Author: MSU Human Resources

Job of the Week: College of Veterinary Medicine Clerical Aide

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This week’s featured job is a temporary or on-call Clerical Aide position with the Admissions, Student Life, and Inclusivity (ASI) office in the College of Veterinary Medicine (job posting 911226). The College of Veterinary includes three biomedical science departments—microbiology and molecular genetics, pathobiology and diagnostic investigation, and pharmacology and toxicology; two clinical departments—large-animal clinical sciences and small-animal clinical sciences; two service units—the Veterinary Medical Center and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and several research centers.

In this position, you will serve the ASI office by supporting programs, activities, and initiatives while also providing primary support for student clubs, corporate representatives, and managing CampusGroups (a campus community platform). You will also assist in coordinating events like Transition and White Coat Ceremonies, Student Awards, Commencement, Orientations, Career Fairs, and various wellness events. 

Administrative support will include creating meetings, Qualtrics surveys, and disseminating information to faculty, staff, and students. You will collect and report on events and projects using data compiled after each event and project. Being able to draft, edit, and send correspondence, write concisely and grammatically correct, as well as respond clearly and efficiently to emails, is required. 

The Clerical Aide should have experience working in student affairs, higher education, or a related field. This on-call position will require you to be in-person Monday-Friday from 8-5.
To learn more, visit the College of Veterinary Medicine website. To apply for the position, please submit your resume and three professional references to the MSU Careers website.

Job of the Week: Senior Engagement Center Manager

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This week’s featured job is for a Senior Engagement Center Manager for the Neighborhood Engagement Centers in the Office of Undergraduate Education (job posting 909362). The Office of Undergraduate Education oversees undergraduate academic policies and facilitates institution-wide initiatives focused on enhancing undergraduate learning. The Neighborhood Engagement Centers provide services with partners from around campus to support student success outcomes for the institution and students. 

This position will serve the Office of Undergraduate Education by providing leadership for the Neighborhood Engagement Centers and staff, developing new and dynamic mechanisms or platforms for annual reporting of data and representing the unit in regular, strategic meetings. You will also hire, supervise, and evaluate staff and provide pertinent information to the Assistant Dean for Student Success Initiatives. 

You will also be interacting with colleagues from other programs to coordinate student support, neighborhood staff partners to coordinate planning and families to educate about Neighborhood goals.

The Senior Engagement Center Manager should have a Master’s degree in social work, student affairs or a related field. You should also have three to five years of related work along with experience in developing student success initiatives, using online tools for assessment and a demonstrated ability to work with students and colleagues of diverse backgrounds.
To learn more, visit the Neighborhood Student Success Center website and the Office of Undergraduate Education. To apply for the position, please submit your resume, a cover letter and three letters of reference to the MSU Careers website.

Recalibrating Employee Recognition in Higher Education

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This article was originally written by Sharri Margraves, EdD, SHRM-SCP, Director of Organization and Professional Development, and published in the CUPA-HR (College and University Professional Association for Human Resources) Magazine, Higher Ed HR Magazine in September 2023.

Few would debate that recognizing employees is a cornerstone of positive management practices and an essential element of engagement and retention. During the pandemic, we were reminded just how important our employees are to the fabric of what we do and how we deliver our services, yet these same employees often go unnoticed or without recognition. While academic colleagues have a long tradition of acknowledging performance through well-established honors, prizes and awards, other departments and campus units can increase their recognition efforts.

Several studies have repeatedly pointed to the critical role of recognition in employee engagement and retention. The CUPA-HR 2023 Higher Education Employee Retention Survey indicates that only 53% of respondents received recognition in the form of a pay increase, and only 59% received regular verbal recognition for their work. If employers considered institutional or professional recognition as a “nice to have” before the pandemic, there should be no doubt about the indispensability of recognition in today’s workplace.

Recognition can be uneven between units, colleges, and institutions. Generational differences can also cause anxiety, with leaders wondering how to recognize their staff and teams without being mocked on social media. Outreach to Generation Z and millennials is critical, however, as a Society for Human Resource Management 2019 survey indicated that 76% of Gen Z and millennial employees believe that they are “seldom to never” eligible to receive employee rewards. Meanwhile, a 2022 Gallup-Workhuman study found that 81% of leaders say “recognition is not a major strategic priority” and 73% of leaders report that their organization “does not offer managers or leaders best-practices training for employee recognition.”

