2013/2014 Operating Staff Council Retreat

Present:

Susie Ericson-West, Chair
Sheila Kirby, Vice-chair
Cecil Maxfield, Recorder
Deb Barrett
Deb Logan
Deb Williams
Doug Adler
Tim Garland
Ro Dettelback
Kim Harkness, HR director

Absent: Deb Ford, Dee Denehy

** Short review by Chair, SE-W, of Robert’s Rules of Order and encouragement for each OSC member to print out the OSC’s bylaws for easy reference going forward.

** Committee Assignments:

SPPC: Vice Chair, S. Kirby (per bylaws), Deb Williams, alternate. NOTE: Ericson-West will stay on an SPPC subcommittee on tuition at KSC until that subcommittee’s work is done (hoping for August, 2013) at which point SE-W will step away from SPPC duties.

Health and Safety: Doug Adler (current) stays on. Deb Logan, alternate

FPAC (Facilities Planning Advisory Committee): Cecil Maxfield (current) stays on.

Bylaws: S. Kirby stays on; Tim Garland joins. Cecil Maxfield will be available for language and/or punctuation.

Elections: Deb Ford, Doug Adler

Founders Day: Ro Dettelback and Deb Ford continue

Fundraising: Deb Barrett (current) and Deb Logan

Professional Development: S. Kirby (current), Deb Barrett

Planning Council: Deb Williams

Budget Committee: Tim Garland (current)

PCPOW: Ro Dettelback completes second year of a two-year term

HRPAB (Human Resources Planning Advisory Board): Chair, Susie Ericson-West, as part of Chair’s duties, sits as ex-officio

** Review of last year’s goals and accomplishments:

1. Review Council makeup, to be confident of adequate representation. Discussed, checked numbers represented by each member, voted as being appropriate.
2. Edit current Performance Evaluation form Done in conjunction with Kim Harkness, HR director; recommendations forwarded. Report that recommendations may also be used by PATs and/or other campuses in the USNH system.
3. Review of “Total Rewards” a. Ongoing. Faculty union chair, Adjunct Faculty union chair, PAT and OS chairs met with Interim President Jay Kahn during the previous year to discuss. It was felt that “nothing definitive” had occurred, but that a direction may have been established (e.g., the “merit subcommittee” came about as part of the “Total Rewards” initiative, though not as part of the last year’s discussions). b. 1 % retirement account match by USNH was reinstituted.
4. Community-building efforts a. Participation in Community Service Day b. Much discussion about internal KSC community-building; what’s been done, how much of what occurs on KSC campus has ties back to internal community-building

** New goals:

1. Continue to monitor merit process and support KSC community throughout Stress need for supervisor training for performance evaluations , which are directly tied to performance awards
2. Continued community-building a. Evolving Commons Symposium (http://sites.keene.edu/symposium 2013) to be held November 3-7, 2013 as a means of building community. b. Ask incoming President Anne Huot about participating in Community Service Day again this year. c. With President Huot’s support, explore the possibility of a panel of greater-Keene community organizations who offer volunteer opportunities, said panel to be directed toward staff and faculty involvement in volunteering within the community. d. Much discussion about bullying on campus, as experienced by all members of KSC. Concern that this insidious, perhaps difficult-to-define entity needs to be addressed. Current efforts include work by Restorative Justice Committee and its Restorative Circles program (Forrest Seymour and Linda Baker). OSC to promote advocacy of some sort of program to address bullying. e. Concurrent with “d” above, OSC to promote issues of civility on campus.

** HR Updates with Kim Harkness:

1. Rollout of Pay for Performance Plan (summary for OS Council retreat). Copies were handed out to members of the OSC. As of 6/27/13, Cabinet has approved, with some alterations. More hurdles to be overcome before it becomes policy, so details not to be released as yet.
2. As of 6/27/13, Trustees’ Financial Affairs Committee has approved the option to offer health care plans to adjunct staff. This would be a consumer-directed health plan (CDHP), not the USNH plan many of us are enrolled in, although this would also be available as an option to any OS or PAT who desired them. This needs to be supported by the full Board of Trustees before it becomes policy.
3. SIPs. Council directed to HR Director Kim Harkness to inquire about possibility of a SIP in FY’14, as the last one was in FY’11 and the hope at that time was for the SIPs to be employed every three years. Motion by D. Williams, second by S. Kirby. Unanimous vote in the affirmative.

** Council Meeting Dates for 2013-2014 (All meetings from 10 AM-noon):

• 8/14/13 (tentative)
• 9/11/13
• 10/9/13
• 11/13/13
• 12/11/13
• 1/8/14
• 2/12/14
• 3/12/14
• 4/9/14
• 5/14/14

** General OS Meetings (All meetings from 9-10:30AM, with refreshments at 8:45AM)

• 10/16/13
• 12/18/13
• 2/19/14
• 4/16/14

** OS Dependents’ Scholarship Fund update:

Fund has $31,921.89 in it. Currently, two awards of $250 per semester are being given out.

Other Treasurer’s reports: Internally designated fund: $622.33: General account: $5,643.32

** Old business: None

** New business: Discussion of blog by former KSC employee and how potentially-affected parties and their associates were advised of situation, email put out to KSC community regarding potential danger, and the timing of that email. Concern that more transparency is needed. No action taken.