United minds of the Admin Senate

As the 2021 Spring Semester ended, both students and employees continued to adjust to a different type of semester closing. But one thing that happened as expected was the elections of representatives in Administrative Senate, Faculty Senate and Staff Council.

This spring, the Administrative Senate elected four new senators and welcomed a new vice chairman. While it is easy to remember that the Admin Senate works to represent the interests of administrative employees, while also providing insight to help promote and further the University, being a part of the senate includes much more, and each person plays an important role with the opinions, knowledge and goals they share.

"Shared governance is a way to give everyone a voice, and those voices need to be heard," Ingrid Lindy, Manager of Human Resource Information Systems and out-going past chair with Admin Senate, says.

In a basic sense, the purpose of Admin Senate is to serve as the communications link between President  Rochon and administrative staff, act as a consultative body in regard to policy affecting the operation of campus and act as a formal means of communication between administrators and the University.

"With our committee structure and the opportunities afforded to our chairperson to be directly involved in meetings at the top levels of the institution, Administrative Senate is directly involved in conversations that affect the entire campus community," Steven Stump, Assistant Director of the Center for Applied Research and in-coming Admin Senate Vice Chair, says. "We organize campus events, provide professional development activities, seek to enhance employee benefits and strive to improve connections amongst administrators and boost our school spirit."

"This has always been a problem-solving group and will continue to be so," Ray Simmons, Director of Athletic Communications and District 3 Senator, adds. "I've been a part of the Admin Senate in the past and have enjoyed my time working with the group."

In April, four administrative staff members were elected to District Senator positions: District 1 Senator Nathan Payne, Program Coordinator for Student Development Programs; District 2 Senator Robert Threet, Systems Manager for Information Technology; District 3 Ray Simmons and District 4 Senator Betsy Mullins, Coordinator of Business Operations for Housing and Residence Life. Taylor Gogel, Assistant Director of Development for the USI Foundation, will continue as At-Large Senator and Jacob Hansen, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, will move from Vice Chair to Chair of the Admin Senate.

Those departing the Admin Senate governing group along with Lindy are District 1 Senator Jada Hogg, Outreach Coordinator and Student Mentor; District 2 Senator Nick Bebout, Systems Administrator for Information and Technology, and District 4 Senator Angel Nelson, Associate Registrar.

Whether incoming or outgoing, all have shared a common purpose-bringing various ideas and thoughts to the table and representing their fellow employees in the best way possible. Talking with many of them, care and concern for their fellow administrative staff is what compels them to be a part of the Admin Senate.

"Solidarity is a good thing," Threet says. "I'm looking forward to hearing from people outside my department and getting to know people better."

Nelson joined the Admin Senate as a way to meet more people across campus, and through her service, found she became more aware of the inner workings of the University.  

"I have also learned about the day-to-day operations of other departments," she says. "This information has really helped me built a greater rapport with other areas on campus. I would encourage others to become involved because I really feel that it has helped build personal and professional relationships that facilitate the mission of my office."

For Stump, all the governance bodies on campus (Admin Senate, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, President's Council and Student Government Association) are important to give employees and students a chance to be a part of conversations related to their roles at USI, as well as helping move the University forward positively.

"Being afforded the opportunity to have that collective voice in key conversations with leadership enables us to provide perspective, feedback and suggestions that can advance the mission of USI and make it the best possible place for our students to learn, our faculty to teach and our staff and administration to work," Stump says.

As Lindy leaves her past chair position, she says memorable moments like representing administrators by speaking at Dr. Rochon's inauguration and building the lasting friendships strengthen her belief in the importance of Admin Senate.

"There is something for everyone," she says. "I would encourage all employees to become involved in their employee group governance."

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You don't have to be an elected member of the Administrative Senate to  contribute to the organization. Volunteers are always needed to serve on committees, Stump says.

"Our committees include Employee Relations and Benefits, Professional Development, Employee Outreach and Employee Events," he says. "Any administrator with an interest in these topics can visit the standing committees website to view a full description of each group and the names of the current chairs, whom you can contact directly to express your interest in volunteering."