Michigan State University

The voice of the customer

“The Great Resignation really demonstrated how people are seeking more purpose in their work. Our goal was to tie this into our University’s strategic mission, vision, and values as part of a better onboarding process.”

Jacob Lathrop, HR Consultant, Michigan State University

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What wasn’t working

Founded in 1855, Michigan State University is one of the top 100 research universities in the world. With more than 13,000 employees across all 83 Michigan counties (plus a decentraliseddecentralized HR model), the university was struggling to create a consistent employee experience.

Challenges included:

Years of feedback highlighted lack of consistent onboarding across the decentraliseddecentralized institution;
Separate orientation sessions for support staff and faculty fostered an ‘us and them’ mentality;
No formalisedformalized offer letter templates for support staff meant inequitable experiences.

The turning point

MSU knew they needed change. In early 2019, Jacob Lathrop and the team launched a comprehensive information-gathering exercise. Using surveys, in-person Town Hall sessions and digital tools, they collected onboarding experiences from faculty, academic staff, support staff and temporary employees to identify the gaps.

They discovered that consistency was the key to achieving their goals. Partnering with PageUp, MSU created a central onboarding platform to deliver consistent employee experiences and support MSU’s core value of being an inclusive, equitable community.

The shift began in three phases:

CentralisedCentralized orientation portal

A centralisedcentralized portal helped new hires orient themselves with landing pages for guidance, resource pages with essential information and customisablecustomizable task lists for different roles.
StandardisingStandardizing job offers

StandardisingStandardizing offer letter templates for support staff as well as faculty ensured a consistent experience for all new hires.
Creating belonging from day one

Facilitating welcome sessions for all employees together (executive managers, academic staff, support staff and temporary staff) helped drive a collegial, inclusive culture.

The solution in action

MSU successfully created a centralisedcentralized onboarding approach that connects all new hires to the university’s mission, values and culture using PageUp Onboarding.

Key initiatives included:

Regular virtual welcome sessions

Virtual welcome sessions are conducted every two weeks, making it easier for new employees across all 83 Michigan counties to attend regardless of location.
Inclusive orientation experiences

Executive managers, faculty, support staff and temporary staff attend orientation together, learning about the university’s history, mission and values as one community.
CentralisedCentralized onboarding portal

Landing pages guide new hires through the process while resource pages provide all the information needed for success, accessible in one location.
CustomisableCustomizable task lists

Tailored checklists ensure new hires complete essential activities while allowing flexibility for role-specific requirements.
Data-driven optimisationoptimization

Tracking participation rates and other metrics allows the HR team to continuously evaluate and improve the onboarding approach.

The impact

Consistent onboarding experiences support MSU’s DEI goals and core value of inclusion.
All employee groups attend welcome orientations together, encouraging a sense of belonging and equitability as soon as they start.

New hires are connected to university’s strategic mission, vision and values from day one.
MSU tracks participation and gathers feedback to continuously improve the employee experience.

What surprised us the most

“What we plan to look at next is offering virtual and in-person onboarding experiences, as well as campus tours to improve the employee experience. We’re looking forward to continuously evaluating, collecting data, and making ongoing improvements using PageUp as part of this inclusive process.”

Jacob Lathrop, HR Consultant, Michigan State University