The Civil Service Council will feature a Civil Service employee at Illinois State University each month to highlight an exceptional colleague and the outstanding work being done on campus. This month, learn about and applaud Eva Harrison from the award management division of Research and Sponsored Programs.
What is your position on campus and how long have you been with the University?
I am working at Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) as an award manager. In my role, I proactively provide a high level of customer service to faculty and research administration staff. I assist them with the management of external funding that supports their work in instruction and creative research. I provide fiscal management of grants and contracts and oversight of sponsored program regulatory compliance by guiding faculty and staff with my knowledge of institutional and federal guidelines and regulations.
I am happy to announce that I will be celebrating my sixth year here at ISU on July 11, 2023. I started my career at ISU as part of the accounting staff in Grants Accounting, which was previously under the Comptroller’s Department, and ultimately merged with Research and Sponsored Programs around March 2019.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
What is most rewarding to me about my work is how I help support faculty and research administration staff in departments throughout the University and get to watch them become successful in their research. I enjoy helping faculty and staff navigate the world of grant-funded research and answering questions along the way. I get to see a wide variety of research across the University. Furthermore, I am proud to see the colleagues within the departments I work with become successful in their own careers after I provide training that assists them during their early days in their positions. This gives me the satisfaction that even in a small way, I indirectly contribute to the development and success of both my institution, ISU, and our research community.
What are your hobbies or favorite pastimes?
I enjoy watching the History Channel and documentaries since l am always curious about how these past events affect our way of life today. Furthermore, I believe what Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” We need to learn from our history, and I also apply this to my work. Learning is an ongoing process. With every success, there are also mistakes made. Mistakes lead to improvement. There is always something new that I learn from my work especially when I make mistakes. Chances are mistakes I made in the past are ones that I will never forget and therefore, when I encounter the same situation in the future, I know how to appropriately resolve the issue.
What else would you like others to know about you or your time at ISU?
I am proud of my Asian heritage. One of thousands of immigrants who left our families and countries of birth behind to pursue our dreams to be successful in our careers in America, the melting pot of so many nations. This is a country that gives chance and opportunity to work hard and do our best to be successful with our careers.
ISU represents one of the best institutions that gives Filipino immigrants like me an opportunity to work hard and do my best to be successful in my career. And in a small way, to be able to share my humble skills to the success of both my employer, Illinois State University, and my community.
More about Harrison from Stacy Kelley Guzman, assistant director for award management:
Eva is a professional in every sense of the word. She shares her expertise in accounting and serves as a role model by training new hires and supporting her colleagues. Whether she is talking to Illinois State faculty about their research or helping manage budgets with ease, Eva is knowledgeable and has developed over six years of service her skill set with the determination to become the best at what she does each day. She participates actively in professional development opportunities in research administration throughout the nation and is set to attend annual meetings in Washington, D.C., with NCURA and Seattle with SRAI. Personally, Eva is caring, has a magnetic personality, and is a foodie. She has a rich lifetime of experiences that stem from life in the United States and abroad in the Philippines and strives for the inclusion of others from diverse backgrounds. She has served since 2022 as treasurer of Asia Connect at Illinois State University and participated as a panelist in a discussion following the film screening of the Filipino movie Leonor Will Never Die at Asian Heritage Week 2023. Eva is a delight to work with and her laughter fills the office with positivity.
