Volunteers Sought for Staff Council Committees

Now that elections for Georgia Tech’s Staff Council are complete and work has begun, the Council is looking to fill its five standing committees.

“It is critical that we recruit a diverse and talented group of staff to be involved on the Council,” said Staff Council Chair Rick Clark. “Committee membership is a great way for all staff to have a voice in important decisions and direction.” 

For consideration, interested Georgia Tech staff members must meet the criteria outlined below and submit their application online by Friday, March 27, at 11:59 p.m. All applicants will be contacted by the committee chair no later than April 8.

Committee Member Criteria

Eligible employees must: 

• Be a full-or part-time (at least 20 hours per week) staff member.
• Have completed six months of service at Georgia Tech as of March 31, 2015.
• Be employed with an eligible staff title. (The following staff titles are ineligible to serve on the Council or its committees: Institute president, executive vice presidents, provost, vice presidents, associate vice presidents, dean of students, academic faculty, research faculty, and retirees.)
• Have support of supervisor.
• Be able to spend three to five hours per month on committee work. 

Each committee will have between eight and 12 members, plus a committee chair. Due to the limited size of each committee, interested staff should be specific in explaining their skills and desires for committee membership.

Although staff members may serve on only one committee, they are encouraged to apply for more than one committee, listing their preferences in order of interest. 

Committees

The Staff Council currently has five committees.

Campus Physical Environment

This committee will focus on topics such as:

• Considerations that Georgia Tech is a multi-campus institution.
• Accessibility to campus.
• Security and safety of the campus environment.
• Transportation and parking needs to and from each campus and around campus.
• Consideration that Georgia Tech campuses operate on a 24/7 schedule.
• Sustainability for each campus to reduce its carbon footprint.

Communication

This committee will work to:

• Promote the activities of the Staff Council and its standing committees.
• Contribute to ongoing communication initiatives of the Council to help ensure transparent, timely, and relevant communication to target audiences.
• Work regularly with the other standing committees to facilitate consistency and professionalism of communication efforts originating from those groups.
• Engage with the Office of Human Resources, Institute Communications and other appropriate units to publicize council initiatives, achievements, and other relevant information to the Georgia Tech staff at large.

Compensation and Benefits

This committee will work to:

• Be a voice for advocating issues relevant to Georgia Tech employees.
• Partner, collaborate, and engage with the Office of Human Resources to represent the interests of staff employees and work with organizations such as the Faculty Benefits Committee to achieve a favorable outcome relevant to compensation and benefits.

Employee Engagement

This committee will work to:

• Address topics specific to the employee experience at Georgia Tech, including staff retention efforts, recognition, diversity, fair treatment, and employee engagement in ways that reinforce Institute values and fit within the Institute’s mission.

Employee Health and Well-being

This committee will work to:

• Inspire, encourage, and support employees in the pursuit of their chosen work/life balance, community service endeavors, and health and wellness objectives.
• Provide recommendations for resources for support and assistance.
• Give employees a confidential forum to express their concerns and ideas about the state of health and well-being for staff at Georgia Tech.

Other Staff Council Actions

The Staff Council currently meets twice monthly. In addition to establishing procedures for filling committee positions and finalizing Staff Council Bylaws, it has elected the following officers and committee chairs.

• Chair – Rick Clark
• Vice Chair – Debbie Dorsey
• Secretary – Meredith Schnepp
• Chair, Campus Physical Environment – Bill Halabi
• Chair, Communication – Melissa Moore
• Chair, Compensation and Benefits – Tommy Little
• Chair, Employee Engagement – Laura Pusateri
• Chair, Employee Health and Wellbeing – Stephen Holbrook 

For more information about the Staff Council, visit www.staffcouncil.gatech.edu.