Interview with Karen Mittelstadt

Partial Transcript: TR: All right, today is February 25, 2020.

Segment Synopsis: Troy Reeves and Karen Mittelstadt introduce themselves and the interview project.

Subjects: Academic Staff Oral History Project; Oral History Project

Partial Transcript: TR: All right, so we have a list of questions...

Segment Synopsis: Mittelstadt discusses how she interviewed for Communications Manager in the Office of Admissions in 2004 after having the job recommended to her by a friend. She had been living and working in Indiana and had never been to Wisconsin before. She thought Madison seemed like a nice place to live when she came up for the interview.

Keywords: Communications Manager; Madison; Office of Admissions

Partial Transcript: TR: Okay, great, thank you. So this might take us back to before...

Segment Synopsis: During undergrad and her first Master's, Mittelstadt wanted to be a journalist. She went to work for a sports publishing company and then with the United States Rowing Association as their communications director through the Sydney Olympics. Instead of signing on for another four years she took a job in the Communications Office at Indiana University. She completed her masters in Higher Education through their Tuition Remission program.

Keywords: Indiana University; Sydney Olympics; United States Rowing Association; sports publishing

Partial Transcript: TR: Did you get to go to Sydney?

Segment Synopsis: Mittelstadt discusses going to Sydney for the Olympics. They worked the regattas in the early mornings and could take the boats out and ski for the rest of the day. It felt like summer camp and it was a great job right out of school.

Keywords: Regatta; Sydney Olympics

Partial Transcript: TR: So coming here you said Communications Manager...

Segment Synopsis: Mittelstadt originally worked as the Communications Manager in the Department of Admissions, which was similar to the job she'd had in Indiana. She then worked as the Assistant Director for Admissions, which took her into more of an administrative role instead of communications/marketing.

Keywords: Assistant Director for Admissions; Communications Manager; Department of Admissions

Partial Transcript: TR: So since you've had a couple of different jobs...

Segment Synopsis: She did the admissions job for four years, spent two years working for Oracle Consulting off campus, worked on the Delta program on campus for about a year and a half and then went to the School of Nursing in the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs Role. She is now an Acadamic Planner within the Office of Academic Planning and Institutional Research. Her day to day job in the School of Nursing was hectic because advising and admissions were all within Academic Affairs. She also worked with faculty on academic policy and curriculum development, so she was involved with many areas of the school including with students and administrative processes. There were lots of meetings and she felt responsibility for the students' academic success and physical wellbeing.

Keywords: Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs; Office of Academic Planning and Institutional Research; School of Nursing

Partial Transcript: TR: I'm interested in the fact that you...

Segment Synopsis: Her journalism degree and her ability to process thoughts in a clear and concise way has served her well in all of her jobs. The ability to compose thoughts and articulate them clearly helped when issuing grievances findings in the School of Nursing or advocating cases before the Board. The Master's in Higher Education gave her perspective on academic structures and shared governance, which has also informed her work.

Keywords: Higher Education; Journalism; School of Nursing

Partial Transcript: TR: So I have another question about...

Segment Synopsis: In the trajectory of her career she has moved more towards managing people than doing the work she once used to do, but she has always still done the work. She never felt like she progressed out of doing what she loved, partly because she worked in a small school with a small communications/HR team. She had to wear a lot of hats and considered roles and projects that let her dabble in things she was interested in.

Keywords: Administration; Humanities; School of Nursing

Partial Transcript: TR: So I don't think I've asked this one directly...

Segment Synopsis: She works with people in schools and colleges who want to create new academic programs, including majors, certificates, and courses. Her day is half meetings on campus and half work back at the office, helping to craft proposals and working with the Vice Provost on Academic Policy matters. She also works with campus partners on their communication needs, so she is continuing to use her communications background. She focuses on making academic policies accessible to partners across campus so they know how to find and interpret them.

Subjects: Academic Planning; Academic policy; Communications; Student Affairs

Partial Transcript: TR: So now it's the technology question.