In 2022-23, I conducted a program review of the staff recognition programs at the 65 institutions associated with the American Research Universities-Human Resources Institute (ARU-HRI). I also conducted a group survey to get additional information on these universities’ perspectives. With 60% responding to the survey, here are the takeaways that may help you consider changes to your institution’s recognition programs.

A Review of Recognition Programs

Legacy Programs. Formal recognition programs at the institutional level are often legacy programs established decades ago. These typically honor a former employee or benefactor or are designated as the chancellor’s or president’s award. Most legacy programs are anchored to institutional values and reward employees who go “above and beyond” regarding customer service and care.

Almost every ARU-HRI institution I reviewed had a program that honored just a select few employees. This can mean less than a one percent chance of an employee being selected for an award in a large institution. Those with solid programs had a formal ceremony with the chancellor, senior administrator or another designee presiding over the events. A few institutions also formally acknowledged all nominees. Even if they didn’t win, their contributions were recognized formally by the senior leader.  

Team Awards Tied to Strategic Initiatives. Approximately 48% of the survey respondents indicated that they have established new programs in the past five years. More recently established awards were often designated specifically to help drive strategic initiatives such as innovation or process improvement. When asked about their recognition program priorities, survey respondents said their second highest priority was creating or strengthening their recognition efforts tied to strategic goals (with inclusion-based recognition being the highest priority).  

Often these awards are team-based, and some require cross-departmental collaboration. The University of Michigan has a bi-annual program that showcases the work via a poster session, and a team of both academics and staff selects the winners. Awards of this type can be inspiring because the work of these individuals and teams becomes “seen”. Staff contributions are often appreciated in the general sense but undervalued with the actual impact and outcomes that help propel institutions forward.

Peer-to-Peer and On-the-Spot Recognition. During the pandemic, several institutions started peer-to-peer programs to allow the appreciation of colleagues to be recognized. Many use vendor support and can include simple cards and notes, and most were designed to be quick and “on the spot.” Some, but not all, also notify the immediate supervisor. At the University of Washington, these informal recognition notes are entered into drawings for additional appreciation with swag bags or other de minimis gifts.

Service Awards. Another aspect of this evaluation was a review of service awards for longevity at the institutional level. Many long-standing programs started decades ago when the workforce was relatively stable and stationary. These could be updated to reflect more recent trends, with awards for service starting earlier. In the cohort of 65 institutions studied, 57% started formal recognition at year five, with 22% not starting service recognition until year 15 or higher.

Designing a Successful Recognition Program: Key Considerations

The pandemic, followed by the “great resignation,” has impacted all aspects of our work. Yet most of us continue churning out the same recognition programs — many decades old — often without questioning their value, validating their impact or reviewing for bias. Here are some crucial factors to consider when evaluating and updating your recognition program.  

Culture. Creating a culture of recognition starts with senior leadership and moves down and across the institution. When onboarding leaders at all levels, include specific points about recognition and provide toolkits and support for unit-level recognition. The University of Iowa includes recognition as part of their required training of all leaders across the institution. Combining awareness with concrete tools makes it easier for supervisors and co-workers to do the right thing.

Inclusion. Most of the institutions surveyed recognized the need to review their programs or establish new ones with a focus on being more inclusive when creating awards and selecting recipients. This includes providing training for selection committees about bias awareness when reviewing awardees’ nomination forms and letters. As the top priority among all institutions surveyed, nearly 60% indicated that creating or strengthening inclusion efforts related to recognition is a priority. 

Access and Awareness. The most successful programs have made it easier for employees to be nominated and reviewed with standardized forms; templates for cards, letters and certificates; and links to the appropriate policy or business manual. All institutions had groups conducting the reviews, making selections, and consolidating the different awards in one website, which helps convey the breadth of recognition and creates a positive, forward-facing impression. It makes it easier for employees and potential employees to understand how the organization values staff recognition.

