STEPS Spotlight on: Annie Neuberger

What is your STEPS job title?   
Functional Lead for Academics (Both Academic Advising and Curriculum).

What goes into an “average day” for you?
On the days that I am working on the upgrade project, most of the day is spent at the TEC Corridor, entering data, testing the system, working on processes. Before I go over to the other building, I try to answer emails, update a few curriculum sheets and any corresponding changes in the curriculum builds in PeopleSoft. For a short while longer, during the transition of center advisors moving to the SDC, I try to lend whatever support is asked of me for my previous position of Academic Advisor in the Center for Agriscience and Technologies. The days I’m not working on the upgrade project include other meetings, updating curriculum, fixing state reporting errors, support for learning centers… etc.

What is your background?   
I have a MS in Education and BS in Business. I worked in residence life for about 9 years in a number of universities before doing a short stint (3 years) in the private sector doing administrative and financial work. I have been at Madison College for 12 ½ years and did academic advising until last November when I took a transfer to the LS Hub to be the contact person with the course and curriculum state reporting pieces.

Give one example of how the upgrade will benefit staff members/faculty:
The advising reports (formerly referred to as degree audits) are more user friendly. The old reports were very difficult to decipher.

Give an example of how students will benefit from the upgrade:
The advising report is interactive for the students and one version allows students to plan their courses out in advance. Once the registration is turned on for a given semester, the student can go in and finish registering more efficiently.

What is the best part of your job?  
I love doing the troubleshooting that is an integral part of my job.

What are some of the greatest challenges you face?  
I’d have to say that time management is a struggle for me with so much on my plate. I’m looking forward to getting a better sense of my new job after we go live in July and next year being able to work on the curriculum changes at the start of a cycle/as they come in. This year I came into it more or less mid-cycle, and have been struggling to get caught up.

What have been some of the best (STEPS related) moments?
I would have to say that working with the CCI consultants has been a real joy. They are not only knowledgeable about the product and have great organizational skills, but are very personable and have been a pleasure to get to know and work with. Additionally, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my colleagues on the AA team including my counterpart from Western.

What do you like best about Madison College?
In addition to all of the great people I get to work with, I have enjoyed taking advantage of opportunities to be on committees to share my knowledge, skills, and ideas—I have seen that these committees have an impact on the college processes and policies that make the college work and create the foundation for students to succeed in their studies.

What are some of your interests/hobbies outside of work?
I collect cookbooks, and have a particular interest in the vintage booklets. I have several hundreds, maybe even 1000 or more, items in my collection. Also, my husband is a historian and genealogist, and we have been fortunate enough to travel to Germany several times and have connected with the Neuberger family still there.

Questions?
Contact Chelsey Bowers at (608) 246-6717.