Staff Advisory Council begins its work

Members of the Johns Hopkins University Staff Advisory Council, a new voice for the 12,000 staff members at JHU, began their work earlier this year by electing officers, meeting with leadership, and creating a set of priorities—and subcommittees to address them—on issues that range from workplace environment and career advancement to campus safety, parking, and healthy food options, among others.

"This need has been a long time coming," says SAC President Jane Chase, executive assistant in the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel, about the formation of the council. "We are excited that the SAC is here. I hope it serves as a bridge between staff and leadership, proactively advocating for staff well-being, professional development, and a positive work culture."

The university announced in August 2023 that it would establish a first-ever council to meet with leadership and speak for JHU staff and tasked a 35-member planning group with designing a framework, structure, and process for nominating and electing its members. Now that the SAC is up and running, its elected members expect to cut across all divisions and to partner with entities that already have their own individual staff councils. These smaller groups will be able to bring their concerns into larger discussions with the full council.

The SAC represents an important university goal of fostering a more dynamic workplace and campus environment in which all its staff can thrive personally and professionally.

Says SAC Vice President Peter Pan, associate director of Professional Development at SAIS, "One of the goals of Hopkins' strategic framework, Ten for One, is to become a national employer of choice that recognizes, celebrates, and supports our staff and offers multiple pathways to professional and personal advancement for themselves and their families. JHU SAC is fully committed to that mission. This is about putting our effort into the areas of most concern for staff and creating a stronger culture of belonging."

The SAC has met several times with university leadership, including President Ron Daniels; Laurent Heller, executive vice president for finance and administration; and Meredith Stewart, interim vice president for human resources. "The leadership has been really supportive and is totally behind the direction we have taken," Pan says. The SAC has heard from leaders from across JHU on such topics as JHU finances; the 2023 Climate Survey and its specific staff results; and critical projects such as Career Architecture and the Center for Staff Life Design. The intention here is for the SAC to get better insight into priorities of the university and provide input to these efforts wherever possible.

Chase agrees. "Hopkins, like many places, is all about relationships," she says. "We are getting to know one another as we work in general meetings and in our subcommittees. We hope to build relationships with different subject matter experts for our areas of focus to gather a deeper level of information as we work toward our goals. It is an exciting and collaborative process, and we now have the opportunity to be among the voices in the room. While leadership makes the decisions on university initiatives and policies, SAC members will provide critical input on behalf of those who elected us."

The full committee has met seven times, starting with its inaugural session in February, and the subcommittees have been meeting individually to begin focusing on their priorities. As the work progresses—and with eventual input from staff—they will draw up a blueprint of specific concerns. There are five subcommittees, each with two co-chairs. They are:

Employee Experience. This group will focus on workplace culture, benefits, training, and career advancement. The members' initial priorities are benefits, compensation, and rewards. They also intend to find ways to support a recently announced university initiative, the Career Architecture Project, a major undertaking that seeks to clarify, define, and codify every staff job at the university—what people do, how they do it, what the pay structure is, and how staff can grow in their careers.

Co-chairs: Kara Hunerson, senior program officer, Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Matthew Pierce, senior instructional designer, School of Education.

Facilities and Workplace Environment. This subcommittee will address issues related to physical workspace and environment, building renovations, parking and transportation, and public safety.

The subcommittee's "first priority is campus safety," Pan says, and that includes "proximity of parking and methods for increased communication about construction and other activities during workplace construction projects." Suggestions, he says, might include drawing up guidelines for workplace flexibility and the possibility of remote options "if it becomes difficult or inconvenient to work while construction is going on."

This subcommittee also will explore new food options, dedicated food trucks, and "increased access to fresh and healthy choices," he says.

Co-chairs: Alyse Campbell, associate director of Student Well-Being, University Student Services; and Andrew Campbell, training specialist in Dining Services, University Student Services.

Government and Membership. This subcommittee will focus on SAC infrastructure. It will establish parameters for future nominations and elections and for subcommittee membership. It also will write bylaws that will govern the SAC.

Co-chairs: Dave Alexander, content director in University Communications, University Administration; and Kyle Lawson, investment operations support specialist, University Administration.

Policies, Procedures, and Practice. This group will clarify JHU policies and programs, including university processes—how JHU uses data to make policy—and decisions that affect staff. It also will focus on another new initiative, Center for Staff Life Design, now being developed by Central HR, that will provide technology tools for employees to help them gain new skills, among other things. "This will allow staff to explore further within their career trajectory for different functions and/or new directions," Pan says.

This group also plans to discuss opportunities and potential implementation of an "ombudsperson service" at JHU with the goal of establishing additional formal means for staff to register concerns and complaints.

Co-chairs: Coretta Bennett, senior director, Design and Construction, University Administration; and Marie Gorman, academic adviser, SAIS.

Engagement and Recognition. This subcommittee will turn its attention to enhancing staff recognition, rewards, holidays, and celebrations, as well as staff-centric events. It also will find ways to communicate stories about staff achievements and special honors to ensure the campus community is aware of them.

Co-chairs: Lindsey Culli, communications associate, Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Alliyia Ingram, senior administrative coordinator, School of Medicine.

The SAC has a dedicated website and email address, and Pan says that members hope to establish additional communications channels to allow further opportunities for staff to make suggestions or register concerns and opinions on policy and procedures. "One of the main topics at our next full meeting will be to discuss procedures for connecting with constituents," he says. SAC representatives also plan to reach out to divisional and school councils, to establish connections and to identify possible opportunities to partner on shared priorities, Pan says.

Chase, the SAC president, adds: "The meetings are going very well. We are building upon the invaluable work of the SAC planning group and helping to develop something truly beneficial, I believe, for all university members."