Cynthia (Cyndi) L. Schroeder
Job Title: Records Specialist
Years at UNK: 29
Career Path: Career information assistant, Office of Career Services, Kearney State College, 1990; Library assistant, RICK Office, Calvin T. Ryan Library, University of Nebraska at Kearney, 1991; Clerical assistant and office manager, Office of Admissions, 1992-95; Coordinator of academic support services, Office of Student Records and Registration, 1995-2016; Records specialist, Office of Student Records and Registration, 2016-19.
Family: Husband, Larry; Daughter, Gina Campa, and her husband, Josh; Grandsons Gavin and Easton, ages 6 and 3.
Hobbies/Interests: Sewing, gardening and spending time outdoors and with family. Larry and I enjoy leisure time at our lake cabin boating and fishing. We also like to travel, visiting family and friends, attending car shows and exploring areas of the U.S. we’ve not yet seen.
Three words that describe your personality? I hope those who know me would say friendly, sincere and supportive.
Share something about yourself that few people know? I occasionally like to play keno and buy Nebraska lottery tickets.
What do you like most about your job? I always liked the Registrar’s Office because year-round there is never a dull moment, and we never run out of things to do. It is fun to help students, faculty and staff who depend on us to know the answers.
Biggest change you’ve seen at UNK since you started? The change from Kearney State College to the University of Nebraska at Kearney on July 1, 1991.
Best career advice you received? Who gave it to you? Kimra Schipporeit gave me good advice when she told me to “say what you’re going to do, and then do what you said you were going to do.” Also, when analyzing a situation and figuring out a strategy to resolve the situation, Kimra always asked “does this affect tens, hundreds or thousands?” Looking back, I can honestly say that every boss I ever had gave me good food for thought, as each one had their own positive strengths.
What is your favorite thing about UNK? The people. I not only enjoyed the interaction with the students, faculty and staff in my job, but also when I was an undergrad and graduate student. I love the size of our campus, which I think helped to make a great all-around experience for me.
Where is your favorite place to visit on campus? I’m partial to the Memorial Student Affairs Building because I first remember it as the student union where everyone would go to hang out in between classes. It was a very fun place! The fact that it now houses so many student support offices seems really appropriate to me.
Biggest challenge you faced in your time at UNK? The years 2010 and 2011 were particularly challenging due to the implementation of a new student information system, which included conversion of existing data. During this same time, it was also critical to have a new degree audit system ready for Fall 2011 advising. The challenge was to get a whole lot of work accomplished in a very short time frame with accurate results.
What qualities make someone successful in your position? Persistence is a must. When things don’t go smoothly, take deep breaths, get some sleep and persist.
How do you measure success, in terms of your career? I suppose, first and foremost, success is meeting the goals given to you by your boss. Personally, I feel successful if I’ve worked hard, done my best and accomplished an end result that contributes to overall team success.
Tell me about the time in your life at UNK when you worked the hardest? In 2009-10, I was a member of the Project Team responsible for the Oracle/PeopleSoft student information system implementation and conversion of existing data. In 2010-11, I built program requirements for multiple catalog years for the implementation of the DegreeWorks degree audit system, and I trained faculty/staff on their use of the audit to advise students. This all needed to be done while keeping normal operations going to include Transfer Day activities, NU/Nebraska Community College Articulation Conference activities, and keeping transfer credit and articulation running smoothly.
What is your fondest memory of UNK? Some of the fondest memories are the transfer students I had the pleasure of interacting with through Transfer Days, Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship awards and coordinating multiple transfer student panels. Also, there were several work study students through the years that we got to know so well. There are many students I will never forget. I also have many fond memories through my association with Nebraska Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, where I knew and kept in touch with colleagues across the state. My fondest memories of KSC/UNK are mostly with the people I had the privilege of knowing and working with, many of whom will be good friends long after my retirement.
