Growing out of work that started in Spring 2022, the St. Olaf Staff Council launched in Fall 2024. The Staff Council is a group of staff-elected members who seek to provide a voice in decision-making for all levels of staff and a line of communication to and from the President and College leadership. The group advises on, raises attention to, and addresses issues that impact the climate for college staff. The Council also co-creates programming that recognizes and celebrates the varied contributions of the staff as critical and valued stakeholders of the St. Olaf community.
Primary responsibilities of the Staff Council:
- Gather regular feedback from staff on their unique perspectives about issues of importance to staff and the St. Olaf community, such as via surveys, all-staff meetings, and staff forums.
- Review feedback from staff and identify common messages and themes that reflect staff opinions and values.
- Meet as a council on a regular basis and meet with member(s) of the PLT and the AVP of Human Resources periodically.
- Present ideas, concerns, and suggestions from staff to the administration.
- Inform staff colleagues of issues and policies that affect them. Staff Council members are encouraged to post minutes and communicate regularly and routinely via established college communication channels.
- Coordinate staff membership on college committees, with close attention to ensuring a diversity of staff are represented.
- Co-plan agenda and co-host regular all-staff meetings with PLT or their designee(s).
- Co-sponsor events and awards throughout the year to promote staff recognition, and create social opportunities for staff community building.
- Establish and maintain relationships with existing governance bodies on campus for faculty (e.g., Faculty Life Committee, Faculty Governance Committee) and students.
Council membership strives to represent the nine divisions of the college, including a representation of diverse identities, offices, roles, and exempt/non-exempt employees. All staff from each division elect their own Council representative(s). All staff who are not members of the President’s Leadership Team are eligible to serve on the Staff Council.