MSU staff member Erin Laudenslager has received the Higher Education Human Resources Rock Star Award from the College and University Professional Association.
This is a new award that honors human resources professionals who are dedicated to making a big impact within their program.
And Laudenslager, human resources administrator in the Department of Psychology, is no exception.
Her journey at MSU began over five years ago. She spent about four years working in the Solutions Center at the Human Resources Office.
“I had a couple of roles over there,” Laudenslager said. “I got to do some of the FOIA things when the Larry Nassar case came out. And then, I was looking for some department experience.”
She then moved to the Department of Psychology, where she has worked for around 16 months.
After getting a feel for the department’s HR policies, Laudenslager became committed to using technology to make internal procedures more efficient. For example, the self-starter facilitated the department’s shift from paper to digital timesheets and uses Microsoft applications to automate emails and streamline hiring processes.
“I have done a lot to make things more efficient so that I can track them and document them,” she said. “So, if I ever left this position, someone could easily come in and pick right up on everything where it’s at. We’re a huge department, so some things I really have to streamline because I just don’t have the time to be processing things all day long.”
And her talents go beyond the Department of Psychology. She is also a member of the dean’s staff advisory council and the search committee for the College of Social Science.
This is the first time the College of Social Science has allowed a support staff member to be on the search committee, Laudenslager said. “It was very humbling for them to pick me out of all of the individuals from the college, and it is an honor to sit on a committee for deans.”
Laudenslager is also on the leadership team for MSU’s Unit Onboarding/Offboarding Initiative. This is a campus-wide initiative fueled by a team of 50 volunteers that strives to develop a new program to support Spartans while integrating into the MSU community as well as transitioning into other roles.
“It’s a huge project to tackle,” Laudenslager said. “It’s been really fun to work with all these different departments. And it’s really an opportunity for us to get to know each other and be able to bounce ideas off each other. So, I think it’s helped me nurture those relationships with people who are doing the same work I’m doing in different departments.”
With a clear drive to make a positive change at MSU, Laudenslager was nominated by her supervisor Nicholas Drew.
Laudenslager says she loves that her job allows her to help other MSU employees and make their experience at MSU positive.
"I love to tell people I work for MSU, so I like to share that Spartan Spirit with people,” she said. “It’s such an amazing place to work, and I love trying to make it as best as I can.”
