May 12, 2025
Born and raised in the very small, rural town of Bunkie, Louisiana, Associate Director of Academic Affairs Carly Bloss began her higher ed career at Louisiana State University. She now works remotely from her home in Lafayette, Louisiana, and looks forward to her trips to campus. We interviewed Carly about her interests and experiences.
People can come to me for …
anything academic affairs–related. I enjoy strategizing with others and helping to find solutions.
What do you enjoy about being a part of the PSD community?
I love that we are all here for the same purpose. It makes collaborating easy.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
Well, I love what I do at UChicago. My undergraduate degree is in Human Resource Management, with a minor in Psychology. I have an MBA and a SHRM-SCP certification. I unintentionally ended up in higher education, but I’m glad I did. I’ve learned so much while navigating the complexities of this industry. Every day brings a new challenge, and I’m here for it.
Outside of the office, I enjoy travelling with my family. My husband, Greg, my nine-year-old son, James, and our two pups (an 11-year-old Border Collie named Skip and a 5-year-old Golden Retriever named Percy) often take road trips. We try to escape our hot, humid weather and head to the mountains as often as we can. You can find us in Angel Fire, New Mexico, hiking and skiing any chance we get.
People who know me know I love dogs. I try to foster dogs for animal rescue groups when my schedule allows. Most recently, I’ve been fostering for Save-A-Lab rescue out of Rhode Island. Pups in municipal animal control facilities will stay with us until they are healthy enough to be transported up north, where they have a family waiting for them.
Other noteworthy facts are that I love baseball, I enjoy sharing new experiences with others, and making others smile and laugh is one of my favorite pastimes.
Who inspires you?
This is a hard question. Throughout my life, I’ve been inspired by many people. The person who has inspired me the most has been my son. Most of the decisions I make are made with him in mind. To bring this full circle, I’ll mention that he thinks it is super cool that his mom “helps scientists.”
What is the most interesting thing that you are working on right now?
Policy changes. That’s interesting, right?
Who had the most influence on you growing up?
My parents. I’m the first female college graduate in my family. Observing their work ethic and support of me (and my three older brothers) influenced me in the most important aspects of my life.
If they made a movie about your life, what genre would it be and who would play you?
Oh, boy. I’d say a comedy, when thinking about growing up with three older brothers. Brittany Murphy (RIP).
What hobby do you spend the most time on?
Eating? Maybe I should say cooking instead. I do love good food, and there is no shortage of it in south Louisiana. If I were to pick a healthier hobby to mention, I’d say that I recently started playing pickleball.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Or, what do you want to do when you retire?
When I retire, I plan to do more travelling. Hopefully split time between my mountain home and beach home (assuming my TIAA plan pays out well). On the other hand, I’d enjoy a farm. I’ve always wanted to adopt a pair of donkeys.