Rate My Professor Trish Gudeman

Patricia “Trish” Gudeman serves as Administrative Aide in the Department of History at Illinois State University, having recently transitioned from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Her tenure at the university spans over ten years, beginning in the Student Accounts Office as an office support specialist. After two years in that role, she joined the Sociology and Anthropology department, where she provided administrative support to faculty and staff while fostering a positive work environment for coworkers. Gudeman's office is located in Schroeder Hall 301c, with hours from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. She can be contacted at (309) 438-5689.

Gudeman has been honored with prestigious awards recognizing her exemplary service. In 2023, she received the Civil Service Distinguished Service Award, the highest non-faculty honor presented to Civil Service staff by the university. Previously, in 2020, she earned the Scott M. Elliott Award for Outstanding Civil Service Staff. A committed union advocate, Gudeman is a full-time member of AFSCME Local 3236 clerical unit, where she has held positions on the executive board as secretary and membership chair, served on bargaining teams, and acted as a delegate to the Bloomington and Normal Trades and Labor Assembly. She has spoken at multiple Illinois State University Board of Trustees meetings advocating for clerical staff wages and conditions. Additionally, Gudeman contributes significantly to departmental outreach as the author of numerous articles on the Illinois State University News site, covering research series, student achievements, faculty talks, events such as tattooing research presentations, anarchist history discussions, museum studies exhibits, and anthropology discoveries like the Lake Mendota dugout canoes. She also edits the department newsletter Signs and Symbols, featuring alumni updates, awards, and news.