When Donna Tobias started working in Northwestern’s industrial engineering department 37 years ago, female employees were required to wear dresses or skirts to work.

During her time at NU, that policy has grown to include slacks, suits and even jeans.

Over the past few decades, NU has experienced gradual changes not easily apparent to the student body. But longtime staff members like Tobias have watched mimeographs change to e-mail lists and empty parking lots become massive science complexes.

“When you’ve been at a place for 33 years, everything changes,” said university archivist Patrick Quinn, who came to NU in 1974. “Nothing stays the same.”

Each year, the university recognizes employees for longtime service, from 20 years up to as many as 50.

Since Tobias began working at the McCormick School of Engineering, she has worked in several departments. Beginning in industrial engineering, she subsequently moved from electrical engineering to computer science to the Office for Academic Records. She is now the undergraduate registrar for McCormick, and works with juniors and seniors on their degree audits.

“I like seeing students that have struggled (academically) finally finished, that have reached the goal of finishing,” she said. “I love graduation day.”

Tobias said one reason she has stayed at NU for so many years is the opportunity for face time with students.

“Working in a university setting keeps you young and keeps your mind alert,” she said. “It keeps you going.”

University Archives’ Quinn, a University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus, left his position as Wisconsin’s assistant archivist for a job at NU in 1974. Over the past 33 years Quinn has remained in NU’s archives, turning down jobs at schools such as the University of California at Berkeley.

Like other long-term employees, Quinn said the biggest changes during his tenure have been the rapid construction of new buildings on campus and the impact of modern technology on students’ lives.

“There was a time, believe it or not, when you didn’t see every student with a cell phone glued to their ear,” Quinn said. “You used to see students talking to each other instead of to someone not there.”

Shep Shanley, the senior associate director of the Department of Undergraduate Admission, said in his 36 years in admissions, technology has changed the way students apply to schools, making universities such as NU more accessible.

“More high school seniors know about NU now than was true several decades ago, because more have visited,” he said.

Quinn said that in his years at NU, the essence of the student experience has changed, especially in terms of political participation.

“You would think that there are thousands of students on this campus willing to protest the war in Iraq – that’s not the case,” he said.

He suggested students are wary of becoming overly active in political activities, because they’re concerned about their careers after college.

“People are very nervous now about what they’re going to do once they get their degree. There’s a certain seriousness about people about their GPAs, about their LSATS,” Quinn said.

Shanley said he thought student political participation had shifted into service and engagement, away from more “theatrical” demonstrations, such as protests.

He said today’s NU students “find ways to address the issues that need addressing.”

Community service-based groups illustrate the flourishing service opportunities within the university and surrounding city, he said.

Florence Sales, who has worked at NU for 36 years and is the current graduate secretary for the Department of Psychology, maintains an enormous bulletin board in her office with pictures featuring both her own family and the families of people she has met during her time at NU. Blanketing the board are photos of children and grandchildren of former graduate students, faculty members and other department staff members.

“I try to get to know all of my students, because I consider them to be my babies when they come in,” Sales said.

Although some of the employees who were recognized by NU will soon retire, others said they have no plans of leaving.

Tobias, for one, said she would stay “until it’s not fun anymore.”

Reach Liz Coffin-Karlin at [email protected].