Administrator Spotlight: Liz Robison
Assistant Director, Graduate Tax Program
Tell us the story of how you came to work at NYU Law. Were you always in your current position?
I first worked at NYU shortly after graduating from college. I knew I wanted to live in New York City but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my new bachelor’s degree. When I decided to look for a job at NYU, my plan was to take advantage of tuition remission and campus resources to explore career possibilities. At the time, searching for a job at NYU meant trekking downtown from my apartment to thumb through a binder of job descriptions!
My first interview was at the College of Arts and Science Advising Center with Associate Dean Willie Long and a team of academic advisors. The busy advising center was in need of a front-desk receptionist who could handle the flow of walk-in traffic and who was discerning enough to schedule student advising appointments when needed and to answer student questions when an appointment wasn’t necessary. I accepted the job offer and, within weeks, I had answered so many student questions that I memorized huge chunks of the CAS Bulletin. I also fell in love with working in higher education and found a direction for my career.
The years that followed included a number of positions in graduate student services at Northeastern University, where I earned an M.S. in College Student Development and Counseling in 2003. With the birth of my son that same year, and a move to Chicago for my husband’s job, I took a bit of a hiatus from work.
During that hiatus, which lasted more than sixteen years (!!!), I sometimes joked that I was enjoying an early retirement. At times, it seemed like it would be too much of a hurdle to return to work. Eventually, though, I decided to dip my toes back into higher education. In August 2019, I accepted a position as a faculty assistant supporting the Graduate Tax Program. In 2023, I moved into the position of Assistant Director.
What’s a typical day for you like?
I work very closely with Director John Stephens to advise tax students and to monitor their degree progress, especially those enrolled in our part-time and distance-learning degree programs. I spend a good part of each day answering student questions on topics such as degree requirements, course registration and withdrawal, exam administration, and school policies and procedures. I monitor online course attendance and reach out to distance learners to discuss course progress. Depending on where we are in the year, I might be working with John to update our summer session website, revise advising and orientation materials (we matriculate students in fall and spring), or review transcripts to process graduations. I also meet regularly with John and Faculty Director Brant Hellwig to work on longer term projects such as fall orientation, student social events, and faculty conferences.
In addition to our Graduate Tax Program work, John and I are authorized to approve NYU Law events to issue New York State Continuing Legal Education (CLE). On any given day, I am usually tracking five to ten CLE events in various stages of preapproval or post-event issuance of credit. NYS CLE regulations are fairly strict and it can take a few weeks of emailing and document editing before we are able to approve an event for credit.
What’s the most challenging thing about what you do? And what’s the most rewarding?
In my opinion, the most challenging aspects of a job are usually the most rewarding. I feel lucky to have a job that allows me to have my hand in many areas of higher education: student affairs, academic affairs, faculty affairs, admissions and beyond. I like learning new skills and am always eager to take on new responsibilities. At the same time, my responsibilities can sometimes feel like they are pulling me in multiple directions. It can be challenging to prioritize students and the student experience, but that is my daily goal. Nothing makes me happier than when a student thanks me for helping them solve a problem or traverse a rough patch in their academic journey.
What do you wish you’d known about the Law School on your first day of working here?
I wish I knew how much I would enjoy working with tax attorneys! 🙂
What is your favorite spot on campus, and why?
I love the Murano chandelier in the Vanderbilt Hall lobby and the de Kooning painting in the Law Library, but my favorite place on campus is my little office nook. It’s a tiny converted closet within the Tax Law Library on the 4th floor of Vanderbilt Hall. My nook is small but cozy and I look forward to coming to work every day.