Sharing: It’s the right thing to do and—in the case of shared governance—it’s the imperative thing to do. Three university organizations representing the downtown Denver campus are heading into a critical time of year: time to elect new members and/or reposition the veterans.
The downtown campus’ collective voices are represented by Staff Council, CU-PEERS, for exempt professionals, and Faculty Assembly. As with all forms of governance, involvement is key.
With the Staff Council elections coming in March, about half the seats (18) for the three-year term are up for grabs. Co-chairs Sue Sethney and Jim Langstaff agree that serving on the council is a hefty commitment and can be challenging; however, it’s ultimately in the individual’s and the university’s best interests.
"Serving on Staff Council is very satisfying," Langstaff stresses. "It’s an opportunity to affect positive change."
"When people choose to serve on Staff Council, they’re often unaware of the time commitment on their part," Sethney says. "It’s not just coming to a meeting two hours a month." Council members are involved in the university-wide Staff Council, such as the Chancellor’s Executive Committee and/or any myriad of smaller committees, including fostering diversity, the Academic Master Plan (AMP), chancellor and dean searches, legislative committees, and staff appreciation events.
Because of the important function of this committee, having buy-in from the council member’s department is crucial, Sethney adds. This involvement is not only supported, it’s encouraged by the administration, explains Provost Mark Heckler.
“The downtown Denver campus benefits from the excellent leadership of Faculty Assembly, Staff Council, and CU-PEERS,” Heckler stresses. “As we continue to grow and refine our great university, the advice and counsel of these organizations becomes increasingly important.”
Each member represents between 13 and 20 constituents, keeping in contact by phone, e-mail or one-on-one discussion. If a council member drops out, the staff they represent are picked up by one of the other members, which is less effective.
Meetings are the second Tuesday of each month, 1-3 p.m. in the CU Denver Building, Room 299. Staff interested in serving on the staff council should follow the instructions and fill out the online nomination form immediately. The Feb. 17 deadline for nominations has been extended until Feb. 24.
CU-PEERS
Chris Johnson, director of international education and past president of CU-PEERS, notes the organization will be selecting new leadership in June. Currently, Hilary Bruce, from the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), is president. The five-person executive board also consists of Ashley Mees from Business as secretary, plus Cheryl Kaas, academic advisor in the College of Architecture and Planning, and Laurine Speights, School of Nursing, as board members at large.
“The biggest issue CU-PEERS is working out is consolidation of the professional exempt groups,” Johnson says. “We’re working through all the details and are planning the transition to get representation for the folks at the Health Sciences Center.”
Unlike Staff Council where members are nominated and elected to serve, all professional exempt employers are considered members at large. Johnson says on average about 25 members attend the meetings and about 165 are considered part of the group. Meetings are the first Tuesday, every other month, with the next meeting planned from noon-1 p.m. on April 4 (exact location to be determined).
“We’re a new organization,” he stresses. “A lot of our initiatives are just getting underway. With consolidation coming to a resolution, we’re pretty excited about what the future holds.”
Faculty Assembly
Faculty Assembly, the regent-mandated shared governance relationship between the faculty of the university and the university administration, will elect a new executive committee in April for terms starting in June. Faculty Assembly has elected standing committees that work in areas of budget, personnel, teaching and technology, diversity and inclusion, and curriculum and policy, explains Mary Coussons-Read, president.
Meetings are the first Tuesday of each month from 1-3 p.m. in the CU Denver Building, Room 299. Members serve two years in any multitude of responsibilities, including representing the downtown Denver campus on the university’s Faculty Council, CU’s system-wide faculty governance body, currently chaired by SEHD’s Rod Muth. Although members are elected, all faculty and the public are encouraged to take part, Coussons-Read says.
With the evolution of the downtown Denver campus, many changes will occur and many voices need to be heard. Although the nomination deadline for Staff Council has passed, Langstaff and Sethney encourage those still interested in representing their colleagues to step forward and take part. The commitment is big, they stress, but so is the significance and the payoff.
Provost Heckler couldn’t agree more. “I have come to know and value our superb faculty and staff leaders and their high level of commitment to the campus and its future,” he says. “May more members of the Denver campus community get involved in the year to come!”