CLAS Staff Council Meeting Minutes: August 19, 2026 

Present: Adam Skibbe, Vance Morris, Jason Millsap, Beth MacKenzie, Sarah Horgen, Matthew Finley, LIndsay Vella, Shonda Monette, Susmita Das Sarkar, Anna Gaw 

  1. President Shonda Monette made a motion to open the meeting (Sarah seconded) and called the meeting to order.  

  1. The present council members introduced themselves and welcomed Matthew Finley to the council. 

  1. Retreat Minutes contain edits to be reviewed by council members prior to approval. The corrected minutes will be voted on at the next meeting. 

  1. Shonda recapped discussions from the retreat and reviewed the charges for each standing committee. The primary objective for this year will be to determine who does what and become familiar with the bylaws of each committee. 

  1. Council members were assigned to committees with vacancies. 

  • Matt will join the Communications and Awards committees. 

  • Jamie will fill the open spot on the Events committee. 

  1. Susmita shared the Treasurer’s Report and reviewed the CSC FY27 Funds Request to be presented the college.  Adam provided background context from previous budget items that inform future budgeting. The group discussed prospective future retreat locations and costs considering last year’s location being provided for free. EC will present this draft budget to Dean Sanders at their next meeting with her. 

  1. Shonda reviewed the list of prospective speakers drafted by the EC and requested additional suggestions be directed to her. Dean Sanders is first on the list; others should be prioritized (i.e. new FM director). Shonda will send invites to Dean Sanders, Farrukh Bashir, Sam Mitchell, and President Wilson. Jason will reach out to Andre Perry. 

VIII. Shonda discussed the CLAS Strategic Planning process and ongoing listening sessions with Dean Sanders.  

  1. Shonda requested all CSC members read the bylaws. 

  1. Jason will pass the Thank You cards on to Shonda to take on the initiative. 

  1. Jason requested that the Communications Commmittee set up a meeting with CLAS MarCom to review the distribution calendar and discuss how to move forward with shared goals. 

  1. Shonda reviewed the CLAS Staff Appreciation Event and shared thoughts for future events. 

  • CSC needs access to the PowerPoint slideshow sooner to add our content (Shonda will request this earlier next year) 

  • Attendance, location, and amount of food was great 

  • Staff seemed fine with no gift and longevity awards were appreciated 

  • Perhaps have Dean Sanders read names of award winners 

  1. Shonda made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Matt seconded. 

  1. Meeting adjourned.