HEUG Famous: Sandra Mienczakowski Interview

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

I work in Registry and Academic Affairs at the University of Nottingham, UK.  I’ve been at the University for 30+ years and have worked in academic Schools and central Professional Services.  In 2016 we became Student Services ahead of our implementation of Campus Solutions and in August 2021 I took up the role of Associate Director, Quality and Student Management Systems a newly created, cross-department role leading on a number of key business areas and co-ordinating services across the department of Registry and Academic Affairs and involving key liaison with internal and external stakeholders.

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

We are a campus-based University and have a requirement to be on site.  We have been working hybrid since returning to campus in 2020 with some periods of working remotely when the UK was in lockdown.  Currently we’re 60% on site and we are flexible about how we do that across the academic year.

Hybrid is great because it gives flexibility to choose the best environment for what we’re working on and we all have team agreements about when and where we collaborate.  One of our on site days each week is a team day when all of the team are in the office together and then on other days some of the team are on site.  I try to organize my time so that I’m not going to the office and then spending all day in Teams calls and that I plan time for focused work on a day when I’m working from home.  We’ve been doing it for five years now and so I think most of us have settled into this as the routine.

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

I work with Campus Solutions and my main expertise is in Program Enrollment and Activity Management (PEAM) as well as student records.  I was Business Owner for PEAM during our implementation and a subject matter expert on student records and the student journey from registration to graduation.  I often work in the space between Business Owner and Tech so interpreting University regulations and how they might impact our systems.  I was also part of the team writing functional documents for the development of system rules relating to PEAM and the rule that underpinned our online course enrolment, progression and award.  I’ve presented on some of this at Regional and Alliance conferences.

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

I first got involved with the HEUG in autumn 2016 when we were two years into our Campus Solutions implementation project.  I’d been to a couple of UK Student Records Group meetings and our institution wanted to send some people to the EMEA HEUG 2016 Conference in Glasgow.  It was overwhelming because at that point we were in project mode and I went to a lot of sessions where I really didn’t understand the terminology or how the system worked but a great opportunity to network and meet other technical, functional specialists and users who were all generous with their time for my constant questions.

In what capacities have you been involved with HEUG?

I’ve been involved in the UK Student Records Group and have presented at HEUG EMEA/Europe and at Alliance including when Alliance was virtual and we had international virtual week.  I’ve led and been involved in Birds of a Feather sessions, been involved in virtual coffee mornings, happy hours and lunches and have been to webinars, read and written Blogs, started and taken part in discussions on line. 

I’m still part of the UK Student Records Group and am an elected member of the CARS Group and the Student Records Advisory Group and go to Community Council meetings.  I’ve been responsible for communications for the CARS Group for the last couple of years. 

I’m also currently part of the Alliance Taskforce and the HEUG Europe organizing group. 

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

In 2022 HEUG – EMEA decided that there was going to be a regional conference and that it was going to be in person.  The program was put together later than we would have wanted, and we were unsure if anyone would want to attend, or would think it was too risky to travel.  In the end more than 100 participants from the UK, Europe and South Africa supported by members of the HEUG Board and Team showed up to a very rainy University of Nottingham.  Nobody ventured far from the hotel/conference centre and so there were lots of networking opportunities!  The response was testament to the strength and commitment to the HEUG community and it underlined the continued importance and value of connecting in person even in challenging times and the power of coming together to share knowledge.  Hopefully, we can hold HEUG Europe in Nottingham again in the future – Lost Property and the Hidden Caves are still there to be explored!

What has been your favorite conference location? Why? 

First, I’d say Seattle because after a couple of really hard years with Covid-19 and virtual conferences, it felt like the world was starting to open up again.  It was great to be back face to face and to meet up with old and new friends and the stats on the benefit to the local economy were amazing.  My institution sent 10 people and we learned a lot of new things which we were able to take back and share.

As a coffee drinker it was an opportunity to see the home of the original Starbucks and I loved the monorail and the Space Needle!

Second, I’d say Phoenix because there some really great sessions and coming in early was able to spend a couple of days up at the Grand Canyon.  I stood on the rim of the Canyon at 8.30am on a Saturday morning and thought how amazing it was and what a privilege to be there.

What is your first HEUG related memory?

My first HEUG related memory that really stands out is a ceilidh on a Tall Ship in Glasgow and the folk dancing, my first experience of the HEUG Community as a community and the number of experts I could network with to support my work.

What is YOUR value proposition for HEUG?

I think that the HEUG is special and my involvement with it gives me so much. 

Being part of the HEUG connects me with other professionals in a global community.  The community is a large network that can be used for advice and solutions to systems challenges and is a go to when issues arise.  The HEUG gives access to a wide range of resources, blogs, discussions, webinars which help me support my institution when we’re looking at enhancing our use of Campus Solutions and it’s great to find out what others are doing and whether that would work for us as well.  It also helps me to stay up to date with new technology.

The HEUG also gives me an opportunity to give back by sharing experiences and knowledge from my institution more widely.  I also get the opportunity to feedback and participate with vendors and hopefully help future systems development.

HEUG is worth the time I spend on it because it allows me to contribute to and benefit from our collective efforts for our Community like being part of organizing HEUG – Europe and the Alliance Taskforce.  I’m always impressed by what we achieve together and my involvement has allowed me to grow personally and professionally.

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

I’d say that my guiding practice for the work that I do is to always act honestly and with integrity.  My philosophy is to acknowledge openly that I never stop learning and that we should actively seek out opportunities to learn and grow. The people I have learned the most from have been when I have collaborated with diverse teams from Digital and Technical Services, Business and 3^rd party suppliers on enhancement projects or from working with people with diverse perspectives to achieve solutions. 

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

Like a lot of people I guess, AI is really intriguing me right now.  I’m really interested in how AI tools can enable individuals with neurodiversity to navigate the work environment and the benefits they bring to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace.

Bonus Question: What I’m looking forward to most in the next 12 months?

The answer would be continuing to work within my institution and outside to maximize the value that we get from our technological and resource investments for the benefit of students and staff within higher education and to continue to network and make new friends through the HEUG.