Our School is grateful for talented and dedicated staff, who contribute greatly to our teaching and research excellence. This "Get to Know" series highlights our staff, sharing their friendly faces and stories of professional success.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Urbana at Carle Hospital, grew up here, and graduated from Urbana High School. After I married my husband, who was in the U.S. Coast Guard, we left Illinois and were stationed in Greenville, Mississippi, and Clearwater, Florida, before returning to Urbana to be near family.
What year did you begin working for the iSchool?
I believe my first day at the iSchool was August 20, 2017.
Where did you work prior to the iSchool?
My first real "adult" job was at the University of Illinois Police Department. From there, I worked for the Leland (MS) Police Department and the Pinellas County State Attorney’s Office in Clearwater in the Criminal Investigations Division. After moving back to Illinois, I took some time off to be with my kids and decided I wanted a "normal" Monday-Friday, 8-5 job. I worked my way back to the University in 2007, starting as a secretary III in the Landscape Architecture Department and then as a secretary IV in Urban and Regional Planning. After my stint in Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, I moved to Undergraduate Admissions as an office support specialist, where I arranged for prospective undergraduate students and their parents to meet with advisors from different programs of interest during campus visits. Before joining the iSchool, I worked as an office manager in the Undergraduate Advising office in ISE (Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering), assisting undergraduate students in the GE/SE and IE programs.
What do you do at the School?
I'm part of the Academic Affairs office, and I schedule the information sciences courses. Besides determining which courses should be taught each semester, we have to establish who will be teaching the courses, the modality, days and times, term, number of sections, classroom assignments, and any other scheduling considerations that need to be coordinated. After the schedule is in place, I assist instructors by placing textbook orders for their courses. When student registration opens, I work on enrollment management by checking class enrollments daily and determining if capacities need to be modified. My goal is to have each semester's course schedule reflect our students' needs, along with our institutional needs. Course scheduling is definitely a team project—along with working with the Academic Affairs office, it also involves Student Affairs, the program directors, the Registrar's Office, and the Facilities, Management, and Scheduling group. From the beginning, it's been a wild ride and an ever-changing adventure!
What do you like best about your job?
I really enjoy working with everyone at the iSchool; it’s a great team. I also enjoy the feeling of satisfaction when all the course scheduling puzzle pieces come together, and students start registering for their courses.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I enjoy small craft projects, binge-watching TV series, and spending time with family. I'm learning to use my new Kamado Joe grill that my daughter bought me. Even though it's not something I can do now, I really love to travel, especially to a beach—any beach. I love listening to the sound of the waves!