“Our primary goal after forming the interim council was to extend this election opportunity to the greater staff,” said Christie Stewart, associate director of Campus Recreation and vice chair of the Staff Council. “There is a lot of work to be done, and the time is right for staff to get involved and really contribute to this effort.”

Acting in an advisory role to the executive and senior leadership, the Staff Council will serve as a conduit for views that represent the greater staff population and provide insight on how decisions regarding policies, procedures, and investments affect this segment of the campus community.

“Executive leadership really wants to hear from staff across a variety of perspectives,” said Steve Swant, executive vice president of Administration and Finance. “By participating in the Staff Council, employees will also learn how Georgia Tech is managed, including how decisions are made — and that benefits us all. While there is a time commitment involved in participating in the Council, all supervisors are encouraged to support this effort. It is a unique developmental opportunity for staff at Georgia Tech.” 

The Staff Council has already formed the following committees through which it will make recommendations to Tech’s executive leadership:

• Employee Engagement
• Employee Health and Well-Being
• Campus Physical Environment
• Compensation and Benefits
• Communications

The upcoming nomination process requires staff members to nominate themselves or colleagues. To be eligible, staff must have at least one year of consecutive service at Georgia Tech and a staff title as of Sept. 29. They can be full- or part-time employees, as long as they work at least 20 hours a week.

Staff will be able to nominate and vote for colleagues in any of the following Job Classification and Compensation System categories:

• Administrative and Professional: 8 seats
• Skilled Trades: 5 seats
• Scientific and Research: 2 seats
• Information Technology: 1 seat
• Development: 1 seat

Staff may cast their votes for the nominations and elections at www.staffcouncil.gatech.edu. For those who need help accessing a computer or logging into the system, technical support will be provided; more information including how and where staff may obtain this support will be provided shortly.  

For complete information on the Staff Council, including the fall 2014 nominations and elections, visit www.staffcouncil.gatech.edu. All questions may be submitted to staffcouncil@gatech.edu.