News from Staff Council
News from Staff Council

Advocacy in Action

Your Voice for a Better UI

November 2020

Six Months In: A Conversation with Staff Council President Heather Mineart

Marla Rosenblum, Administrative Services Coordinator for Staff Council sat down with Staff Council President Heather Mineart for a brief interview.  In this exchange, Heather reflects on her first 6 months as President, and shares her perspective about Staff Council and staff engagement and advocacy as she looks ahead to the final 6 months of her term.  Watch here or Read more...

More News for Staff...

Staff Councilors Advocate for Staff in More than 36 Ways

You may know that each one of the 55 Staff Councilors advocate for staff members across the Organizational Unit or Function Category that they represent as part of their participation on Staff Council.  But in addition to acting as the voice for their own constituent group, numerous councilors also participate on committees across the University. In fact, as of today, 24 Staff Councilors participate in 36 committees across the campus!  Read more...

 

Staff Council Celebrates Staff Longevity Milestones

Staff Council is pleased to celebrate and acknowledge our Professional and Scientific and Merit Supervisory/Confidential staff who have reached 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50+ years of continuous service through our service-recognition program.  Longevity Award winners receive a certificate and letter of appreciation from the Office of the President. See the most recent recipients in a recent edition of Iowa Now.

Office of the Ombudsperson Annual Report

The Office of the Ombudsperson is a resource for any member of the university community -- including students, faculty, and staff -- with a problem or concern.  The Office of the Ombudsperson recently released their 2019-2020 Annual Report as well as a seven-minute video.  

For more information on the Office of the Ombudsperson, please see their website.  And for a comprehensive quick reference to significant staff resources and services, check out the Staff Council Workplace Support Matrix.

2020-21 Diversity Catalyst Seed Grant Applications Open

The UI Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DDEI) is offering Diversity Catalyst Seed Grants to support new initiatives that contribute to a diversity, equity, inclusion related strategic goal at the departmental, college or university level. Staff are encouraged to visit the grant website for more details on grant criteria, the application process and requirements, and additional information. Proposals may request up to $1,000. Read more...

 

Presidential Search Committee Announced

The Iowa Board of Regents recently announced the proposed members (subject to Board approval) of the search committee charged with identifying finalists for the Board’s consideration to become the next president of the University of Iowa. Staff Council President Heather Mineart is expected to participate as one of the 21 member committee as a staff representative.  

Heather said "we are thrilled that there will be representation on the search committee by 3 staff members, including representation from P & S Staff (as mentioned above), AFSCME and SEIU, who will be using their voices to help select the next president.  But I want to emphasize that staff engagement in the search process is not limited to the search committee members.  We encourage active engagement by staff during this process as you share your own views, participate in open forums, and take advantage of all the opportunities to participate in the process.  In addition it was just announced that all search committee meetings will be live streamed.  Your staff councilors are also anxious to hear your feedback on this important topic.

Please see the linked document for details on search committee membership.