Familiar face moves to SSC

Nov. 4, 2004
By Melisa Abbott
Staff Writer

Nov. 2, Ahlers followed the yellow brick road from her office in the Information Technology Department in Cosgrove Hall to the Student Success Center on the second floor of Ambrose Hall. There, Ahlers will take over for long time administrator Vanessa Trice.

Brandi Ahlers came to work at St. Ambrose University with a background in finance, but somehow she ended up in the Information Technology department.

“I worked at Wells Fargo Bank for eight and a half years. The director that was here at that time was looking for someone with a financial background because of the budget stuff we do in this department.”

Six and a half years later, Ahlers has a family, a full time job and is a part-time student here at St. Ambrose, but due to the stressful environment that the IT department holds, Ahlers thinks that it’s time for a change.

“For one, I’m kind-of burnt out here; I’m thinking that in the technology field that happens fast. Faster than it would in a normal job.” Ahlers said. “I’m looking for more satisfaction and I think that being able to help people more than I can right now is more of a reason why.”

“[At the Student Success Center] I’ll be dealing mostly with students, where as now I’m dealing with mostly faculty and staff so I think the atmosphere will be different,” Ahlers said.

It will be a new experience for Ahlers, but she hopes that with the help of the current student tutors she’ll quickly learn the ropes.

“I will feel out of the loop.” Ahlers said “I think that goes with any job where you feel like you know the job pretty well, and you move to a job where you don’t know as much. But I know there’s great people up there who have offered to help.”

Filling the shoes of success center veteran Trice, Ahlers is optimistic about bringing her own flavor to the Student Success Center.

“I don’t really know how it runs. I’ve never visited up there being a student myself,” Ahlers said. “I hope I can bring some things to the table.”

Ahlers won’t completely leave the Information Technology on Nov. 2. She will be part-time in both departments for two weeks and will begin full-time in the SSC on Nov. 17.

Ahlers isn’t planning on another move anytime soon.

“I’m also getting my degree in either sociology or psychology,” Ahlers said. “I only take one class a semester just because I’ve got family at home and a full time job. I really don’t have any intentions of leaving.”

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