Sharing staff recognition widely throughout the institution in various local media, social media and unit-level channels contributes to awareness. Some institutions focus on a traditional recognition week with both casual appreciation events and formal award ceremonies. At the University at Buffalo-SUNY, new supervisors are trained to write thank-you notes as part of their onboarding. Such high-touch actions are just as vital as the grand awards.

Eligibility. Are your formal programs available to all employee groups? Progressive institutions recognize part-time and contract employees as part of the campus fabric and acknowledge their work. Very few institutions have formal programs to recognize temporary or contract staff, even though they play a significant part of the workforce at our institutions. The University of South Carolina has codified by policy that temporary staff are eligible for recognition awards.

Non-Traditional Recognition. Forward-thinking organizations are aligning recognition of good work by creating a culture where the organization notes achievements broadly. Historically, the main form of recognition was only intradepartmental, with individual supervisors acknowledging and recognizing their immediate staff. One might consider opportunities to present effective, recognition-worthy programs to senior leaders or encourage employees to submit presentation proposals for conferences and then support the travel cost for those who present programs and results. Such accomplishments should be shared widely in newsletters and other media.

Team Recognition. Most institutions value collaboration and breaking down the “silos” between units. Showcase the work accomplishments of teams, inter- or intra-departmentally and between different work groups. More often, these are the newer awards an institution might implement to incentivize innovation and process improvement. One word of caution: Often, one group or another can dominate team lead improvements — think information technology and project managers — so think of ways to increase the visibility of contributions from other subject matter experts. Establish a protocol to include up-and-coming interested employees to participate in different team-based problem-solving.

Audit Your Programs

Consider the benefits of auditing institutional and unit-level recognition programs with the chart below. Being mindful of both the program’s current status and the changes you would like to see can help improve the benefits of recognition programs for employees. A cross-section of employees, administrators, and others can review and make improvement recommendations along with recommended priorities. Download a Self Audit of your Institutional Recognition Programs to rate your current status.

About the author: Sharri Margraves, EdD, SHRM-SCP, is the executive director of organization and professional development for Michigan State University’s HR department.

Job of the Week: Communications Assistant/Graphic Artist

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This week’s featured job is a design-focused Communications Assistant for the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities(RCAH) (job posting 906687). The RCAH is a student-centered college that mobilizes the arts and humanities through a wide range of programming to create collaborative, community engaged methods for addressing the complex societal problems facing our local and global communities and to reimagine and build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. 

This position will serve the RCAH by designing marketing and communications materials to support student recruitment, academic programming and initiatives, development and alumni goals, RCAH-sponsored events and programming, and awareness and engagement among target audiences. You will also coordinate social media strategy by creating themes, schedules, content, and posts. 

You should be able  to perform professional-level photography, videography and digital editing for projects and events. You will also assist with the design of the RCAH website and email messages..

 This position is open to anyone from entry-level or recent workforce members to seasoned professionals. The ideal candidate will possess a collection of work that demonstrates artistry and solid graphic design chops, along with a talent for photography/video and editing. A desire to work with a forward thinking, social justice-minded group of colleagues at RCAH and MSU is a definite plus.

To learn more, visit the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities website. To apply for this position, please submit a resume, cover letter, and portfolio of your work to the MSU Careers website. 

Job of the Week: Esports Production and Content Coordinator

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This week’s featured job is for an Esports Production & Content Coordinator for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences (job posting 906596). The College of Communication Arts and Sciences offers world-class training to students through active engagement in translational research that influences health, environment, media, technology, business and public affairs across the nation and around the world. 

Esports at MSU is growing fast, with a solid foundation that includes a student-led Esports Club with nearly 1,500 students. MSU is launching university-supported varsity teams in Rocket League, Valorant, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This position will serve the College of Communication Arts and Sciences by developing and implementing a comprehensive esports broadcasting program that includes live streams, pre-recorded media, and social media content. You will coordinate the scheduling and broadcast of all esports events and tournaments along with managing broadcast equipment and ensuring all hardware and software are up-to-date and functioning properly.

