Our September 2024 NUSAC Member Spotlight is Christian Murau, Senior Benefits Financial Analyst
Name: Christian Murau
Title: Senior Benefits Financial Analyst
LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-murau-74a183b3/
Unit and School/College: Office of Human Resources, Benefits
Year Started at Northwestern University: 2022
Year Joined the NUSAC Council: 2024
Why did you join NUSAC? Northwestern is an amazing place to work! I have really enjoyed my two-plus years here. Since the pandemic, and with work-from-home becoming such a big trend, I think it is even more important to have organizations such as NUSAC that work to bring employees together physically through events held on campus or at sporting events. I firmly believe that the more we can bring employees together, the better we are off as a whole.
What is the most important thing your NU staff colleagues should know about NUSAC? NUSAC unites the entire Northwestern University staff together! There are so many departments and schools within Northwestern that having staff members from all over is a great way to bring people together.
What issue are you most passionate about related to improving the NU experience for staff? Taxable tuition imputes. This is a big part of my job as a benefits analyst at Northwestern and I believe it could be made better with improved communication to employees who use the benefit, as well as staff members who are exploring the benefit. This benefit is an amazing part of working at Northwestern but the effect that taking classes can have on your paycheck is often misunderstood. I would like to add some clarity to the process!
What do you most enjoy about your work at Northwestern? The PEOPLE! It is unlike any workplace I have worked in before – fast-paced, accepting, diverse, and smart.
What is a little-known fun fact about you? I have lived in 4 different countries outside of the US – Germany, Japan, China, and Australia.