BROOKINGS – Avis Beninga is January’s Civil Service Employee of the Month at South Dakota State University. Her reception will start at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 25 in the University Student Union, room 262.
Beninga has worked in Card Services since 2009. She started at State in 1975 and previously worked in the Office of the President, Engineering Extension and in the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.
Co-workers appreciate Beninga’s personality and organizational skills, which come in handy when last-minute requests come to Card Services.
“Avis is always pleasant whether meeting in Card Services or anywhere else on campus. I look forward to seeing her smiling face when I walk into Card Services,” said Sherry Asper, a program assistant in the College of Nursing. “She is very dependable and loyal to Card Services. It is rare that she is not available to assist.”
Rita Miller, a program assistant with the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, agreed with Asper and added, “Her organizational skills are exceptional, and Avis works well under pressure. Avis is knowledgeable and can be relied upon for getting the job done. Avis has a great personality and is very enjoyable to work with.”
Kendell Rohrbach, the campus card manager, appreciates how Beninga has adapted to the office’s changes in the last decade.
“Though her job in Card Services has changed over time and will continue to change, Avis never turns away from the opportunity to learn something new,” Rohrbach said. “An avid note taker, Avis has been very helpful in helping resolve and/or reminding of a certain procedure or process or procedure that was not documented. Her notes have also helped us to maintain and document the history of the office and its programs.
Beninga and her husband, Merlin, have lived in Brookings since 1975. Their sons, Mark and Steven, live in Fresno, California, and Tucson, Arizona, respectively, with their families.
