Vickie Miller, who has served Goshen College in Human Resources and ITS, will retire this week after 21 years of service.
Miller finished her college degree in 1995, even while raising six-year-old twins, and wanted to go into the Information and Technology field. After seeing an ad for a help desk coordinator position at GC in that same year, she made a phone call, got an interview, and landed the job.Despite a 40 percent pay-cut, Miller took the risk and came to work for Goshen College.
“I can say, almost 21 years later, I made the right decision,” Miller said. “I feel that God led me here, and I’ve always been grateful for that.”
Miller has done a lot in those 21 years. She worked in ITS for the first 14 years, “providing computer hardware and software support for the campus.” But for the last seven she has been the assistant director of human resources.
“I handle employee benefits and help with compensation issues,” Miller said of her HR position. “I also organize HR events such as the Benefits Fair for open enrollment and wellness screenings each year. In addition, I am on the committees for the All-Employee Recognition event and the All-Employee Retreat.”
Miller didn’t expect to stay this long when she applied, but she said, “GC has been such a great place to work that I could not see any reason to look elsewhere.”
Before coming to GC, Miller worked as an executive assistant to a VP at Bayer Corporation in Elkhart. She explains that, in her experience, the difference between the “multinational corporations that treat their employees as assets” and a “liberal arts Christian school that… focus on people and God” could not have been more vast.
“When other people ask me why I like working at GC, I always say that people at Goshen College are not perfect, but they try harder than anyplace else I’ve ever worked,” she said. “The employees here are kind and compassionate and our students are changing the world. There’s always something interesting going on.”
For Miller, 21 years of good memories make it hard to pick a best. “I met so many wonderful people throughout the years, have attended countless interesting convocations and enjoyed fantastic entertainment at the Umble Center and the Music Center,” Miller said of her many experiences at Goshen College.