principal Gordon Kingsley.
Kingsley has come to regard Beckett with the utmost respect and relies heavily on her experience.
“Early on I thought she was someone we needed to rely on a lot,” he said. “We all rely on her good judgment, her wonderful diplomacy, and the depth of care and compassion she has for this school and the students.”
Apart from her job at Harlaxton, Beckett contributes to her community by serving as a local magistrate, or justice of the peace. For 20 years now, she has been required to serve one of every 10 days in the Lincolnshire court system. It is a voluntary position for which she had to undergo intense training.
Kingsley recalled the first time he met Beckett and realized she was a justice of the peace.
“One time I asked her, ‘what do I call you?’ and she said to me, ‘If we were in my courtroom, you would call me “my worship”,'” he said.
After Beckett retires she will continue to sit on the bench and plans to go into partial retirement at the end of July.
“Leaving has its bittersweet moments,” she said. “I think if I left everything at once it would be hard, but I also get a sense of the other opportunities, it’s just a feeling that I need to step back a little.”
Beckett said she is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, two daughters and grandchildren, but she is hoping not to stray too far from her 31-year home at Harlaxton.
"I'm going to miss seeing students. It is always a pleasure," she said. "Seeing people going about their business, it's a unique vantage point."<br/>&#160;