Learn More About UK Staff Senate During Its 10th Anniversary Celebrations
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 8, 2012) -- The University of Kentucky Staff Senate is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with a series of monthly events in recognition of the senate’s achievements.
Launched in July 2002 as the official representative body of the university’s staff, the mission of the Staff Senate is to strive to open lines of communication among all segments of the staff, as well as between staff, faculty and students and to act as a mechanism to disseminate information to the staff, passing information from staff to other members of the university community.
The Senate is comprised of staff from various backgrounds -- from pharmacists to plumbers to 4-H agents to engineers -- who serve on eight diverse committees. The most recent business passed by the Senate includes a request to split a salary increase between merit and non-merit and a request to offer an early retirement incentive to employees.
Beginning with this article that highlights the body’s various activities and accomplishments, the Senate will celebrate its anniversary by holding an activity each month over the next 10 months. The campus community is encouraged to visit the Senate’s new website at www.uky.edu/staffsenate for information and access to the new FaceBook and Twitter sites. Also new to the website is a search option, an events calendar and a contact/comment page, as well as various photos of staff, including senators, to help staff easily identify their representatives.
Mike Adams, who is serving a second consecutive term as Staff Senate chair, said, “Although in the comparison to the life of a university 10 years does not seem much, the Staff Senate has come a long way in that relatively short time frame, due to the dedication, hard work and sacrifice of those that have heeded the call to serve. I want to thank all of those who had the vision and foresight to start the Staff Senate. I believe we, the Staff Senate, will continue to grow and be an integral part in securing the future of UK.”
The Staff Senate has served in the following capacities over the years:
· Co-establishing the Staff Shared Leave Pool Program
· Designing and co-establishing the Crisis Relief in Situations Involving Staff (CRISIS) Program
· Coordinating UK Appreciation Day for staff, faculty and families
· Establishing communication with senior administrators
· Assisting UK HealthCare staff with a floating holiday
· Coordinating Breakfast with the President
· Securing representation on university committees
· Co-sponsoring the Outstanding Staff Awards Program with the President
· Co-funding UK Remembers
· Supporting student sponsorship of the Governor’s Forum on campus
The Senate has been supported by the Office of the President since inception, and a top priority is maintaining a healthy relationship with Administration through open dialogue and collaboration. The Senate welcomes feedback any time and welcomes the campus community to take part in its celebration throughout the year.
Staff Senate 10th Anniversary Celebration Schedule
November 2012: Staff forum featuring a panel of Senate officers and committee chairs. W.T. Young Library auditorium, Nov. 8, 1 p.m. To learn more about the Senate and exchange ideas. Remote participation will be an option. Join online for committee reports at1 p.m. and an open forum at 2 p.m. Use a LinkBlue ID at https://connect.uky.edu/staffsenate.
December 2012: God’s Pantry food drive. Dates and locations to be announced.
January 2013: Staff survey and publication on history of the Staff Senate on UKNow.
February 2013: Like us on FaceBook and follow us on Twitter for an opportunity to win a UK T-shirt in time for March Madness. Two winners will be randomly selected.
March 2013: Ice cream socials. Campus and UK HealthCare. Dates and locations to be announced.
April 2013: Candidate debates for the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees (Staff Trustee ) election. Dates and locations to be announced.
May 2013: UK Appreciation Day for faculty, staff and families. Commonwealth Stadium, May 16, 1 p.m. Voting opens for the Staff Trustee election at Appreciation Day and online at www.uky.edu/staffsenate.
June 2013: Cookout for representatives of the college staff councils. Date and location to be announced.
July 2013: Regular meeting of the first meeting of the new year. W.T. Young Library auditorium, July 11, 1 p.m. Staff precincts will be invited to join the meeting online when the Senate introduces its 2013-14 agenda.
For more information on the 10th anniversary celebration, contact Misty Dotson at misty.dotson@uky.edu or Holly Clark at hclark@uky.edu.