11-17-2011

Staff Assembly Executive Council (SAEC)
PCR
Thursday, 11/17/2011 11-12am
Meeting Minutes

Attended:  Molly Ayers; Toni Boggan; Beth Gordon; Connie Hickman; Carol Huston; Norm Leatha; Rudy Mondragon; Rodolfo Pagsanjan; Angela Ruff; Wendy Thompson

Absent: Daniel Bubb; Jeff Geldien; Allison Sather

Guests:  Darrell Fitzgerald, Jill Royston, Barbara Kolbet

Regent Applicant Interviews – Carol

Three candidates were asked questions about their interest, capabilities, communication styles, and potential hurdles related to serving as a Staff Regent.   A consensus was reached on recommending two of the candidates to President McCulloh.

 Committee Updates

  • Council Rebranding Committee - Norm

Committee will propose options to select a key theme, and suggests a logo contest amongst staff to help promote.  

  • SA Community Outreach Committee - Beth

Meeting on Friday, 11/18 to debrief the Fall Open Meeting, review roles, and begin recruiting additional members.

  • SA Community Service Committee – Molly

Molly shared a newly drafted brochure about CARES to be used at the new employee orientation sessions and to be available in HR.   A budget will be needed for printing a supply.    HR has agreed to help support employees who may need donated vacation hours by alerting the Community Service Committee when there is a need.  The Council can then announce a need, without any specific information that identifies the person or situation, to the greater community via staff-l, with instructions to contact HR for making a donation.   A link to the HR benefits page will be added to the Staff Assembly (SA) website, and HR will add a link to the SA Cares website pages.   The Staff Service Opportunity to wrap gifts for Campus Kids is getting a good response.

  • SA Compensation Committee – Angela

A staff member request to pursue having Veteran’s Day a holiday, at least for employee veterans, was passed onto the committee.

  • University Safety Advisory Committee – Toni

Committee will meet in December.  Policies are being discussed.

  • University Advisory Council on Stewardship and Sustainability (ACSS) – Rodolfo

Ann Scott-Ettinger shared that President Thayne McCulloh approved new Sustainable Purchasing & Design Policies on the basis of Gonzaga's commitment to the responsible stewardship of the environment and to reducing the University's dependence on non-renewable energy.  More information available at:  http://www.gonzaga.edu/Campus-Resources/sustainability/sustainability_initiatives/SustainableDesignPolicy.asp

  • University Budget Committee – Angela

Robin Guevara and Shannon Zaranski shared notes from the October 27 meeting stating that a dialogue has begun as to the role and purpose of the committee.  Handouts and materials were reviewed that identify department needs and challenges, show undergraduate retention is slightly decreasing, clarified that the largest Freshman class is now the Junior class, and listing the challenges in balancing merit and institutional financial aid for top tier and needier students.   The finance area is in the process of implementing Blackboard Analytics.    A budget timeline is as follows:

- Tuition, room/board rates will be decided in December

-  Target enrollment figures will be decided in January

-  Faculty compensation is decided in February

-  Pro-forma budget is developed February-March

-  Final budget is presented to Trustees in April

-  Decisions on re-evals, annualizations and staff new hires should be done by April so searches can be done before year’s end

The next meeting of the University Budget Committee is December 6.

125th Anniversary Activities – Toni

The Community Relations Committee for the 125th Anniversary Celebration year (2012-13) encourages staff to participate in two upcoming outreach events:    Monday, January 16 Martin Luther King Day March in Downtown Spokane, and at a Bloomsday water station on Sunday, May 6.   Contact Toni Boggan if interested.

Action Items

Rodolfo will recommend two Staff Regent candidates to Dr. McCulloh

Rebranding bring theme suggestions to the 12/5 Council meeting

All suggest edits to the new CARES brochure to Molly

All contact Molly to sign up for the Staff Service Opportunity

Angela request update to New Employee Orientation presentation

All contact Toni to participate in the Jan. 16 MLK March

All contact Toni to help at the May 6 Bloomsday water station