Staff Senate Newsletter | Spring 2025

We encourage you to participate in Staff Senate for the 2025-2026 year! The Spring 2025 elections have wrapped up and we have a roster of committed senators for the 2025-2026 term. The elections filled 15 seats for a new three-year term.

KU Staff Senate is a great way to meet people, network, and participate in shaping the future for Staff at KU. We encourage anyone interested in participating in KU Staff Senate to join a committee by contacting staffsenate@ku.edu.

Angela Robb | FY2025 Elections Chair

Chris Wallace | FY2025 Elections Chair-Elect

The Personnel Affairs Committee has three action teams that each work on different goals throughout the year. 

The Compensation and Benefits ACTION Team led by Annette Delaney and Aaron “Quiz” Quizenberry worked to update the process by which employees who are not able to attend the annual Employee Recognition Ceremony receive their employee recognition gifts. The process had been creating confusion and missed opportunities to acknowledge valued employees. To address this issue, clear instructions will be included in upcoming HR emails detailing how staff can pick up their Employee Recognition gifts if they are unable to attend the event in person. This ensures all honorees are celebrated and have access to their well-deserved recognition

The Nature of work ACTION Team led by Aaron Howard and Jordan Wade tackled several projects this year, the biggest of which was reevaluating the inclement weather policy. The goal was to ensure all staff, regardless of work modality, have a robust policy to fall back on if they are unable to perform the duties of their job due to inclement weather. After careful review, multiple revisions, and feedback from a variety of stakeholders, the updated policy is ready for a final full Staff Senate vote. The next large-scale project will be to collaborate with partners to develop a career pathways program for staff. This initiative would create readily available information and resources to help staff advance in their current role or move into another position within the university.

The Leadership, Appreciation and Recognition ACTION Team led by Kelly Bellmyer and Mishelle Denton facilitated engaging breakout sessions with mentors and mentees at the 2024 KU Staff Leadership Summit. The sessions were held to gather input on what staff would value in a mentoring program. Participants shared ideas on structure, support tools, and meaningful ways to foster professional growth and connections across campus. This feedback will help shape future mentoring efforts aligned with staff needs and interests. 

The entire Personnel Affairs Committee reviewed a draft of the new employee orientation program and provided targeted feedback to enhance clarity, usability, and alignment with staff onboarding needs.

Michelle Wilson | FY2025 Personnel Affairs Chair

Ashley Kalatusha | FY2025 Personnel Affairs Chair-Elect

The Professional Development Committee manages and awards professional development funds to KU staff. This year we have awarded $16,087 to 43 individuals to assist in travel or other professional development opportunities. Here’s a sample of conferences staff attended this year:

• Financial Research Administration Conference, San Diego
• Advancing Catalysis Science for a Decarbonized World, Boston
• KLC (Kansas Leadership Center) Leadership Path, Wichita
• COE (Council for Opportunity in Education) Policy Seminar, Washinton, D.C.
• AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability) Equity & Excellence Conference, Baltimore

Corinna Lynn Johnson | FY2025 Professional Development Chair

This year the Public Relations Committee:

• Launched the Jayhawk Thanks program, which offers an opportunity to recognize employee excellence.
• Organized tabling at the Staff Leadership Summit where we engaged with staff, answered questions, and encouraged participation in shared governance on campus.
• Published a fall and spring newsletter providing updates to staff and encouraging participation in Staff Senate.
• Created a Civic Engagement page for the Staff Senate website providing staff with ongoing resources related to elections, voting, and participation in the democratic process at the local, state, and national levels.

Jessica Chilcoat | FY2025 Public Relations Chair

Gabe Downey | FY2025 Public Relations Chair-Elect

The Ad Hoc Technology Committee, led by Jeremy McLeod, will become a standing committee starting next year. The ad hoc committee spent considerable time this year building out charges and drafting updated code language to establish the committee permanently. In the future, this committee will work to provide updates to Staff Senate on IT related projects and initiatives, assist Staff Senate in its technology needs, and represent staff in discussions around technology across campus.