Cari Mathwig Ramseier began at Viterbo in 2014 and became the director of instructional support services in 2019. In March of this year she was tasked with preparing faculty for the transition to online instruction in two short weeks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her very successful efforts resulted in her being named Employee of the Year.

Q. How did you manage to get everything and everyone ready for online classes in that short amount of time?

A. Fortunately, Viterbo has a good infrastructure of support for faculty and teaching online, including helpdesk/course help, email support, tutorials, videos, and self-paced courses. We also have the tools in place, including Moodle, Ensemble, Zoom, and Office 365 tools. We reframed and utilized the already-available resources and tools to help faculty transition to remote instruction.

Q. You began your professional career as an English teacher. Why did you transition to instructional support services?

A. I discovered I had a knack for helping other teachers use the newer technologies available in ways they hadn’t imagined. I went to graduate school for instructional design and technology and found that I loved to problem-solve, as well as the planning and consistency required in instructional design. Instructional support services is more recent, as it reflects the services that our team provides: instructional design, Moodle administration, and instructional technology support.

Q. What brought you to Viterbo six years ago and what do you like about working at the university?

A. I was looking for a good fit in my career, and Viterbo was offering an instructional design position. During my interview, I was drawn to the focus on the mission and values of the university, and I still love that about the people and environment I work in now.

Q. You completed the RAGBRAI (the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), an annual seven-day bicycle ride across the state, in 2017 and 2018. Why did you want to do it and how was the experience?

A. A friend of mine did it the year before I did, and we had been working out together for many years. Having worked and lived in Iowa, I also knew it would be a great way to enjoy the state again. I have found that I really enjoy visiting the small towns and meeting people along the way. I thought that the large numbers of riders would be distracting, but really, everyone was so nice, the food was incredible, and it was an overall great experience (and I can’t wait for the opportunity to do it again!).

Q. What else do you do for fun?

A. Walking/hiking, yoga, and of course—cycling. My son plays baseball (usually) during the summer, so our summer activities tend to center around that. I have to say that enjoying an afternoon watching baseball is rather fun. Our family enjoys camping, but we only get out a couple times a year, so it’s difficult to call it a hobby.

Q. How did it feel to be named Employee of the Year?

A. I have no words for this. I truly believe “it takes a village,” so the work I do is because I have supportive colleagues. However, that being said, it’s nice that the work is recognized.