Every month, the Administrative/Professional (A/P) Council highlights an A/P staff member through a series of questions as another way for the Illinois State University community to connect. This month, readers get to know Sue Hildebrandt, special assistant to the provost.
Job title/Position: Special assistant to the provost
Job duties: I’m grateful to be a member of the provost’s senior staff this year, which has given me a unique, university-wide view of Illinois State. This role involves me in a number of important Academic Affairs initiatives, like new programs and engaging new learners. I am part of a core team with Cooper Cutting (AVP for Academic Planning) and Mike Mulvaney (KNR faculty and provost fellow) coordinating institution-wide HLC re-accreditation efforts. I’m also working with Cooper and two provosts fellows (Lea Cline from Art and Emily Jones from KNR) on a project to bring microcredentials to ISU. My responsibilities also have me working closely with the Center for Civic Engagement and Conference Services to help those units meet their objectives. And I’m leading efforts to finalize recommendations and document progress from the COACHE Faculty Satisfaction survey and the Staff Success survey, work that has helped me peek into other divisions across campus. Jason Whitesel (Sociology faculty and provost fellow), Connie Blick (administrative assistant in the Provost’s Office), and I have been working as a team to offer various leadership development series for Academic Affairs staff. And I have other duties as assigned that help me grow my connections across campus.
How long have you been an employee at Illinois State?: This is my 15th year at ISU. I was a tenure-track faculty member and the Languages, Literatures, and Cultures teacher education program coordinator for 10 years, followed by an invitation to serve as the interim chair of the Department of Special Education for three years. After that remarkable experience, I spent a year as the interim associate dean for academics in the Mennonite College of Nursing, and I’m grateful to spend this year in the Provost’s Office. It’s been a unique trajectory that has given me invaluable perspectives from environments across campus and helped me fill in my ISU bingo card as I move from setting to setting!
What do you love most about working at Illinois State?: I love so much about working at ISU! The people, the opportunities for my research and teaching, and the support that I’ve felt over the years to do my best work are some of the things that I’ve loved most. I especially appreciate the opportunities that I’ve gotten at ISU to work in such diverse settings and the trust that others have put in me to work as a member of their communities.
What is one fact about yourself that might surprise people?: When I was younger, before having studied abroad for a semester, I was painfully (and I mean PAINFULLY) shy. Spending a semester in Spain and backpacking across Europe gave me a confidence in myself and my abilities that I never could have gotten without those experiences.
When you’re not working, what are you most likely doing?: I’m either hanging out with my husband Marc and Simone our cat, visiting my parents in Wisconsin, spending time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, being band mom to “The Rusty Pickups,” or gardening in my backyard. I also love a good nonfiction audiobook about neuroscience, physics, or leadership.
What is your favorite spot on campus?: The gazebo on the Quad is a beautiful and peaceful spot where I love to meet friends for lunch and watch the squirrels.
What quote most inspires you? Why?: I love a good mantra and one of my favorites lately is “Planta en ti lo que quieres que florezca en los demás” (Translation: “Plant in yourself what you want to see flower in others”). I’m not sure who originally said it, but it’s a healthy reminder that I need to develop in myself what I would like others to develop in themselves. It also reminds me that I can only control my own actions and reactions and not those of the people around me, which can be difficult for a first child like me.
