Latest News
P&A Senate Officers Elected for 2022-23
Elections for officers of the Academic Professionals and Administrative (P&A) Senate took place at the April P&A Senate meeting and the new leadership will begin their terms on July 1, 2022. Adolfo Carrillo Cabello, technology enhanced language learning specialist, College of Liberal Arts, will assume the role of chair, and Whitney Taha Frakes, training consultant, University Services Human Resources, was elected chair-elect. Both are from the Twin Cities campus.
The following P&A senate members were elected as P&A subcommittee co-chairs and, along with the chair and chair-elect, will make up the P&A Consultative Committee (PACC):
- Benefits & Compensation Subcommittee Co-Chairs: Marty Fasteland and Nancy Sims
- Communications Subcommittee Co-Chairs: Chelsie Bohlman and Amanda DeLisi
- Outreach Subcommittee Co-Chairs: Toni Abts and Stacy Doepner-Hove
- Professional Development & Recognition Subcommittee Co-Chairs: Leigh Allen and Monica Kocon
The following nine P&A senate members were elected to serve three-year terms on the University Senate:
- Christopher Abts
- Toni Abts
- Scott Creer
- Stacy Doepner-Hove
- Rutherford Johnson
- John Paton
- Carol Rachac
- Katie Vukelich
- Maureen Long
P&A senators serving on University Senate represent P&A interests within the full University Senate. The University Senate includes faculty, civil service and P&A staff, and student representatives from all five campuses. Congratulations to the 2022-23 P&A Senate members elected to leadership roles for the coming academic year!
May Policy Pop-Up: "University Travel Policy Refresher"
Do you need a refresher on the U's travel policies after a period with little to no business travel? Are you curious if anything has changed in the past few years regarding University business-related travel? Join us for a moderated Q&A session with our University Travel expert, Rebekka Gronfor White, at our next Policy Pop-Up: “University Travel Policy Refresher”. This virtual event will be held Wednesday, May 4 from noon to 1 PM CT. (Register here.)
P&A Driving MPACT 2025
Jessie Barnett Schimek, PhD., is a student-based P&A faculty member in public health at the University of Minnesota Rochester, where she specializes in dynamic curriculum development, collaborative teaching, and experiential learning. She was awarded a 2022 Horace T. Morse - University of Minnesota Alumni Associate Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. Barnett Schimek’s contributions support MPACT 2025 through supporting student success through teaching, mentoring, advising, and community engagement.
Kathleen L. Seifert, director of undergraduate studies and senior lecturer, Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, is an outstanding teacher and contributor to undergraduate education. She collaborates with colleagues across the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) to create real-world experiences, professional networks, and career pathways for those who teach in special education and related fields. Seifert has been awarded a 2022 Horace T. Morse - University of Minnesota Alumni Associate Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Education. Seifert supports MPACT 2025 through student success through teaching and mentoring.
Please consider sharing your own work with us to be considered for upcoming newsletters. If you come upon an article involving a P&A Employee, let us know.
Senate Work
P&A Consultative Committee (PACC) - Chair Scott Creer and Chair-elect Adolfo Carrillo Cabello
President Gabel attended the April PACC meeting and updated the committee on the Board of Regents Policy: Namings and Renamings; the establishment of four work groups as part of the President's Initiative on Student Mental Health (PRISMH) to address the availability of support, communication around the availability of resources, faculty and staff allyship, and underlying research grants; and the latest news on the University's budget request to the Minnesota Legislature.
President Gabel also responded to questions that PACC and P&A Senate members submitted in advance of the meeting, centering on compensation, organizational culture, Work. With Flexibility, and COVID-19. President Gabel thanked PACC for its initiative to focus attention on how the work of P&A employees helps meet the goals laid out in the MPACT 2025 Systemwide Strategic Plan.
Benefits and Compensation Subcommittee (B&C) - Co-chairs Marti Fasteland and Nancy Sims
At its April meeting, B&C hosted Melissa Haines and Paula Merrill from the Office of Human Resources (OHR), Twin Cities campus, to discuss the Report on Total Compensation, which is provided annually by OHR to the Board of Regents. This report provides, among other information, a picture of how the University's compensation for certain jobs and job families compares to the salary range midpoint, or market median, and is called compa- ratio.
Compa-ratio data has been used to further conversations about the University’s overall compensation strategy. It provides an objective data point that the University value and a starting point for advocacy about compensation for staff as a whole.
In May, the B&C Subcommittee will review mental health benefits for employees.
P&A Professional Development and Recognition Subcommittee (PD&R) - Co-chairs Leigh Allen and Monica Kocon
Bookmark the University Awards & Honors website where you can find a list of awards for which P&A employees are eligible to submit nominations. For the awards without submission deadline dates, check back often since websites are being updated frequently.
Upcoming award deadlines:
- Award for Global Engagement - due May 18, 2022
Additional Updates
Stay Connected to the P&A Senate!
Previous Senate meeting minutes can be viewed at any time.
The next P&A Senate Meeting meeting will be on Friday, May 6, 2022. P&A Senate meetings are open to the public, and meeting information and Zoom links can be found on the P&A Senate website calendar.