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System Office Staff Council June Meeting Highlights

SOSC Annual Meeting 

The System Office Staff Council met last Thursday, June 16 in Fairbanks for its annual meeting. Members were able to meet in person for the first time since 2019, and it was wonderful to see everyone in 3D. Here are some highlights from the day:

• Officer elections for FY23 were held in the afternoon:
• Lauren Hartman was re-elected President
• Monique Musick was elected Vice President
• The Secretary position will be determined at the next regular meeting
• SOSC spoke with several members of the executive team in the morning:
• VP Paul Layer spoke on the importance of staff at the System Office remembering our connection to students, spreading awareness of the Staff Make Students Count award, described the role of his office, the ongoing effort to work on tuition policy and regulations, and other recent policy and regulation changes.
• VP Michelle Rizk gave an overview of her office, as well as an update on the status of the FY23 budget. She shared that regardless of any possible vetoes that may be coming, President Pitney is committed to keeping staff salary increases as part of the budget, and staff will see a 2-step increase in the new fiscal year. She heard from staff council on the big issues staff are focused on right now, including compensation and morale. She also gave an overview of the university’s yearly budget timeline and process.
• Foundation President Tod Burnett gave an overview of the UA Foundation, its structure and purpose, and invited staff council to a newly developed orientation session to learn more.
• CHRO Memry Dahl met with staff council for the first time since coming on as CHRO. She spoke on her background and the different areas in HR. On compensation, she expressed the importance of having the right people in the room when implementing the compensation philosophy. There will be a compensation committee that will be formed with HR and staff governance members. She spoke on the many factors that go into determining compensation, and the need to make sure we train managers so they know the tools they can use outside of the regular increase process. She also spoke on the importance of performance reviews. She is working on looking at the hiring process and working to remove barriers to make the process quicker and less cumbersome.
• CFO Myron Dosch gave an overview of the areas he oversees and their role in the university. He also gave a preview of upcoming priorities and projects for the year, including the privatization of the utility systems at ÐÓ°ÉÔ­°æ, which would be one of the largest single financial transactions that the board has ever approved.
• SOSC held a regular business meeting in the afternoon:
• SOSC held officer elections (results above)
• SOSC heard an update on the System Office mission statement from Monique Musick. The committee’s final version of the mission statement has been sent to the executive team, and the committee is awaiting further information or response from the executive team on the version that will be sent on to the Board of Regents. 
• SOSC received one nomination for the Staff Make Students Count award. A committee will be reviewing the nomination soon. The 2022 awardees will be announced at the September Board of Regents meeting.
• SOSC heard a summary of a debrief meeting on Staff Development Day and discussed ideas for the upcoming year.
• SOSC is spearheading an effort to streamline longevity data pulls across the system and to work towards a longevity date that will account for all years of service, even if staff leave and come back.
• SOSC heard a summary of Staff Development Fund efforts across the system and discussed ideas for the upcoming year.
• SOSC called for a representative for the newly formed compensation committee. Austin Somaduroff volunteered.
• SOSC heard an update from the Joint Healthcare Committee, and representative Monique Musick gave an overview of its role and the role of the Staff Healthcare Committee (SHCC) to new members. Heather Swanson volunteered to also serve on SHCC.
• Staff Alliance is forming an Ombuds Committee, Lauren Hartman will serve on this committee.
• SOSC heard an update on the Staff Alliance Shared Governance Ad-hoc Committee, which is on hold until the new Staff Alliance reviews a report and decides whether to continue this committee. 

SOSC will meet next in July, date to be determined. All staff are encouraged and welcome to attend. Reach out to SOSC representatives to share your ideas and/or concerns. Additional information about SOSC and the Zoom link for regular meetings is available on its website.