STEPS Spotlight: Zong Her

What is your Madison College/STEPS job title?   
Document Management Committee Lead.

What goes into an “average day” for you?
With the privilege of working for the College comes the observation that others have shared when it comes to the “average day”: there are few “average” days. I get to work in a dynamic and changing environment. It may start with project meetings and coordination for college-wide initiatives to report building and troubleshooting data errors. I do have some state mandated survey projects and reports that I compile and summarize on an annual basis, which provides some continuity.

What is your background?
I have over 15 years experience in project coordination and management information systems. I continue to refine and use skills gained from this type of work every day at the college. Although technical skills are necessary for reporting, data analysis, social research and project management, it helps to be organized and to plan ahead.

Give one example of how the upgrade will benefit staff members/faculty:
The document management committee is charged with creating a central, standardized, accessible storage and document management process for the STEPS program. In the past, no “golden source” existed where staff can access the latest documentation. Without a central location, multiple versions of the same document may exist in various locations, including staff’s personal drives.

By providing a central, standard documentation process, staff/faculty will:
-More easily gain access to shared resources, such as Business Process Guides, enabling more consistent processes across the college.
-Have use of standard project templates, enabling consistency of documentation college-wide.
-Shorten staff/faculty learning curve for the administrative functions of documentation due to the use of college templates, freeing up more time to focus on the content of the improvement project.

Give an example of how students will benefit from the upgrade:
By centralizing the documentation process, students will directly benefit by getting the most current updates on processes relevant to them. The process may also help staff/faculty to better serve students by allowing all to access the “golden source”, one version of the truth.

What is the best part of your job?  
The best thing about my job is that I am always learning something new, with continuous quality improvement both in my own job and around the college.

What are some of the greatest challenges you face?  
The greatest challenge many of us face is trying to get more accomplished in less time.

What have been some of the best (STEPS related) moments?
As the team continues to conceptualize the document management process, the team imagine ourselves trying to build a new city, with each key process, such as admission, represented. I enjoy the team’s ability to think outside of the box.

What do you like best about Madison College?
I get to work with people who are passionate about the college’s mission. No matter where in the organization, most of the people that I come into contact with really believe in the role that education plays in improving people’s lives. We are all here to serve a common purpose. That’s great to see and really boosts my morale, even in these tough economic times.

What are some of your interests/hobby’s outside of work?
In my free time, I enjoy watching the next generation mature into responsible adults. I have 5 children myself and spend most of my time volunteering to lead programs that help children and youth. Other than that, I enjoy reading, fishing, gardening and home decorating. Thank you for the opportunity to share with the college.

Questions?
Contact cbowers1[at] matcmadison [dot] edu (Chelsey Bowers) at (608) 246-6717.