Jim Webb: More than a numbers cruncher

		One of the things Jim Webb, assistant director of payroll services, likes most about his job is helping international students who work at the university with issues involving their employment as foreign nationals.

James ‘Jim’ Webb, assis-tant director of payroll services, didn’t always want to be an accountant.

Webb has long had a love for photography, which initially enticed him to pursue a career in photojournalism. He developed the hobby while in junior high school, when his family vacationed at historic destinations in the western United States.

However, he didn’t think he would enjoy the irregular working hours of a journalist.

“If you’re a reporter, you’re expected to cover breaking stories,” Webb says. “Accounting seemed to provide a more stable home life.”

Webb had taken some accounting courses while in high school, and he began to realize that a career in accounting would provide the stability he desired. He went on to earn both a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in managerial accounting systems from UNT in about six years. He worked as a student assistant in the payroll office and has been an important member of the staff since that time.

Though Webb chose stability over passion, his job at UNT consists of far more than just crunching numbers.

His many duties include working with international students on work study programs at UNT to help them with financial concerns they may have. He also monitors students for changes in their status as foreign nationals, and he studies immigration laws to make sure he and the students he works with are complying with U.S. income tax laws.

“I enjoy working with our international students immensely,” Webb says. “I consider these students to be friends and enjoy seeing them excel while they are here at UNT.”

Webb’s supervisor views him as an instrumental member of the department.

“Jim is very dedicated to his work and is a big asset to our office as well as UNT,” says Ruth Moors, director of purchasing and payroll services.

Although his original career path changed, Webb continues to hone his photography skills and has amassed a large collection of photographs of trains, steam engines and freight cars.

His interest in the railroad also stems from childhood experiences when his family visited Disney parks that included full-sized steam engines. He was fascinated by restored engines and began collecting locomotive models.

Webb, who also constructs model train layouts and is a member of the Denton Area Model Rail Road Club, has a particular interest in steam engines and railroad equipment from the Old West era. He has constructed and collected hundreds of model steam engines and freight cars. His interest in historical trains and other implements makes him appreciate his modern lifestyle.

“I enjoy seeing how people lived one or two hundred years ago and how much work they had to do to accomplish things that come so easily for us,” he says.

BY CHREE CARR ucmnews1@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Six faculty recognized at UNT's annual Honors Day celebration
• UNT students win top awards in Texas broadcast competition
• Five UNT students, one alumna receive Hispanic Scholarship Fund awards
• Administrators answer faculty questions during town hall meeting
• Staff awards presented at sack lunch
• Pohl appointed to SACS Commission on Colleges
• Staff Council hears reports about Enterprise Information System, Star Performer award
• Summer camps for children planned at UNT
• UNT prepares to welcome area youth for National Youth Sports Program

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