Staff Advisory Council
Wednesday, April 14, 2021 | Zoom Mtg | 10:00 a.m.
MINUTES
Present: Michele Bettwy, Toni Feret, Angel Goldian, Chris Lawson, Drew McGhee, Dave McGreal, Ginny Norris, Taylor Peterson, Cindy Royal, Jennifer Sabourin, Erin Shumac, Janine Strasser Guest: Debbie Flaig Absent: Tom Koehle
Call to order: The meeting was called to order by Chair, Michele Bettwy, at 10:01 a.m.
Meeting Minutes Approval: The March meeting minutes were approved by the committee.
OLD BUSINESS
1. All Staff Conference Retreat (Angel Goldian): Angel reported the All-Staff Retreat is slated for May 19th; the committee has been meeting weekly. An agenda has been established and they are working out the details and finalization of times and topics. The committee has combined the topics and encompassing the recommended topics that were submitted. The main speaker will be Rick Capozzi from the Capozzi Group. Mr. Capozzi has previously spoken before when he was a PSU Employee through HRDC.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Faculty and Staff Salute a Champion for February/March2021 (Michele Bettwy):
Congratulations to Nathan Hollister, Instructor Design (Academic Affairs) and Facilities & Operations Team recipients of Salute a Champion for February/March 2021. Salute a Champion nominations are being accepted for April on our website (altoona.psu.edu/sac).
2. Staff Advisory Council Election/Update (Michele Bettwy):
Nominated to the Staff Advisory Council: Tom Hatch, Manager, Engineering Labs, Rachel Fowkes, Assistant Director of Development, Development and Alumni Relations, and Debbie Flaig, Education and training/Adult Enrollment Coordinator
Nominated to the Faculty Senate: Jennifer Sabourin, Director of Student Conduct, Debbie Flaig, Education and training/Adult Enrollment Coordinator, and Lynn Dalby, Research Technologist/Science Laboratory Coordinator
3. Department Events/Council Members (Michele Bettwy):
Michele Bettwy – Commencement ceremonies for our spring 2021 graduates will be in- person on Saturday, May 8th in the Adler Arena. If anyone is interested in volunteering with commencement, please reach out through an email to Michele. Additional commencement information will be sent out in the near future.
Drew McGhee – Reminder to notify IT when an employee leaves Penn State. Currently, there is no mechanism in place for notifying IT.
Deb Flaig – Spring SeAL Challenge will be held in a hybrid format on May 13, 2021. High school teams will build at their own location and will come together virtually via video conferencing on Challenge Day; Kids’ College 2021 camps will be offered virtually this summer. There are 13 camps available for elementary and middle school students and will begin on June 28, 2021. Chris Lawson – IT is sponsoring Adobe Premiere video editing training. The training will be held in two parts by Chris Lawson on Tuesday, May 25th and Thursday, May 27th from 1pm to 3 pm. If anyone is interested, please register at https://forms.office.com/r/DvtD9tVf5P.
Chris will be establishing a new SharePoint site for the SAC Council members to share and store files, communicate, coordinate future meetings through Teams, integrate better with other Office 365 apps.
Toni Feret –Adopt a Senior project. The primary purpose of this project is to connect our 2021 Spring graduating seniors with a professional (alumni/faculty/staff/friend) in the same or similar degree/field of employment, become a mentor and be a part of the student’s professional network. Karen Helsey will be sending information; Golf tournament is tentatively scheduled in-person for August or September; Virtual 5K – The Alumni Society Virtual took place between March 24th and April 7th and received $2600 for the student fund. Thanked those who participated.
Ginny Norris – Dani Frye, Director, Student & Civic Engagement has offered to attend the May Staff Advisory Committee meeting to speak about the benefits and opportunities of “Connect: student online involvement community”. Dani will be added to the May agenda.
Jennifer Sabourin – April is a month to bring awareness to many causes. Sexual Assault Awareness, moveable doors have been painted with phrases related to sexual violence and consent, as well as local resources. Doors will be displayed and moved throughout the campus. Informational programs are being offered and a movie screening will be held in Slep Pondview. Throughout April, special events and activities are planned for Alcohol Awareness and Pride month. Register on Connect for this month’s events.
Although Covid numbers off campus are vastly lower this semester, it’s still present. Student Affairs is seeking volunteers to assist with quarantine and isolation student support.
Taylor Peterson – Athletics is busy with the spring sports schedule. Fans are permitted to attend outdoor PS Altoona sporting events on campus. Must follow CDC guidelines. Students are required to register for a workout time for the Weight Room or Cardio Loft through Penn State Altoona Connect; Intramural activity challenges are being planned, some include cornhole, 5K possibility, and disc golf.
4. USAC Updates (Debbie Flaig)
Annual Summit – 4th Annual Summit was held on March 30th. Shared ideas and collaborated on issues impacting Penn State staff across the university. The presentations are on the website. Next Gen Penn State Survey – Penn State community is encouraged to participate in a survey on the search for the next University president. Monthly Meeting Brief – Deb will forward the March Monthly Meeting brief to Janine and Michele for distribution to the committee.
STAFF CONCERNS/REPORTS:
Concern: Will the staff be receiving service awards this year 5 year, 10 year, etc.)?
Rseponse: Michele shared the awards ceremony is (tentatively) slated for May 20th and will be held virtually. Staff Services Awards have not been included in the program and it is not in the end of the year discussion. Janine also shared the service awards have not been given for the last two years. Committee asked Janine to follow-up with Cherrie Henry.
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, May 12th at 10:00 a.m.
ADJOURNMENT: Meeting was adjourned at 10:40 a.m.