P&A News

February 2017 Issue

deveauxA Message from your P&A Senate Chair:
Etty DeVeaux

We work together for great outcomes.
Our P&A Senate is strong, and growing stronger thanks to the leadership and hard work of our senators. Our senate continues to play a crucial role in the shared governance of the University of Minnesota. However, we are and will always be only as strong as the dedication and determination of our P&A employees. Please consider joining the Senate, and working together with University administration and our other governance groups to help ensure great outcomes in all aspects of our University.

At our next Senate meeting on April 7, 2017, we will hold elections for open senate seats. Senators and alternates serve three-year terms on a staggered basis. This means that each year, about a third of these positions come open. Units with open positions will receive notice shortly. I encourage you to join us in this work, or to nudge a colleague who will bring a new perspective to the senate.

For those already serving as senators or alternates, please consider running for one of the important leadership roles: chair-elect; chair/co-chair one of our four subcommittees; representative to the University Senate. Applications for these positions are available on the P&A Senate website.
Our work this past month has stayed focused on campus climate and P&A benefits. On February 15th, the P&A Consultative Committee met with President Kaler and Vice President for Human Resources, Kathy Brown to discuss the issues you sent to the senate. We had a productive meeting, including discussions on:
  • The role of athletics and the impact of recent events on mission
  • The need to increase diversity in senior administration
  • Impacts of the executive order on immigration on our community
  • We also discussed some of the unintended adverse impacts of the Job Family Study, and made recommendations for moving forward in the post job families study environment. Other P&A concerns we discussed were:
  • Talent development and employee retention
  • Annually renewable P&A contracts
  • Extending the vacation accrual allowance for P&As
  • Flexible work environments
  • A summary of our meeting is available next month in the senate meetings report.  We will also follow this discussion with an update to the senate from Vice President Brown, and a focus on talent development and employee retention at our April 7th P&A Senate Meeting.

    Thanks for your work and contributions to our mission.

    Etty welcomes your comments, concerns, and questions at [email protected].

 

Announcements

 
Subcommittee Updates
 
BENEFITS AND COMPENSATION SUBCOMMITTEE (B&C)
The B&C subcommittee has submitted a resolution for the April meeting to create greater equity in parental leave. A number of other governance groups have also submitted resolutions related to parental leave. Primarily, our resolution asks for six weeks of paid parental leave be offered to all new parents (birthing or non-birthing). The Job Family Study is now complete but there are a few trailing issues. We have been in contact with Vice President Kathy Brown and new Senior Vice President Brian Burnett about working to address outstanding concerns regarding the Job Family Study.
Let Us Know What Issues Are Important To You: Please contact Ian Ringgenberg ([email protected]) and/or Shannon Farrell ([email protected]) with your concerns!
 
COMMUNICATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE
We are open during construction!   An improved P&A website is coming soon! We know, promises.. promises.... We are working on improvements that we think will be worth the wait, including more updated information on our work. If you have a concern about the website, it's not too late to incorporate your feedback. Please contact Austin Calhoun ([email protected]), chair of the P&A Communications Subcommittee.

We are ALWAYS looking for P&As who are doing great work to be featured in our Spotlight. We know that there are great stories of colleagues across the University who are dedicated to making this a great place to research, teach, work, study, be!  Everyone wants to be appreciated! If you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret-- you can nominate a P&A to be featured in our newsletter or social media via this form. 

OUTREACH SUBCOMMITTEE
Annual P&A Senate elections will be held on April 7th. The Outreach Subcommittee is also dedicated to filling unrepresented senator seats in 2016-2017 - a few seats remain open. Find out who represents you and your unit and see if there is an open seat in your area and consider joining the Senate.
 
Contact Ann Hagen ([email protected]) if you are interested in running for a seat, especially if you don't see your unit represented. 
 
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RECOGNITION SUBCOMMITTEE
The Professional Development and Recognition Subcommittee seeks nominations for the 2016-17 Outstanding Unit Award. The deadline for submitting a nomination is March 22nd at 5:00 p.m. More details are available on the website.
 
We will also have a Brown Bag Lunch and Learn in March. More to come!

 

P&A Employee Spotlight
Molly Olson, assistant director, Marketing, University of Minnesota-- Rochester

Molly Olson, assistant director, Marketing, University of Minnesota Rochester

Each month we feature a University of Minnesota P&A employee — highlighting the unique breadth and depth of this employee group. You can nominate a colleague or team of colleagues to be featured in the P&A Newsletter.

Meet Molly Olson, Assistant Director of Marketing at University of Minnesota-- Rochester. Molly is driven to share the unique story of UMR students-- and we are excited to share a glimpse at her story.

What is your role at the University of Minnesota?
I manage general and recruitment marketing at UMR, oversee communications sent to prospective students and UMR's social media.

What do you enjoy most about your role? I am able to be creative every single day. I get to think outside of the box, be a risk taker, try new things, and I am encouraged to do so! Each day is different and I love the variety.

What would people never guess you do in your job? I do a lot of surveying and digging into data as much as I can. Whether it be looking at open rates on emails or surveying students, it is often something people may not realize I do and really enjoy too! I want to make sure that what we are doing is making a difference and matters.

What do you like best about working at UMR?
I love working with students and watching them grow throughout their time here. Hearing their passion for education and their goals excites me. It is why I continue to stay in higher education.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Taking in every opportunity I can get my hands on! I love the scope of experiences I have had at UMR, we are a small campus and I have been able to learn from so many different projects and experiences. While I may not be an expert, every opportunity allows me to learn and gain confidence in an area I may not have had any experience in if I were anywhere else.

Upcoming P&A Senate Meetings - Open to all P&As!

  • April 7, 5-125 Moos Tower, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
  • May 5, 5-125 Moos Tower, 9:30  - 11:30 a.m.
System campuses are connected by ITV in the following locations:
Crookston: 105 Kiehle Hall
Duluth: 173 Kirby Plaza
Morris: 7 Humanities and Fine Arts
Rochester: Room 398

Contact P&A Senate Leadership

 

 

Did you know?

The P&A Senate represents Academic Professionals and Administrators (P&As). Almost 6,500 P&A work at all five campuses of the University system. In 1980, P&As comprised six percent of the employee population at the University. Today, P&As account for almost a quarter of University employees.
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