IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3-9-05 CONTACT: BILL CHARLAND 538-6635

SILVER CITY—Making a living means more than having a job. For most of us, the work we do is not just about income. Our jobs provide a place to be with others and to feel a sense of personal significance. Our work is a part of who we are.

Today, however, the kind of work that meets our needs may be in short supply. Forces such as automation and globalization are costing millions of Americans their jobs, while leaving many others over-stressed and nervously employed. A recent study by the Conference Board found that less than half of American workers were satisfied with their jobs, and that figure had fallen 10 percent in the past eight years, said Dr. William Charland, Western New Mexico University adjunct professor.

“Values at Work,” is a new course at WNMU that explores the quest for quality work, in the United States and abroad. Readings will include “Working,” by Studs Terkel (a collection of revealing interviews on what people do all day in a wide range of occupations), “The Electronic Sweatshop,” (on office automation) by Barbara Garson, and “The Rise of the Creative Class,” an important, new book by Richard Florida.

In addition to the readings, the course will include a number of exercises designed to help participants develop a strategy for improving the quality of their own working lives.

Professor Charland is the author of six books on work in the changing economy, and an experienced career counselor and corporate consultant on workforce issues.

The “Values at Work” class, for two credit hours, will meet at the Martinez-Fall Building Room 212 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays for five weeks, beginning April 8. For registration procedures and other information, please contact the Department of Social Sciences at 538-6635.

-30-