Colleagues,
As we reach the end of the 2013 fall semester, I write to share with you some recent actions of Staff Assembly (SA) and a reminder of upcoming events.
This fall, Staff Assembly announced a Call for Representation for the various campuswide committees that the chancellor and senior leadership rely on for information when planning the campus’s future direction. Thanks to your interests and involvement, all seven positions have been filled by your fellow staff members. Committee representatives regularly report on the work their committee is doing at the monthly Staff Assembly general meeting. If you have a concern or question about committee activity, please join us or call into the meeting.
In late September, Staff Assembly President Katie Unruh and Vice President Joe Wilensky traveled to Santa Cruz to represent UC Merced staff as part of the systemwide Council of UC Staff Assemblies (CUCSA). Delegates spoke with UCOP leaders on issues of importance to staff that included: salary compression and benefits scaling; training and advancement opportunities; helping organize the medical plans Town Hall meetings and staff participation in Regent decisions and systemwide presidential selections. The press release for the September meeting can be viewed here.
October proved to be a busy month for UC Merced with President Napolitano’s visit and the informative health care benefits Town Hall put on by Human Resources and Staff Assembly. As you know by now, the medical plans available to UC Merced staff are changing. Information on what those changes are can be found online. The campus has also begun the interview process for a new vice chancellor for Business and Administrative Services, and a new chief information officer (CIO).
As you have previously heard, November marked the final First Friday, First Wednesday Coffee Hour, to be replaced with a new Networking and Public Service Series (NPS). The full announcement explaining the transition is posted on the Staff Assembly website. In short, Staff Assembly responded to a call for more targeted programming and less social events as expressed through a survey administered last July. Thank you to those who responded to the most recent survey . With your input, we can create an event series that will provide a lasting benefit to staff, the UC Merced community and the greater Merced community.
In closing, I’d like to thank you all for your hard work at UC Merced. Staff Assembly is your organization, and we need your input if we are to represent staff in the best way possible. I encourage you to get to know your executive board. Let us know what’s on your mind at one of our monthly Executive Board meetings or through the feedback link on our website. I look forward to hearing from you, seeing you, and working with you to make UC Merced the best campus it can be.
Sincerely,
Joe Wilensky
Vice President
UC Merced Staff Assembly