The department is looking for a candidate with knowledge equivalent to that which would normally be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Graphic Arts or a business related field. You should have at least three to five years of expansive work experience in publications production, advertising, public and media relations, writing, or editing; familiarity with computer applications relating to word processing, phototypesetting, design, and page layout; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

To learn more, visit the College of Communication Arts and Sciences website. To apply for the position, please submit a resume and cover letter to the MSU Careers website by October 31. 

Person holding a sign that says, "Hello my pronouns are..."

Happy International Pronouns Day!

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This article was written in partnership with the EVPA Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Today is International Pronouns Day! Using correct pronouns respects each other’s identity and fosters inclusivity. Pronouns are used every day to communicate with one another in and out of the workplace, and often they are assigned based on pre-conceived biases and perceptions. By educating about personal pronouns, we promote understanding and celebrate everyone’s intersecting identities.

What is International Pronouns Day? 

International Pronouns Day seeks to make respecting, sharing and educating about personal pronouns commonplace. This day raises the MSU community’s awareness to be gender inclusive and reminds us of the basic human dignity of appreciating and celebrating everyone’s multiple, intersecting identities. As we explore the significance of this day, learn about how MSU is implementing changes to promote gender inclusivity to create a beneficial environment for all. For more information, you can visit https://pronounsday.org. 

How can I contribute to a gender-inclusive environment? 

  • Speak and write in a way that does not discriminate against a particular sex, social gender, or gender identity and does not perpetuate gender stereotypes 
  • Share your pronouns when introducing yourself to people or during meetings 
  • Don’t make assumptions; ask people to share their pronouns 
  • Always use the pronouns that a person asks you to use 
  • Include your pronouns in your email signature or other digital communications 
  • Complete the Quest: Building Capacity for LGBTQA+ Inclusion online education program 

What events are being held across campus? 

What action is the university taking to advance gender inclusion? 

  • MSU IT announced this summer the roll-out of Microsoft Spartan 365 pronoun options as part of Michigan State University’s ongoing commitment to creating a more inclusive campus community. With these changes, you will now have the option to customize and display your pronouns in your Spartan 365 profile to appear in Outlook and Teams. Learn more. 
  • At MSU, we are committed to ensuring your identity is accurately represented and respected throughout our campus community while maintaining privacy. Additionally, there’s work underway with the Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, along with the Office of the Executive Vice President for Administration to advance the name, gender, pronoun data policy recommendations across our information technology systems. We are collaborating with the project management office and system owners to create an implementation road map to advance the policy requirements across enterprise data systems. 
  • In the interim, MSU encourages all employees to indicate their gender pronouns, if desired, on email signatures and other written communication.  

Are there resources to explore this further? 

We look forward to continuing our work – together – to foster a culture that C.A.R.E.S (communication, appreciation, respect, empathy, and sensitivity). 

Job of the Week: Reuse and Recycling Special Equipment Mechanic

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This week’s featured job is for a Reuse and Recycling Special Equipment Mechanic for the MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center in the Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF) unit (job posting 904592). IPF builds, maintains and beautifies MSU’s physical campus environment in support of the university’s education, research and outreach missions. The MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center manages MSU’s waste as a resource through an integrated system of reuse, recycling, collaboration, and education.

This position will serve IPF by adjusting, servicing, maintaining, and rebuilding special complex automotive and heavy-duty equipment, including the most complex repairs and maintenance. You will work with front-load waste and recycling trucks, roll-off trucks, box trucks, dump trucks, loaders, fork-lifts, balers, compactors, and containers.. You will also order and stock parts/supplies, track inventory and conduct preventative maintenance training. 

The duties of this job will require frequent lifting of 50-75 pounds, pushing, pulling, and climbing. Along with the physical demands of the job, you will need eight years of experience in the trade, including two years as State-certified Special Vehicle and Equipment Mechanic I or equivalent. You must also possess State of Michigan certification as a Master Mechanic in Automotive, Heavy and Light Duty Trucks. 

To learn more, visit the Infrastructure Planning and Facilities website and the MSU Surplus Store and Recycling Center website. To apply for the position, please submit a current resume detailing relevant experience and licenses to the MSU Careers Website by October 24. 

Happy World Mental Health Day!

