History of Staff Senate at KU
Beginnings
The organization known as Unclassified Senate began in April 1988 when seven unclassified staff members met and formed the Ad Hoc Committee of Concerned Unclassified, Non-Faculty Staff. The committee expressed frustration that unclassified staff were not provided adequate management training or professional development opportunities across campus. The committee also thought that unclassified staff had no centralized organization or collective voice in the central administration. They felt that personnel policies and procedures were inconsistently applied across the university.
As a first step toward assessing concerns, a survey was mailed to approximately 625 unclassified employees. The survey asked each respondent's opinion as to the formation of a group and various endeavors that he or she would like such a group to undertake. Based on 172 responses (158 favoring and 14 opposing the formation of an organization), the committee saw several areas the new group could address: representation; professional career development; managerial skill building; governance; networking; problem-solving; motivation/training; and social activities. Interpreting this as an expression of interest, the committee convened organizational meetings and sought formal recognition from the university. A subcommittee created by-laws.
Recognition
In November 1988, the president of the group, Carol Nalbandian, received a letter from Executive Vice Chancellor Judith Ramaley acknowledging the establishment of the Unclassified Professional Staff Association. She further stated that "... we will be pleased to receive from your group any suggestions or recommendations that would help make the work of the university's unclassified professional employees more satisfying and productive. Advice and comments from UPSA regarding interest and concerns of unclassified professional employees will be particularly helpful to the administration of the university, not only in day-to-day operations of the institution, but in discussions with state officials about issues of importance to university staff." With this acknowledgment, the Interim Association of Unclassified Professional Staff became the Unclassified Professional Staff Association.
Changes
In April 2005, the association approved updating the governance structure, system of representation and officers, and name. The change to Unclassified Senate went into effect July 1, 2005. The new structure brought broader representation and increased participation of unclassified staff. The organization expanded from an executive board of 12 to an Unclassified Senate body with 30 seats. To facilitate broad representation, members are grouped into five categories based on the university structure: academic, administrative, information services (information technology and libraries), research and student success. Seats are distributed proportionally.
Unclassified Senate became a viable and universally recognized organization on campus. Achievements were made in each of the areas identified when the organization was originally formed.
One Staff Senate
In the fall of 2014, a task force comprised of Unclassified Professional Staff, University Support Staff, and University Governance representation explored the feasibility of creating one senate to represent all KU Staff. This group examined questions that needed to be addressed in creating such a group, created a potential timeline for the adoption of a new senate, and drafted proposed rules and regulations for presentation to both current senates by November 3, 2014.
The task force developed a new Staff Senate structure and corresponding Staff Senate Code, complete with definitions of staff voting rights and senate eligibility, composition and structure of the Senate, election procedures, identification of committees, and representation of Staff Senate within University Governance. Senate membership is allocated by job category, according to the Code. Each category shall be apportioned one senator for every seventy-five (75) staff members in that category.
The organizational meeting of the newly formed Staff Senate was on April 15, 2015. The newly formed Staff Senate became effective May 1st 2015. The officers—President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Technology Officer—and the Committee Chairs were elected at the first joint meeting. All senators with terms continuing past May 2015 were moved into the Staff Senate and served until the end of the 2015-2016 term. Elections were held in Spring 2016. All seats were open, with senators assigned staggered terms. The UPS Past President and USS Vice-President were both included in the new Staff Senate as senators with one-year appointments.
Accomplishments
- Expansion of Tuition Assistance to employee dependents
- Professional development funds
- “Unpacking Whiteness in the Workplace” workshop series