Orientation improvement, professional development among staff goals for coming year

Boulder Campus Staff Council recently reviewed this past year’s accomplishments and set goals for FY2015.

As part of the June 6 retreat, Randi Viola, the outgoing co-chair, acknowledged the accomplishments of council committees and individuals with small trinkets, including little CU megaphones for our outspoken staff advocates. Newly elected co-chair Sarah Douvres and re-elected co-chair John McKee, who planned the retreat as their first assignment of the year, served as moderators for the goal-setting process.

Council members set the following goals for this next fiscal year (July 2014-June 2015):

• To assist campus Human Resources (HR) with the onboarding (new employee orientation). We ask for your help in this by sending feedback about your own new employee orientation experience. Please note within your email if you want your responses kept confidential.
• To assist HR with their staff professional development program. HR has introduced several excellent programs during the last few years, and Staff Council would like to encourage all eligible staff to participate in them whenever possible. We would also like to hear (please email scouncil@colorado.edu) how your own department encourages participation in campus training and staff development programs. Do the campus training programs count toward educational/experience requirements?
• To continue to strengthen the strategic partnerships which are critical to our campus role. Think of Staff Council as staff’s conduit of information (two-way) and avenue for influence about staff-related issues on campus. Staff Council has members on 10 standing committees on campus and is often asked to send a member to represent staff on task forces. If you have a campus committee that can use some staff representation, please contact us.
• A recent example of how we get involved in issues was our asking the Ombuds Office what we could do to help reduce workplace bullying. The Ombuds Office knew of a nationally acclaimed presenter on this topic. Staff Council and the Ombuds Office pooled their financial resources to hire Dr. Loraleigh Keashly to meet with campus administration and to present three workshops. We then arranged for several other departments to help plan and promote the events. The success of the first series of meetings and workshops led to a second series of workshops and meetings with groups of interested campus leaders including Student Government, Boulder Faculty Assembly and Administration. The focus was on developing ways to promote a positive working and learning environment for everyone on campus. Staff Council has provided some budget support for this group, now called the Respectful Workplace Committee. Staff Council would like to thank Merlyn Holmes from the VCAA’s Office for leading the committee.
• A special note: The Outreach Committee is reimagining how to do the Staff Appreciation Events now that the Glenn Miller Ballroom is closed for renovation. The annual Staff Breakfast and Staff Lunch will happen, but differently. Stay tuned.

2014 Election Results: 

• Area 1 (Grandview and North Quad) - Kathy Noonan
• Area 2 (South Quad to Atlas) - Randi Viola (re-elected)
• Area 3 (Farrand Field to Engineering) - Jason Hopkins
• Area 4 (Facilities Management) - Joe Branchaw (re-elected)
• Area 5 (Broadway to C4C) - Aileen Harker
• Area 6 (Stadium to Parking to Wolf Law) - Brian Drake
• Area 7 (Housing and Dining Services) - Aljoana Gilmore (re-elected)
• Area 8 (East Campus) - Tim Morrissey
• At Large (serving the entire campus) - Vonda Maki (re-elected)

New Officers and Elected Delegates:

• Co-Chairs - Sarah Douvres and John McKee
• Vice Chair - Philip Bradley
• Secretary - Joanna Itrube
• Treasurer - Joshua Firestone
• Delegate - Denise Thomas to the University of Colorado Staff Council (three delegates per campus; John McKee and Erin Foster are the other two for Boulder)
• Delegate - Randi Viola to the Statewide Liaison Council (all Colorado higher education institutions send representatives)

​Congratulations to the new members and officers

You do not have to be a member of Staff Council to serve on any of our many committees. For more information or to contact us, visit www.colorado.edu/staffcouncil.

-          Submitted by Boulder Campus Staff Council