Rena and UF Housing's Team Ohana participating in
the 2005 American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
Rena stayed in that role until 2013. “What always made it
great for me was that I worked with so many wonderful
people,” she said.
"Another time, a new family put
a goat in the oven right on the
rack. It blew up and started a
fire. That was an exciting day!"
- Rena Buchan
Around March of 2013, Rena decided she was ready for
a change, and discussed it over lunch with Azfar Mian.
“We talked about a few ideas; in the end we decided I
would come over to his area, help him with some special
projects, collections, and GFH things from the business
end.”
Rena has also traveled extensively over the course
of her career. She has seen much of the country
through her service with ACUHO-I and her
work with the Apartment Housing Community.
Recently, she traveled to the United Kingdom and
Paris with friends and family. She loves to share
stories of her travels, particularly her recent trips
to the Shetland and Orkney Islands in Scotland.
Rena enjoys spending time with her parents,
sister, friends, and her cat Rosie. In addition to
sewing, Rena is an avid mystery reader, usually
on her trusty Kindle. And of course, Rena is
affectionately known as Housing’s own poetlaureate, regaling colleagues with clever and
thoughtful poems at important occasions. “I’m
not as good at getting up and talking,” Rena said,
“so the poems evolved from me needing an excuse
to look down at paper.”
In 2014, Rena was awarded with the ACUHO-I
Foundation’s highest honor, the Parthenon Award.
This award recognizes outstanding collegiate
housing professionals for their service, leadership,
achievement, and contributions to the housing
field. Decades later, her former supervisor, Gene
Luna, said when he made the final contribution
to secure this honor in her name: “Check’s in the
mail: Rena is so worth this recognition.”
Rena’s favorite aspect of her current role is that at the
end of the day she can see what she has accomplished.
“Here, it is very concrete. Working with people and
problems, there is less closure, or there’s no closure till
they move out,” Rena said.
Rena and the interns visiting the University of
South Florida in 2013.
MEET RENA BUCHAN
Despite an initial hesitation to leave her programming
role, Rena enjoyed working as an assistant director
beginning in 1995, and the many colleagues she had the
pleasure of working with in graduate and family housing.
Three in particular were Dug Jones, Deb Casey Powell,
and Thomas Germain, all of whom she describes as
innovators.
Rena (second row, far left) with the AP
Staff in 1995.
Rena visiting Scotland in 2016.
HRE ALUMNI MAGAZINE | UF STUDENT AFFAIRS
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