HEUG Famous: Rachael Daniel Interview

Where do you work? How long have you been there?

I work at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and have for more than 21 years.  After completing both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UWM, I started out as an academic advisor in the Lubar College of Business. I truly enjoyed the daily student interaction, but eventually my hobby of digging deeper into the technology (as much as allowable outside of central admin/IT) lead to heading over to the Registrar’s Office, focusing on the AAR and Student Records functional development. I now serve as the Director of Systems & Data Analysis in the Division of Strategic Enrollment Management.

Are you working on-site, remotely, or hybrid?  What has that experience been like for you?

My team works remotely, and we have been since COVID. Because we’re not student-facing, and most of our IT partners are also remote, it makes sense. There are occasional events and meetings that require a trip to campus, and I do enjoy those times, feeling the energy of the students.

For me, remote work has meant a much better work-life balance, saving me 90-120 minutes a day of driving time. I’m able to spend more time with my children, cook more, read more books – it has allowed for more self-care and family time. For my team, it allows us to offer more flexibility, hopefully leading to higher retention. I have a fantastic team, and anything I can do to support them and their work-life balance is win!

What Student or ERP system do you work in, and what modules do you primarily work with?

I work in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. While most of my experience has been with Student Records and Campus Community, I have dabbled with Admissions and Advisement. We also partner extensively with both Financial Aid and Student Financials – as you know, nothing operates independently!  

When did you get involved with HEUG?  How did that happen?

I was lucky to have a supervisor and coworker who were very active in HEUG, and both served/were serving on Advisory Groups. They shared their experiences and how much they valued the HEUG, and I’ve never looked back!

In what capacities have you been involved with HEUG?

Many years ago, I started out on the Volunteer Committee. I then served 6 years on the Student Records Advisory Group, the last two as their chair. I’m currently serving on the Campus Community Advisory Group (now part of CARS). I have also presented at Alliance conferences and webinars – but can confirm planning, logistics, and operations are still much more in my comfort zone than presenting.

Do you have a favorite or meaningful story regarding your time in HEUG?  

My favorite HEUG memory was seeing my coworker, Rita Freiburger, get inducted into the 2018 HEUG Hall of Fame. I had submitted a nomination for her when nominations opened, and kind of forgot about it. When Rita called me and told me she was being inducted, all I could think about was how much she deserved it. She taught me a lot of what I know now, and always was willing to share that knowledge with the HEUG community too. But more importantly, she provided me with tools to learn, grow, and dig into just about anything I put my mind to (one of them obviously being HEUG!).

What has been your favorite conference location? Why? 

Strictly speaking from the travel and city perspective, Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a beautiful city, the landscape was amazing, and heading over to Antelope Island State Park in the Great Salt Lake one evening was quite an experience. The mountain view from my hotel room was the best I’ve had at the conference.

What is your first HEUG related memory?

When I first moved over to the Registrar’s Office, I was tasked with looking into Graduation Processing. We had done some similar stuff with other features, and custom processes. I quickly learned that while PeopleBooks has a lot of great information, the answers I needed like the “why” you do something weren’t there. I was able to dig into the HEUG e-academy and other resources, and get a jump start on how to implement the changes we wanted to make. Similarly, discovering the forums – it was life-altering, learning that this kind of resource was out there. The help I got from the groups out there made me want to contribute as much as I could back to the communities. 

What is YOUR value proposition for HEUG?

As I mentioned before, I’ve learned so much, and been able to implement real solutions at UWM from what the HUEG has given me. I feel honored to be able to share my knowledge and experiences back with the community.

Do you have a work-related philosophy you would like to share?

Anything we can do to make day-to-day operations more efficient, and any way we can support student success is a win. While the answer might not always be yes to everything asked for, we will work to find a solution together that meets needs.

And of course, not just in work but in life, be kind, show respect, have empathy, work to understand.

What new app/technology/platform is intriguing to you right now? 

Gideon Taylor eForms – and the new community/forum is such a win for us (and all current/future users)!