In his role as director of space planning and construction for the School of Medicine, Andrews extends his ability to achieve balance in his own life outward to bring about balanced consensus among groups of people with varying interests and goals.
Since 1990, Andrews has acted as the owner in the relationship between the contractor and the architect on the design, construction and renovation of the Woodruff Memorial Building (WMB) and its West Wing addition. This task included talking with a number of medical school faculty researchers prior to the design phase to determine what they needed and wanted in their laboratory space, then taking those wish lists to the architect and contractor to figure out which things could work within the project's budgetary framework.
"My job is to solve [the medical researchers'] problems and make their lives run smoother, make the renovation and construction less intrusive on their work," said Andrews, who was director of the medical school's Graduate Medical Education program from 1983-1992. "That runs the gamut of anything building-related or space-related, from `my cold room is going down' to `how do I get my network connected.' "
Andrews said the laboratories in the WMB West Wing are identical modular units, as opposed to the custom-designed labs in Rollins Center. "The problem with custom-designed labs is that when a faculty member moves up or leaves, you've got a wonderful lab for that person. But when the next person comes in, it has to be redesigned and renovated," Andrews said. "The WMB West Wing is a generic modular building, which means every lab in it is identical."
To determine exactly what should be included in that generic modular lab, Andrews met with key faculty researchers to get their input and suggestions. He then worked with architects to determine which aspects were most critical for the model lab and which things were financially feasible. "All of that came down to a module that everyone thought was good and workable," Andrews said. "We got approval, and that's what we built. To date, we haven't had to modify or customize any of the modules."
Andrews' reliability has earned him a reputation among the medical school as being the person to call when something has to be done not just quickly, but well. "I pride myself on being that person," said Andrews, who occasionally gets calls from faculty members whose trash hasn't been emptied or whose floors haven't been waxed. "I think a place is a lot classier if the people working there care and get the job done right. There are a lot of important people in the School of Medicine doing a lot of important research, and they should be taken care of. That's how I see my role."
When he goes home at night, however, Andrews faithfully engages in activities that have nothing to do with analytical skill. He belongs to a health club, where he works out regularly, and always runs on the days when he can't make it to he gym.
The recent rekindling of what Andrews refers to as a "passion" for painting goes even further in balancing his left-brain professional life with right-brain creativity. "When I was in high school I painted, but hadn't touched it until a couple of years ago," he said. "I rediscovered that passion and gave myself permission to do it . . . Right now, I'm painting all abstract impressionism. I've even built a little studio in my house. It's fun, but I don't get to do it nearly enough."
Another creative activity that Andrews undertook a couple of years ago is not widely known about on campus. In 1993, Andrews agreed to star in a commercial for a local law firm advertising its services for accident victims. "I was really just helping out a friend who needed someone to be in a commercial," he said. "I earned $25 for it. I played an injured person, so I limped heavily. It was a hoot." Andrews said few of his Emory colleagues have seen the spot because it usually runs during the daytime on various talk shows.
Andrews doesn't restrict his right-brain creative side to off-campus activities, according to Pat Douglass, director of Employment Services in Human Resources. When the administration of Graduate Medical Education was moved from Grady Hospital to the School of Medicine in 1983, Douglass worked closely with Andrews to create a benefits orientation program for medical residents in a mere 60 days.
"Charlie is very quick and very bright," said Douglass. "He can grasp a situation, figure out what to do and go with it. But he's also just a lot of fun. He's really great with people and just an absolute doll. I've threatened to adopt him more than once."
--Dan Treadaway