May 1, 2017
On May 3, 2017 the University of Montana Western will be ending the year with a celebration of its dedicated faculty and staff.
The Years of Service award is given to faculty and staff in five year increments. This year, there are 35 awards to be given out totaling up to 285 years of employment.
Academic Advisor Margo Heberling talked about the event’s origins, “We began doing it 8 to 10 years ago. It’s all about appreciating the employees.”
“The way it started was the provost would send out notices about the faculty when they publish and things like that. We thought, what about the rest of us? We all work hard.”
This ceremony shines a light on all the hard work it takes to keep the University of Montana Western running. “It helps five-year employees see how long and hard many people have been working here, not just sitting in a seat, but bettering the university,” Heberling said.
Heberling’s involvement in organizing the celebration is quite appropriate; she has been working at the university for 22 years in various positions.
“ I spent six years in dining services. Then when Experience One came along, I was an administrative assistant on grants for three years, and I’ve been advising ever since.”
Heberling said the event is often one of the most popular of the year, “It’s a nice end-of-the-year celebration. Dining services have developed an awesome menu, and this is the one function a year that allows us to have beer and wine, so a lot of people decide to come.”
Nothing can replace the years of experience the long-time faculty and staff of Montana Western possess. Their history with Experience One makes their knowledge especially unique and invaluable.
The Years of Service Awards are a great way to celebrate the deep roots that keep Montana Western growing strong.
