Staff Trustee Candidates Debate Issues
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 10, 2013) — The candidates for the staff representative to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees will debate during the April regular Staff Senate meeting, at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in the UK Athletics Auditorium of the William T. Young Library. Staff members are encouraged to attend or view via the Staff Senate website at- https://connect.uky.edu/staffsenate
The slate of candidates for the July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2016, term of office include Michael Adams, Department of Biology, michael.adams@uky.edu; Sheila Brothers, Office of the Senate Council, sbrothers@uky.edu or https://sites.google.com/site/sheila4trustee; Jann Burks, 4-H Central Operations, jburks@uky.edu; and Gary Case, Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, g.c@uky.edu.
Questions for the candidates will be selected from previously submitted questions by staff, members of the audience and those who participate online. Eligible staff members are encouraged to take part in the election process, and questions and comments may be directed to Kean Ashurst, Staff Senate election chair, at kean.ashurst@uky.eduor Holly Jones Clark, Staff Senate office coordinator, at hclark@uky.edu.
Regular staff with a full time equivalency (FTE) of .75 or greater and those in phased retirement are eligible to vote in the election via the Staff Senate website.
The campaign period will run through May 1. Voting will be conducted April 17 through May 1 via the Staff Senate website. On May 6, official election results will be announced. The top three candidates will advance to the run-off election. A final candidate debate will be held at 1 p.m. May 9 during the regular meeting of the Staff Senate in Young Library. Voting will be conducted May 22 through June 5 via the Staff Senate website. On June 10, official election results will be announced. The newly elected staff trustee will begin his/her term on July 1.
Following are the candidates’ platforms.
Michael Adams
Fellow staff, I am asking you to consider me as the next Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees. I assure you that I am doing this with the full understanding how important the role of the Staff Trustee plays in the future of this great University. As Staff Senate Chair for the past two years, I have first hand knowledge of the trials and tribulation that staff have and are going through in this time of change. I have been a strong advocate of communication and have had candid dialogue with the administration. If elected Staff Trustee, I will take that advocacy to the Board of Trustees. In my tenure as the Chair of the Staff Senate I have been a facilitator who brings those that have something to say together with those who need to hear it. I find this is the most effective way to bring about change in an institution this large and diverse. As chair I believe that I have been able to open lines of communication between the Staff Senate and the new Administration. I also believe that I have a clear understanding of how the University functions at its many levels. In my normal job I am responsible for renovation and upkeep of classrooms and laboratories and I work with many support divisions across campus from custodial and grounds personnel to administrators. I interact with faculty and students daily, hearing all the concerns and needs from all groups on campus. It is this interaction that has given me the desire to run for the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees in hopes of being an instrument to make the University a better pace to work and fulfill its mission to education and research innovation. Thank you for your support.
Sheila Brothers
My name is Sheila Brothers – I want to continue serving as YOUR representative on the Board of Trustees. I work in the administrative office for the faculty senate, the Senate Council office. Since I was first elected, I have represented staff interests in a variety of forums, initiating practices to facilitate communication and to develop a greater respect for staff participation in shared governance. If reelected I will continue these activities; a few are described below. Blog: Many of you read the summaries I post describing each Board meeting. New Employee Orientation: I help welcome new employees and share with them the importance of staff participation in decision making and governance. SuperVision: Similar information is presented to supervisors; I explain how staff involvement in shared governance benefits individual departments. Staff Senate: I attend regular and select committee meetings. I undertake these activities to make certain we all understand that staff have basic rights as employees and that our opinions matter! I will continue to raise staff concerns and see that staff employees' perspectives are voiced in a respectful and honest manner. My campaign website with additional information is at https://sites.google.com/site/sheila4trustee/. I am the best candidate to serve staff on the Board of Trustees and I ask for your vote. One of my goals over the past three years has been to earn the respect of other trustees to ensure they are aware of staff employees' viewpoints and how integral we are to UK. Please vote Sheila Brothers for staff trustee!
Jann Burks
Serving in the College of Agriculture for nineteen years, I hold the position of Extension Specialist for 4-H Youth Development. My position allows me to work with the 120 county extension agents in Kentucky (over 600 people). I have worked on UK campus in Student Affairs Department and College of Dentistry. Previously, I worked in Fayette County public and private education areas and hold a M.A. in Counseling. I bring a diverse background and experience to the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustee position. I hold positions of leadership on several boards; Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative Leadership Team, Kentucky 4-H Agent Association, 4-H in Science, Engineering & Technology, Joint Council of Extension Professionals, Southern Region Cooperative Extension Curriculum Education and chair of the Southern Region 4-H Science management team. I’ve presented professional development programs at state, southern region and national conferences. Currently, I am serving my eight year on the staff senate. I’ve held the following officer positions on the staff senate, Treasurer-4 years; Chair- one year, currently serving as chair of the Presidential Advisory Committee- 2 years and Staff Issues Committee. I’m serving my second term as the chair of the UK Appreciation Day event. I would consider it an honor to serve as your Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees.
Gary Case
I currently work for the Center on Drug and Alcohol Research and Behavioral Sciences under the College of Medicine. My current title is Computer Support Specialist I. I maintain the department computers, websites, and other technology needs. I also maintain two database for CCTS. I am running for the BOT – Staff Representative because I want to make sure that the staff voice is heard. I want the voice of technology to be heard. I want to be able to help the staff in taking full advantage of the benefits offered to them. I also would like to improve upon some of these benefits. I think a fresh face and a new voice can help accomplish these goals.