Office of Human Resources

Annual Recognition Awards for 2010-2011

Three faculty members, Heather Golly, Paul Lepp and Lynne Rumney, and two staff members, Shanette "Shan" Haarsager and Jonelle Watson, received MSU Board of Regents Achievement Awards during the MSU annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon.

Faculty Achievement Awards
This program was established in 1985 by the Burlington Northern Foundation. In 1990 the Board of Regents established a second award and now solely supports the awards to recognize outstanding university teaching. The intent of the award is to recognize, reward, and motivate excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Teaching — Heather Golly joined the Minot State University Department of Teacher Education and Human Performance in 2002. Golly teaches human performance courses to students in athletic training, corporate fitness and physical education programs. She brings knowledge and passion as a certified athletic trainer and certified strength and conditioning specialist into the classroom to provide life-like learning situations for students. She believes students learn best when they are engaged in the material and apply their newly acquired knowledge in practical situations. Golly developed an athletic training education program curriculum and a sports medicine concentration and helped design the Swain Hall sports medicine center and exercise science laboratory.

She has served on numerous campus committees and currently serves on the Minot State NCAA Academic Advisory Council and as the faculty chair for the Organization of Student Athletic Trainers. Former Gov. John Hoeven appointed her to the North Dakota Board of Athletic Trainers. Golly completed a bachelor’s degree in physical education and corporate fitness at Minot State University and a master’s degree in exercise science at Ohio State University, Columbus. She graduates this May from North Dakota State University with her doctorate in adult education.

Scholarship — Paul Lepp, an MSU biology faculty member since 2005, does research tightly linked to teaching and learning through the intimate involvement of students in his cutting-edge studies. He currently teaches microbiology, evolution and ecology. He is also director of the bioinformatics program. He possesses an impressive publication record, with his publications often cited in other peer-reviewed publications.

Lepp received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn., in 1990. In 1997, he earned his doctorate from Michigan State University in East Lansing in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and the Center for Microbial Ecology. From 1997 to 2004, Lepp was a postdoctoral fellow and a research associate at Stanford University School of Medicine, Calif., in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. There, he worked on the microbial diversity associated with periodontitis funded by Procter & Gamble.

Service — Lynne Rumney, director of the MSU Honors Program, holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Princeton University, N.J., and a master’s degree in music performance from the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y. Under her watch, the Honors Program has tripled in size and expanded and updated its curriculum, staffing, structure and setting. Rumney particularly enjoys teaching honors literature classes and serving as an academic advisor; she has also taught humanities and English composition classes.

Rumney was the co-founder and administrative director for MSU’s Dakota Chamber Music festival from 1996 to 2005, during which she also maintained a violin/viola teaching studio and taught at the International Music Camp. She served in leadership positions with multiple regional orchestras, including the Minot Symphony, Bismarck Symphony and Western Plains Opera Orchestra. She enjoys performing solo and chamber music recitals with her colleagues, including her husband, Jon Rumney, professor of music. She is the proud mother of a 10-year-old daughter.

Rumney values opportunities for vision and planning-related efforts, and she served on many committees related to service learning, Vision 2013, the Foundations of Excellence project and Higher Learning Commission accreditation. Rumney co-edited the 2008 Institutional Self-Study Report. She currently serves on Faculty Senate. Rumney is deeply grateful to MSU faculty, staff and students for their fantastic support during her recent successful battle with breast cancer.

Staff Achievement Awards
The Board of Regents Staff Achievement Award was established in 1991. The Board of Regents established the award to recognize university staff members for outstanding service to the University and the community.

Shanette "Shan" Haarsager, a Sherwood native, takes MSU’s mission statement to heart. She always puts students first, working to provide positive experiences for them. She is efficient and goes beyond her job description in helping whenever she can.

Haarsager possesses a long working history in the educational community. After graduating cum laude from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in business education, she taught business in Max for three years and music in Sherwood four years. She was appointed and subsequently elected Renville County school superintendent for seven years until the position was dissolved. Haarsager then worked at Madsen Law Office for 10 years until coming to MSU as the administrative assistant to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2005. She served on the Mohall Happy Day Preschool, Mohall Public School and Mohall Lansford Sherwood Public School boards. Haarsager chaired the North Central Education Cooperative for two years and served one year as president of the North Dakota County Superintendents Association.

Haarsager is a member of the Mohall Study Club and St. Jerome’s Catholic Church, where she taught catechism classes for a number of years, has been an organist for 32 years and is a member of St. Jerome’s Christian Mothers. Haarsager served on MSU Staff Senate and currently assists with Region 8 One Act Play Festival and the Region 8 Large Group and Small Group Music Festivals. She received an MSU Vision 2013 Merit Award this past year.

Haarsager and Ken, her husband, live on their family farm west of Mohall; they have three daughters, Stefanie, Kari and Katie. As hobbies, she plays piano and organ, reads and gardens.

Jonelle Watson, assistant vice president for business services/controller, demonstrates MSU’s core values and serves as a model of excellence in service. She began employment at the university in 1992 as a special education media center specialist and then spent seven years as the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities’ administrative assistant for finance. In 2000, Watson accepted the Business Office grants and accounting analyst position and became controller in 2006. Her duties include preparation of the annual and biennial budgets and yearly financial statements, supervision of employees in seven areas and responsibility for the MSU Development Foundation accounting.

A committed and dedicated employee, Watson encourages her staff to submit input on training, processes, procedures, forms and policies. She strives to make the Business Office efficient and effective in its operations.

Watson graduated from MSU with her bachelor’s degree in accounting. She went out to become a certified public accountant.

Recently, Watson taught Fundamentals of Accounting at MSU and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. She was been involved with the Graduation/Retention Task Force, ConnectND Campus Advisory Committee and International Advisory Committee. In addition, she mentored several job shadowers from local high school business classes and from the MSU Controllership class. Her community service includes serving as vice president and president of the Taube Museum of Art, volunteering at the Norsk Høstfest and participating actively at Bethany Lutheran Church.

Service Awards
Minot State University employees were recognized for five-year increments of service.