Colleague Connection: Andrew Ludington
This month’s Colleague Connection features Andrew Ludington, senior director of the Enterprise Systems team in Administrative Systems. He walks us through his role, the depth of his team’s impact, and how structural changes in Administrative Systems are increasing our capacity to support the University community. Andrew also shares some exciting personal news and an invitation!
Could you tell us about your role and how it fits into recent structural changes in Administrative Services?
I lead and support the enterprise systems analysts in Administrative Systems. As a team, we work with our business partners to deliver a highly functional, secure business experience while remaining compliant with federal and state regulations. Aligning our capacity to the most valuable projects is always a fascinating challenge.
The move to consolidate two teams (Enterprise Systems Alumni and Financials and Enterprise Systems Human Resources and Student) into one team (Enterprise Systems) reflects a deeper shift in how we work. The small teams [previously] dedicated solely to a single line of business are branching out and learning more about the other functions we support. We’re growing into a more interconnected team capable of supporting the complex, interconnected processes of our business partners.
In my role, I’m all ears, trying to connect the dots between weak spots in our business and assemble cross-functional teams who will generate durable solutions."
Senior Director, Enterprise Systems
Administrative Systems
Which business units across the University do your teams support?
All of them? I say that tongue in cheek, but honestly, there probably isn’t a person at Northwestern who doesn’t use at least one of the administrative systems. And we’re by no means alone in that. That’s the weird and wonderful economy of IT. A relatively small number of people support a very large number of users to do their jobs.
Directly, however, we work with Alumni Relations and Development, Budget and Finance, Facilities, Human Resources, Research Administration, and Student Systems.
Could you tell us about your career journey? What’s surprised you most along the way?
I started at Northwestern in 1994, working for the Bursar’s Office. However, it was a short stay, and I left within the year to work for a small magazine called the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist. Because the staff at the magazine was so small, I had the opportunity to wear many hats. I ran the subscription list, selected print vendors, learned to program Unix and Java, managed clerical staff, and organized events.
When I returned to Northwestern a few years later, it was with a new skill set. I was hired as a web developer for what was then called the Office for Research and Sponsored Programs and spent the next few years learning about that business and how technology could support it. As time went on, I found that I was better (much better) at translating needs into code than I ever was at writing code and made the shift from development to analysis to management across several roles. When an opportunity opened up in Northwestern IT, I jumped at it!
What surprised me most? I suppose how intentional it might look in retrospect when, in fact, I was mostly following opportunities that provided the greatest interest and learning. I really think those two things, combined with the quality of your relationships at work, contribute more than anything else to job satisfaction.
How do you spend your time outside of work? Do you have any exciting personal projects going?
As a matter of fact, I do! On March 18, my first novel, SPLINTER EFFECT, will be released by Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press. It’s the first in a series following the adventures of Rabbit Ward, a time-traveling archaeologist. On March 20, at 5:15 p.m., I’m hosting a book launch party at Bat 17 in association with Squeezebox Books. Northwestern alum and mystery novelist Susanna Calkins will join me in a conversation about books and general merriment. I’d love to see you all there!
Do you have a favorite spot on campus?
I’m a sucker for Deering Library. I remember when I first started, and a colleague introduced me to the listening library. I was floored!