Paths cross
While the paths to their careers at Illinois varied, the three share a common affection: working with students.
Herzog recalled when a group of 2015 Illinois graduates came back for HackIllinois—some were founding members—and they took the time to stop in and see him. “I like that we have that connection that lasts,” Herzog said.
Kudaligama and MacGregor agreed, though they find that with the school’s growth and shifts in their duties, they have less time to really get to know the students.
“That part of my job has diminished,” Kudaligama said. “When I speak with students now, I speak with them mostly because there is a problem,” though she’ll take any opportunity she can get. “It’s still the best part of my work.”
MacGregor holds on to the relationships she formed when the student population was smaller, and she could really get to know her students. “I have one in particular—we have a set up phone call once a month. I still mentor him occasionally on life,” she said. MacGregor attended his wedding and gets pictures of his son. “To be a part of personal things, it’s nice.”
The number of admitted students was something echoed by each when asked about changes they’ve seen.
Herzog started shortly after the dot-com bubble burst, and there were around 600 undergraduate students. “Now, with CS and CS+X, we have 2700 undergraduate students,” Herzog said. On the graduate side, Kudaligama said that early in her career, the department admitted about 300 PhD students. That number has doubled. “Admissions cycles have blown up,” she said.
Stories that surprise
Having amassed a collective four-decade history at the school, they have some surprising stories.
For Kudaligama, that was during Covid, when she was in a Zoom call with one of her senior PhD students whom she had known for over eight years and had just discovered his “menagerie of origami.” Kudaligama said, “I didn’t know that apparently CS theory is translated into how origami works somehow.” Learning a new fact and facet of one of her students always reminds her of how people can surprise her.
For MacGregor, though rare, there are some students that she would like to forget.
One of MacGregor’s students had engaged in activities that had him on an International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) watchlist, and she found herself in the unenviable position of saying “no” when he was doing things he shouldn’t. MacGregor says, “He decided I was the bane of his existence.” So much so that the FBI interviewed MacGregor.
Things didn’t cool down after the student finished his program and left campus. “Even after he graduated,” MacGregor said, “like two years later, I got a call from the FBI, ‘Hey, by the way, he’s mentioning your name again.’ Out of thin air.”
Bicycling, laughing, and tap dancing
Years of hard work and change can also cause stress. The three have unique methods for coping.
Herzog finds that getting out on the open road is the best medicine. “I ride my bike. For 20 years, just about every day, I ride my bike to and from work.”
MacGregor has several outlets, including family, church, reading, and riding horses. She also has a philosophy that has served her well: “You just gotta have a sense of humor to get through it, and some days are gonna suck, and that’s true for everyone.”
Kudilagama relies on her support network, her husband, and reading things unrelated to work. She has also been an avid tap dancer for several years.
“I’m not good, but I love it,” she said.
For more information and photos from the event, visit the Illinois Human Resources Anniversary Awards page.