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University of Manitoba inspires and connects employees

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This article was published 10/03/2026 (209 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Christel Joyce, no day is the same in her job as a service desk analyst at the University of Manitoba, where she helps students, faculty and staff solve everything from how to connect their computers to the internet to processing exams efficiently so they get results back quickly.

“It’s kind of boring if you’re just stuck in one job or one role,” she says. “It’s nice to take on different roles. I am always busy and excited to come to work.”

Joyce joined Information Services and Technology in 2019 after moving to Winnipeg from Ottawa for her husband’s work. She started as a service desk analyst helping to solve technical issues and since then has added more responsibilities to her work with the encouragement of her managers. She was a longtime local area safety committee member before recently joining a knowledge management team to help implement a new ticketing system to increase efficiency and better manage IT service calls.

“We have a good team here. It would be hard for me to move into a different department because I really like where I am now,” she says.

Naomi Andrew, vice-president, administration, explains that throughout the university, the leadership team’s guidance encourages collaboration and ongoing learning at every level. “Collaboration is essential to our approach,” she says.

This approach can be seen in everything from the development of the university’s new anti-racism strategy to its annual campus beautification day. Each spring, staff and students take time to come together to plant flowers across the campuses. And in December, after collaborating with both students and faculty, the university announced an anti-racism strategy that sets an ambitious goal of combatting institutional racism and moving toward racial justice.

The University of Manitoba is a leading research institution with 9,400 faculty and staff. It has two main campuses, Fort Garry and Bannatyne, in Winnipeg, and satellite campuses across the province.

Just over 21 per cent of the university’s more than 31,000 students are international, representing 122 countries. The campus is also home to more than 3,200 First Nations, Métis and Inuit students. Diversity is equally evident among employees, helping to foster a growing culture of inclusion.

“The university provides the supports and the environment where people can thrive. They can grow and feel supported in both good times and challenging times.” says Andrew. “We know that an exceptional employee experience is the foundation of an exceptional student experience.”

Employees are offered comprehensive benefits that include health and dental, life insurance, a hybrid pension plan, employee and family assistance, tuition reimbursement, and paid time off.

After completing her undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Manitoba, Andrew started her career there as legal counsel in 2003. As she progressed, she took three maternity leaves when her children were born. During that time, she felt supported and encouraged to continue advancing in her career.

“The university is a place where people can come and be themselves and challenge themselves and be supported,” says Andrew.

Joyce experienced that same kind of care when her uncle became seriously ill last September. She was hesitant to ask her manager for a week off knowing that it was during the busiest time of the academic year. But her manager didn’t hesitate to give her the time she needed to travel to the United States to support her family.

“The management treats the staff amazingly,” says Joyce. “I really like that they are so flexible.”