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October 10 is World Mental Health Day. While mental health is one of the cornerstones of health and well-being, it can often fall off the list of priorities at work. The World Health Organization has established the theme of “our minds, our rights” to promote mental health as a basic human right.  

Good mental health is vital to our overall health and well-being. Yet one in eight people globally are living with mental health conditions, which can impact their physical health, their well-being, how they connect with others, and their livelihoods. Mental health conditions are also affecting an increasing number of adolescents and young people.   

Work should never be a reason to neglect your mental health, however, a busy schedule may make resources seem inaccessible. In honor of World Mental Health Day, here are some resources you can use at MSU and in your personal life.  

MSU Resources: 

Teladoc: MSU faculty/staff and their dependents who are currently enrolled in an MSU health plan have access to Teladoc – an online medical care service that gives you 24/7 access to a healthcare professional via web, phone, or mobile app in minutes. Teladoc’s services extend to behavioral health (anxiety, depression, grief counseling, etc.). 

University Health and Wellbeing: MSU employees have access to an Employee Assistance Program which provides confidential counseling at no cost. To best fit with your work schedule, MSU offers both Zoom and in-person appointments.  

Health4U: Health4U focuses on all aspects of health with resources, support groups and educational courses. They offer a variety of resources dealing with mindfulness, psychological flexibility and more.  

Local Resources: 

24-Hour Crisis Services (Walk-In and Mobile):  The City of East Lansing provides walk-in or mobile crisis counseling and mental-health assistance around the clock. 

Online Mental Health Screening: Ingham County Health Department offers free and anonymous behavioral health screening, linking resources connected to your results. 

Sparrow Behavioral Health Services: Sparrow Hospital offers psychiatric and behavioral health services including holistic care in an external environment and art, music and yoga therapy.  

Your mental health matters and MSU resources and benefits are available to get you—or keep you—on the path to a healthy body and healthy mind. 

Job of the Week: Academic Department Advisor

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This week’s featured job is for an Academic Department Advisor to join the Department of Accounting and Information Systems in the Broad College of Business (job posting 90317). The Broad College of Business develops global business leaders who positively impact organizations and society. The Department of Accounting and Information Systems degree programs consistently rank among the top in the nation. In this position, you will play an integral role in supporting our distinguished academic programs, faculty, staff, and students.  

This job may be a good fit if you are highly collaborative, extremely responsive, detail-oriented, and technologically savvy. You will oversee the operations of the unit, manage fiscal planning and procedures, and act as the unit’s fiscal officer. Other duties include serving as office manager and supervisor to support staff, facilitating human resources activities, and overseeing academic program management.

The department is looking for a candidate with knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a bachelor’s degree in a business-related field. You should have at least three to five years of related experience in office administration and experience in a supervisory role. Experience with MSU policies and procedures, including academic and non-academic hiring policies and procedures and budget processes, is desired but not required to apply.

To learn more about the college and department, visit the Broad College of Business website and the Department of Accounting and Information Systems website.. To apply for the position, please submit a cover letter and resume to the MSU Careers Website by October 17. 

Job of the Week: Deputy Secretary of Academic Governance

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This week’s featured job is for a Deputy Secretary for Academic Governance for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs (posting 897202). The Office for Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs focuses on advancing institutional culture and supporting faculty goals while promoting MSU’s overall mission.

This position will serve Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs by preparing and distributing agendas for university-level committees, proofreading and formatting office communications and scheduling meetings with the Secretary for Academic Governance and university leaders. The future Deputy Secretary for Academic Governance will also assist the Secretary for Academic Governance in administering the nominations and elections of faculty to various university-level committees and assist faculty in navigating the academic governance process.

Additional responsibilities may include student employment recruitment, training and supervision, presenting to faculty and staff on current policies, and serving as backup to other administrative staff. 

The Deputy Secretary for Academic Governance is self-motivated, highly organized, and capable of managing and prioritizing multiple tasks without supervision. They should have a bachelor’s degree or a technical degree. The ideal candidate would also have three to five years of project management experience along with proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel.

To learn more about Faculty and Academic Staff Affairs, visit their website. To apply for the position, please submit three professional references, a resume and a professional writing sample on the MSU Careers Website by October 10.