Jensen named February’s Civil Service Employee of the Month

Michael Jensen, maintenance and paint services supervisor for Facilities and Services at South Dakota State University, has been named Civil Service Employee of the Month for February.

He will be honored from 2-3 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Facilities and Services building, room 110, with a formal program at 2:30 p.m.

Jensen has been employed at SDSU for the past 12 years and works in the carpentry, maintenance and paint department.

Facilities and Services senior building maintenance worker Dave Dykhouse said Jensen made a seamless transition when he took over CMP, “which is not an easy task as the job requires a deep knowledge of all the buildings on campus.”

“Mike’s many years as a Brookings volunteer fireman prepared him well as a good portion of his work involves responding to a variety of building emergencies (and even one actual fire). He can quickly assess problems, develop a plan of action, notify appropriate response personnel in a timely and efficient manner, all while still maintaining and supervising the day-to-day routine work performed by CMP,” Dykhouse added.

Gene Olson, senior building maintenance worker with Facilities and Services, agreed.

“Mike goes above and beyond with customer service for any part of the university. His ability to keep track of ongoing projects and manage urgent repairs in a timely fashion is second to none. He also treats his staff with care and respect and is willing to help in any way he can, even when it inconveniences him,” Olson said.

Brian Tomaszewski, senior building maintenance worker with Facilities and Services, said Jensen is willing to put in extra time to make sure a job is done well.

“He gets along well with SDSU staff and coworkers and has great troubleshooting skills,” Tomaszewski added.

Jensen said he was humbled and honored to receive this award, and he thanked his team for nominating him. “I am very fortunate to work with a great group of individuals,” he said.

Jensen lives in Brookings with his wife, Joy, and they have one daughter, Jensi. He is retired from the Brookings Fire Department after 20 years of volunteer service.

All SDSU Employee of the Month selections are determined through a nomination process by the Civil Service Advisory Council. Each civil service employee of the month receives an appreciation monetary gift from the F.O. Butler Foundation. The trustees of the foundation recognize the importance of civil service employees and take this opportunity to thank them for their exemplary service.