Anything can happen during Phyllis Pleckham’s day.

“Sometimes you have to hit the ground and start running,” said Pleckham, a secretary in the provost’s office. “And other times, there is not much to do.”

Like many NIU secretaries, Pleckham has to answer dozens of phone calls, take nearly as many messages, make appointments for the provosts and interact with many people.

Pleckham works directly with NIU Provost Ivan Legg and Vice Provost Frederick Schwantes.

“These people are really busy and that makes the job fun,” she said.

Pleckham has been working at NIU for 15 years. She began her NIU career in the College of Education, moved to the history department and now works at the provost’s office.

“This is one other good thing of working at NIU,” Pleckham said. “Secretaries can apply to work in different places within the university.”

Salaries for NIU secretaries range from $24,000 to $38,000 a year, but it’s the benefits that attract some people to the job.

“I wanted an 8 a.m to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday job with good benefits,” said Susan Edwards, a secretary in the communication graduate program. The steady hours and benefits are why she likes to work at NIU.

Edwards also appreciates the people she interacts with. Being a secretary has extra challenges and requires a lot of interaction with other people.

“I enjoy the people that I meet – learning about them, their names, their experiences, their stories,” Edwards said.

NIU is also a place for fun, said Edwards, who has been working at NIU for five years.

“I really like the opportunities of going to lectures, speakers, music, art and theater,” Edwards said.

One thing Edwards does not like about NIU is that she has to pay for parking.

Wendi Bohling, a College of Education secretary, also said the worst thing about her job is the lack of available parking on campus.

“I have to pay for a parking pass,” Bohling said, “and I am not guaranteed a parking space at the building I work in.”

Pleckham said it could be worse. At other universities, parking is a lot more expensive.

Although these three secretaries may not agree on everything, one thing they have in common is the love for their job.