Knowlton Award presented to DSU Human Resources

The Dakota State University Human Resources team has been awarded the 2019-2020 Doug Knowlton Excellence in Quality Award for their work creating an employee onboarding and retention package called “The DSU Experience.”

Since 2017, the annual Knowlton award has been presented to employees who have made outstanding contributions to improve processes and outcomes for all DSU stakeholders. It is named after former DSU president, Doug Knowlton, who was a leader in implementing the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program at Dakota State in 2010.

DSU’s HR department’s mission statement includes a dedication to collaborate with institutional leaders in order to maximize DSU’s greatest asset, their employees.

Angi Kappenman, vice president for Human Resources at DSU said The DSU Experience is born from a desire to ensure all employees feel welcome and a part of DSU. The onboarding and retention program begins with a two-day onboarding to introduce new employees to all features and services they may encounter and experience at DSU, such as what each area is responsible for, or understanding policies and protocols. To evaluate effectiveness, the team has set benchmarks and annual performance targets with retention.

Members of DSU’s Human Resources team includes Kappenman, Alicia Entringer, Jessica Dold, and Kandy Lurz.