Assembly will give staff
direct access to UNC chief

Staff members from across the University of North Carolina system will soon have direct access to President Erskine Bowles and be able to share issues of concern to system leaders on a regular basis.

Staff groups from the 16 schools in the UNC system have been working with system administrators to form the staff assembly of the University of North Carolina. The group will meet and advise system leaders and the Board of Governors on issues of importance to staff members. The first meeting of the staff assembly will take place Oct. 16-17.

Faculty and students already have similar groups that meet regularly with UNC system leaders. The formation of the staff group, which has been embraced by Bowles, is a significant step for all university staff members, says Melissa Watkins, chair of NC State’s Staff Senate.

“This is a huge step for the staff in the state of North Carolina to have the president’s ear on a regular basis and be able to advise him about the staff of the university system,” Watkins said. “The chairs of the staff senates from across the UNC system have been working for a number of years to get the UNC President’s Office to recognize staff as a group who can be informative to them, similar to the faculty and student groups.”

A charter and bylaws for the staff assembly have been submitted to Bowles for approval.

The staff assembly will be composed of three representatives from each of the UNC system schools, as well as three representatives from the UNC system’s general administration. Initial representatives must be selected by Sept. 1 by a vote of the staff senates at each respective system institution.

Watkins said NC State’s staff senate is still considering how to select its representatives to the staff assembly. The group is considering a proposal that would allow the individuals serving in staff senate’s top three elected posts – chair, chair-elect and past-chair – to serve as NC State’s staff assembly representatives.

The University Staff Assembly would serve in a similar capacity as the University Faculty Assembly and the Association of Student Governments. These groups are made up of constituents from all of the UNC system schools and meet regularly, though not monthly, with UNC system leaders.

Bowles has responded favorably to the creation of the staff assembly. In a letter addressed to UNC Charlotte’s Stevan Clifton, who is chairing the staff assembly, Bowles wrote, “Our campuses could simply not function without competent and dedicated staff and I welcome this opportunity to hear more about your challenges and successes.”

Bowles concluded the letter with a handwritten note, writing, “I am enthusiastic about a staff assembly – let’s make it work!”

In other business at its July meeting, NC State’s Staff Senate passed a resolution asking the university administration to help the Transportation Department develop a new business model that may relieve the department of being totally self-supporting. The resolution also asks the administration to provide more funding to programs and initiatives that support alternative transportation, while limiting increases in parking fees for staff, faculty and students.

Staff Senate also passed a resolution supporting the university’s policy requiring employees to carry proper identification in campus buildings and facilities.

Posted July 21, 2006

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