Segment Synopsis: She has always had access to email and computers throughout her career and they have become more efficient and more pervasive. Now it's difficult to imagine these academic administration jobs without these new kinds of technology.

Keywords: Higher Education; Technology

Partial Transcript: TR: So we're going to shift now to...

Segment Synopsis: She applied to serve as the academic staff appointee to the Athletic Board; while she was not chosen she thought it would be a good way to represent the academic staff to another governance committee.

Keywords: Academic Staff; Campus Governance

Partial Transcript: TR: So now the question about what you think...

Segment Synopsis: The Dean, Linda Scott, presented the School of Nursing as a community of staff, faculty, students. Each member had an expertise and experience to bring and they were all important to the overall group. She is aware that some traditions on campus privilege faculty, mostly through committee meetings, but in the framework the Dean presented she felt that her expertise was viewed as critical for the operations at the school on a daily basis as a fully tenured professor with a research agenda. It's important to understand the structure and be familiar with faculty policies and procedures, especially regarding committees.

Keywords: Academic Staff; Dean Linda Scott; Faculty; School of Nursing

Partial Transcript: TR: This question isn't on the list...

Segment Synopsis: She wasn't as good at cultivating mentors. There are people she's held tremendous respect for who have served as a mentor role, like Rob Seltzer, who was the Director of Admissions when she first arrived. He saw potential for her and championed her when she was new to the system. She highly esteems Dean Scott and learned a great deal from her. Part of the reason she took the Academic Planning position was because of her admiration for Jocelyn Milner who leads the office as the Vice Provost. She wanted to work with and for people she admired for the way they conducted their business, rather than having explicit mentors.

Keywords: Jocelyn Milner; Linda Scott; Mentors; Rob Seltzer

Partial Transcript: TR: So we are at now the story...

Segment Synopsis: Yes, she was selected for the UW System Board of Regents Academic Staff Award in 2018 and the on campus Chancellor's Award for 2019. Her nominators for the Board of Regents needed her resume so she had a sense of what was going on but she didn't have a great sense of the importance of the awards going in.

Keywords: Chancellor's Award; UW Board of Regents; awards

Partial Transcript: TR: So since you won them both...

Segment Synopsis: The School of Nursing took the awards as tremendous recognitions for Karen personally and for the community and she received many notes and accolades from the Dean and throughout the school. The school took a lot of pride in having one of their own receive the awards. That notion of honor was shared by her family and friends on campus. It felt big because people were so pleased and enthused with the honor, like she was.

Subjects: Academic Staff Awards; School of Nursing

Partial Transcript: TR: So did the System one...

Segment Synopsis: She was honored for the 2018 award at the Board of Regents meeting and was asked to make some remarks. She talked about how she came to have her career and the pride she felt in being an academic staff member at UW-Madison. She also talked about the importance of all faculty, staff, and students and the value she placed on being regarded as an individual with expertise that could help the entire community. The Chancellor emceed the event and there were 8 or 9 honorees for various awards present. Her favorite part of the reception listening to each of the other recipients tell their stories in their remarks and reflect on their successes and challenges.

Keywords: Awards; Board of Regents; Chancellor's Award; Receptions

Partial Transcript: TR: Not that you're retiring tomorrow...

Segment Synopsis: She would like to be remembered for her relationships. She doesn't have a significant body of work due to her administrative roles and doesn't think she will be remembered for the academic policy or curriculums she wrote. Her legacy will be in the relationships she built and nurtured and how she impacted people. She wants to be remembered by the students she helped. She also has built relationships with faculty and staff-at her going away party for the School of Nursing, one faculty member said that she was very firm but very fair and those remarks have stuck with her as a good legacy to have. She tries to apply policy in a way that is firm but fair.

Keywords: Faculty and staff; Legacy; School of Nursing

Partial Transcript: TR: Karen, is there anything else you want to say?

Segment Synopsis: Troy Reeves asks Karen for any final remarks and then proceeds to conclude the interview.