Advocacy in Action
News from Your Staff Council - March 2020

Staff Diversity Opportunity Program

The University of Iowa is committed to excellence through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. One of the tangible ways UI implements this vision is through the Staff Diversity Opportunity Program.

A pool of funds exist through the Staff Diversity Opportunity Program (SDOP) to enhance future efforts to recruit and retain minorities and women in Professional and Scientific (P&S) classifications, thereby increasing diversity within the P&S staff and on the University of Iowa campus overall. SDOP funds are available to areas highly dependent on General Education Funds.  Continue Reading...

Please read more about Staff Council's DEI efforts below.

Staff Council Nominations are Open!

The nomination period  for open Staff Council positions will run from Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 30 and can be submitted via Workflow. Voting will take place from Friday, April 3 through Friday, April 17. Newly elected staff councilors begin their term on June 1, 2020. Continue Reading...

Join the March 12 Staff Council Open Forum 

For Professional & Scientific and Merit Supervisory Exempt/Confidential (MSE/C) classified employees who are considering serving on the University of Iowa Staff Council, we will be hosting an informational session and open forum on Thursday, March 12th from 3:30-5 PM in 2520D UCC. At the event, current University of Iowa Staff Councilors will discuss the purpose of shared governance at the University of Iowa and the role that Staff Council plays. Current councilors will also talk about their personal experiences on Staff Council. This event will also be a forum for employees to discuss issues that they would like to see addressed by Staff Council in the coming year.

We would love to see you at our forum on March 12th! Please direct any questions to the Staff Council mailbox at staff-council@uiowa.edu.

Heather Mineart: First Gen, New Leader

Meet Heather Mineart, vice-president/President Elect of UI Staff Council. Heather has been a member of the UI community for 19 years serving in capacity of both a Merit staff member as well as a Professional and Scientific staff member. She works in the Department of Physics & Astronomy as the Assistant to the Departmental Executive Officer. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband Nathan and two son’s Cade and Rhys, watching their various sporting events and activities.

Ted Potter, Staff Council Communications Committee Chairperson recently sat down with Heather to learn more about her Staff Council experiences to date and plans for her term as President starting in June. Continue reading...

Making an Impact on DEI on Campus

On Monday, March 2, 2020, UI Staff Council sponsored the third annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) celebration, "Making an Impact in Dei on Campus" at Old Capitol. More than 150 staff enjoyed fellowship and refreshments, celebrated the many accomplishments in DEI, and reviewed the goals of DEI initiatives on campus and beyond. Executive Vice President and Provost Montse Fuentes enumerated the many ways DEI impacts the university community, the successes of the offices and individuals that lead DEI efforts, as well as the challenges the university and its staff still face as we strive to recruit a diverse body of students, faculty, and staff, and create an equitable and inclusive learning and working environment for all who come to the campus. President Bruce Herrald also spoke of the need to continue the long tradition of UI being the first to recognize and remedy certain inequalities and to acknowledge and celebrate the strength that comes from diversity.