2023-2024 Achievements

A report of the achievements and learnings of the 2023-24 Staff/AAP Advisory Council is available here. A roster of Council members and officers is included.

The 2023-24 Council recognizes the progress that has been made in the following areas this year and wishes to acknowledge all those across the university who have contributed to these efforts:

Hire and onboarding of staff ombudsperson

The Council participated in the hire and onboarding of staff ombudsperson Linda Brothers. The staff ombudsperson position was established in 2023 in response to years of Council advocacy including a 2021 Council resolution.

Release of first Staff Cultural Climate Survey results

In November the university released the results of its first staff cultural climate survey. The Council has strongly advocated for a clear public commitment from university leadership to address the concerns illuminated in these results, including passing two resolutions addressing our institutional response and our community response, and drafting a set of recommendations at the request of the president’s office. In response, the president’s executive committee has committed to repeating the survey in 2024 and more promptly reporting results, integrating staff initiatives within the “Strengthening our Inclusive Campus Community” newsletter, and to meeting regularly with the Council executive committee. A number of other initiatives are being explored if funding and stakeholders can be aligned, including professional development offerings, support for unit-level goal setting and centralization of organizational oversight. These conversations are ongoing.

Job Classification and Career Pathway Study

The Council continues to provide consultation to the university’s multi-year project overseen by HR’s classification and compensation team with support from Mercer Consulting to redesign the university job classification and career pathway systems, which will include job architecture and job catalogs, benefits evaluation, compensation benchmarking and proposed realignment, title guidelines, and implementation strategy.

New and improved staff recognition awards

Following the implementation of GULC’s staff service awards in 2022-23, this year GUMC and Main Campus implemented new staff service awards in partnership with their respective caucuses, and University Services has submitted a proposal for its own staff service awards. Additionally, the university has now aligned staff vicennial awards and ceremonies to faculty awards.

Streamlining recruitment processes and reducing timelines

The Council has continued to work closely with HR to reduce unnecessary redundancy and delays in the university’s recruitment processes.

Continued expansion of Council representation on university committees

The Council renewed its representation on key institutional advisory committees and saw the addition of Council representatives in new areas.

Advisory Committee on Business Practices
Benefits Advisory Committee
Childcare Expansion Working Group
Healthy Buildings/Indoor Air Task Force
Human Resources Advisory Committee
IDEAA Advisory Group (New in 2023)
Transportation and Parking (New in 2023)

Increasing staff development opportunities

The Council continues to advocate for increased investment in staff development, especially for managers. This year the university has added manager training opportunities, and the Main Campus Caucus partnered with the Office of the Provost to pilot a Staff/AAP Symposium.

Improving Council operations

The Council has continued to update its back-end processes and systems for efficiency and continuity, including recent updates to its governing documents.

Strengthening Council standing

The Council has continued to strengthen its reputation with university and campus leaders as a key partner in supporting the university community and improving the work lives of staff and AAP employees.