Duane Espenhover
Custodian, Residential and Greek Life
UNK Employee of the Month
January 2008
For his years of service and true dedication to the UNK residence halls which he has been a part of for so many years, the UNK Staff Senate is honored to recognize Duane Espenhover as the January 2008 UNK Employee of the Month.
Duane works as the maintenance person who oversees Mantor, Randall, and Stout Halls. Although he works day in and day out to make sure these halls stay in tip-top shape, Duane is so much more than the person you go to when something is wrong. He takes unbelievable pride in his work within his halls that it's hard not to notice him. No matter what the size of the task Duane approaches it with full motivation. There has been many times when his colleagues have seen him looking for extra things to accomplish within the halls so that each one stays the best that it can be.
What impresses his colleagues most about Duane is his willingness to help with the smaller, extra side tasks within the halls. He is often asked if he can help do some off-beat tasks when he "has the time". What his colleagues have found is that he has always made the time, a quality many people don't possess when working with others. There are multiple items Duane has taken the time to fix, such as the new piano bench, a carpet wall hanging in an office, new artwork for the lounges, new clocks for the floors, as well as repairing broken chairs and couches in the common lounges. None of these things had a work order turned in, rather they were all items Duane knew needed a little attention so he gave them just that.
He works so smoothly that there is hardly any time in between when a work order is submitted and when Duane gets it taken care of. He is one of the employees in his department his colleagues most look forward to talking to and catching up with. He is a prime example of someone who stops to ask how your day was, really listens, and then hurries onto the next task at hand. Duane is rarely seen standing around wasting time as he loves to quote "working just makes the day go by faster".
When many employees avoid work and do what they can to "stretch the day out", Duane has always been of the opposite mindset. He works to accomplish his tasks in a timely fashion then turns around and finds work to accomplish that just needs attention, the little added touches that make living in a couple of his halls so special and appreciated.
For all of his efforts and dedication to the buildings and students of UNK, the UNK Staff Senate is pleased to recognize Duane Espenhover as the January 2008 Employee of the Month.
The Employee of the Month is sponsored by: UNK Athletics, UNK Theater, Campus Cuts, Chartwells and the Antelope Bookstore.