Advisory Work Group on Staff Climate Matters Formed

The new Advisory Work Group on Staff Climate Matters will begin meeting this month to address areas identified by staff in the Universitywide survey Climate Assessment Survey conducted during the Spring 2016 semester. Staff participating in the advisory work group include a broad representation across the campus from schools, colleges and administrative units at many levels.

Throughout the academic year, the advisory work group will examine and form recommendations on staff-related issues identified in the survey. Topics that may be addressed include staff morale, staff retention, career pathways and training opportunities, as well as avenues for addressing confidential matters.

The advisory work group will work with Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Andrew R. Gordon. “Staff, along with faculty and students, are an important part of the University community. They undertake many crucial responsibilities that are vital for the institution’s continued success,” Gordon says. “I look forward to engaging with this dedicated team to identify ways of improving our community and address the issues raised in the climate survey.”

 Some 6,000 students, faculty and staff participated in the survey. Formation of the Advisory Work Group on Staff Climate Matters was one of five recommendations presented by the University’s Climate Assessment Planning Committee and approved by Chancellor Kent Syverud as an outcome of the survey project.

 Advisory work group members are:

• Rebecca Bostwick, managing director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Susan Dean, office coordinator in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• Patrick Kelly, parking services technician in Parking & Transit Services
• Amy Kennedy, academic advisor for the International Relations Program in the Maxwell School
• Heather Ketcham, operations specialist in the physics department in the College of Arts and Sciences
• Joseph Lee, director/general manager of WAER
• Laura Marra, administrative assistant in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• Joseph O’Connor, community services officer in the Department of Public Safety
• Craig Powers, machine repair technician in Physical Plant
• Pamela Peter, assistant dean and director of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities in the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience
• Rob Pusch, interim director of the LGBT Resource Center