Jennifer Graham on Participating in CLAS Staff Council

What is your title/position within the college?

Senior Application Developer with CLAS Technology Services

Did you self-nominate or did someone nominate you to run for CLAS Staff Council?

Self-nominate

Why did you decide to run / accept the nomination to CLAS Staff Council?

I wanted to run for Staff Council because I wanted to better understand the College and to meet others in CLAS.  I like helping to identify where improvements can be made, helping to connect or involve the appropriate people, and making a difference.

Do you have any major needs for CLAS or items you are/have been working on?

Currently I am the Treasurer for the CLAS Staff Council.  Treasurer is a new Executive Committee role this year.  I am managing the CLAS Staff Council budget and working with other committees to track spending.  I look for other funding opportunities across campus and am compiling a list to share with my constituents in the near future.  I am also working to document and get the right processes in place to make the transition to the next treasurer an easy one.

What has been the most rewarding part of the experience?

I really enjoy the people on the council and learning from all of them. 

Having spent some time on the council, why do you feel this is important to participate in / contribute to shared governance?

I feel that it is important to participate so that you can understand processes currently in place.  Then you are better situated to suggest meaningful change and be a part of it.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?

I have learned much about the different CLAS staff positions and the different challenges that departments encounter and I feel that this knowledge is very beneficial.

Janeil Page-Jamison on Participating in CLAS Staff Council

What is your title/position within the college?

 I am the Academic Success Administrator and Senior Academic Advisor in Psychological and Brain Sciences

Did you self-nominate or did someone nominate you to run for CLAS Staff Council? 

 I was nominated to run for CSC.

Why did you decide to run/ accept the nomination? 

I decided to accept the nomination because I wanted to be more involved in the larger College of Liberal Arts and Sciences community. I’d been at the university for seven years and felt that I hadn’t really engaged in the college beyond my own unit – this was a great opportunity to change that.

Do you have any major needs for CLAS/ items you are/have been working on?

I was part of a listening session this past fall where the thoughts and concerns of my peers were gathered and later presented to the Dean. I appreciated watching and being a small part of this process. It’s important to me that the voices of staff be heard and taken seriously.

I’ve also worked on CLAS Council events and have been able to help acquaint staff members in the college with the council and what we do.

What has been the most rewarding part of the experience? 

Being a part of a shared governance body in and of itself is very rewarding!

Having spent some time on the council, why do you feel it is important to participate in / contribute to shared governance? 

CLAS staff have a vested interest in the way that our organization is operating. It’s important to communicate our thoughts and concerns with those making the decisions so that they can be guided by the needs of us all; CLAS Staff Council is one way to be involved in providing that guidance.