Staff Senate to Hold Information Session for Prospective Trustee Candidates

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 2, 2016) — The University of Kentucky Staff Senate will host an informational session from 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the W.T. Young Gallery for those interested in running for the position of staff representative to the UK Board of Trustees.

The intent of this drop-in session is to provide potential candidates with information about the requirements to stand for election, campaign rules, expected time commitments, and professional obligations of a trustee.

During the information session, the president’s chief of staff, Bill Swinford, will be available to answer questions about the obligations of the position as well as how the service of a staff member on the UK Board is handled in terms of university policy.

The nomination period for the position runs from April 7-21, and campaigning takes place May 2-27. The voting period for staff will be May 13-27, with the announcement of election results on June 6.

All documents, including the official guidelines, nomination form and petition in support, and timeline may be accessed beginning Thursday, April 7, at http://www.uky.edu/staffsenate/ under “What’s Happening” by clicking on “2016 Election for Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees” for prospective candidates. 

Sheila Brothers, the current staff representative, said the position has been a rewarding experience for her, but it does require a solid time commitment to fulfill the obligations.

“Even though I’ve been employed here for 20 years, being staff trustee offers me opportunities to learn new things about UK on a regular basis," Brothers said. "Trustee-related activities can take up to about one-quarter of my 40-hour work week, and those activities run the gamut from formal business meetings to spontaneous conversations. It is important to give that role the time and attention it requires.”

The election of a staff representative to the UK Board is described in the Governing Regulations of UK and Kentucky Revised Statues, section 164.131. The staff representative is elected for a three-year term. To be eligible to run and serve, one must be a regular, full time, 1.0 FTE staff member with no relatives working at UK and have served for at least one year of continuous employment.

As described by statute, the staff representative is elected for a 3-year term and represents all non-teaching university employees. Staff with an FTE greater than or equal to .75 at UK are eligible to vote in this election. 

For more information, contact Ann Eads (aeads2@uky.edu) of the Staff Senate Elections Committee.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu