FORT BENNING, Ga., (June 1, 2016) -- As part of an effort to engage and build the Army team, the Maneuver Center of Excellence deputy to the commanding general welcomed more than 100 new Fort Benning civilian employees during a briefing and ceremonial oath at Ridgway Hall May 25.

New employees from the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Fort Benning Garrison, Medical Command, Dental Command and Directorate of Logistics attended the event where Donald Sando officially welcomed them to Fort Benning and to their new positions as Department of the Army civilians.

During the event, Sando gave an overview of the command team, Fort Benning's history, the MCoE mission and the five essential characteristics of the Army profession. The event concluded with a ceremonial oath on the front steps of Ridgway Hall.

Ridgway Hall (Fort Benning's Soldier Service Center) has a rich heritage and serves as a great venue for new federal civilian employees to receive an official welcome from Fort Benning's highest ranking civilian, said Brian Smith, chief of work force development, special projects.

Ridgway Hall was built in 1935, and served as the post headquarters and the U.S. Army Infantry School until 1964.

The intent is to do the welcome ceremonies on a quarterly basis, said Sando. He added that the whole intent from the program is to thank them for their service to our Army and their particular role, and welcome them to the Army and to our team.

"It's easy to see the uniform part of the Army," Sando said. So we want to reach out and say 'hey, you are part of the team, you are a valuable part of the team,' and welcome them and just try to start them off on a very positive note."

"We're proud to be a part of this service," said Andrina Dawson, a new dental hygienist at Harmony Church Dental Clinic. "I'm happy to be here and to be able to serve part of my country."

The welcome ceremony falls in line with the Army Civilian Acculturation program, which is designed to create Army team members out of new federal civilian employees by connecting them with leaders and cultural aspects of the Army.

However, the welcome ceremony and acculturation program, while important, are just a small piece of the puzzle in the Employee Engagement effort, said Smith.

Fort Benning began adopting the employee engagement programs within the last six to nine months, said Sando.

"The indirect output is Fort Benning is recognized as a center of excellence. People want to come here and work. People enjoy their ability to contribute here," Sando said. "And the Soldiers and leaders we produce and the Families that come through here are better members of the Army team and better citizens."

"We have a lot of different workgroups that Brian (Smith) has put together with civilian leaders throughout Fort Benning to talk about professional development, to talk about engagement, to talk about innovation, to talk about different things and just put a little structure to help us get that feedback and maintain that engagement," Sando said.

In a nutshell, senior leaders are listening to feedback from our workforce and acting upon this feedback in order to make our great organizations even better, added Smith.