November TUSS News for Staff

Published by on November 21, 2023 12:00 am Comments Off on November TUSS News for Staff in General

The Towson University Staff Senate (TUSS) is the advocate body for all university staff employees. All TU staff are general members of the Senate and are encouraged to attend general meetings. Our meetings are opportunities for all staff employees to be involved in institutional planning and amplify staff input. Join us! 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RECENT TUSS MEETING: 

  • President Mark Ginsberg addressed the Staff Senate, sharing his 5 Ps and 6 Cs: 
    • Five Ps — People, Programs, Places, Policies, Philanthropy!  
    • Six Cs — Collaboration, Collegiality, Capacity, Caring, Culture, Community. 
  • Additional opportunities to engage with the President will be shared in the future. https://www.towson.edu/about/administration/president/engage.html  
  • Academic Senate, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, is reviewing their standing committees. Revised structure and responsibilities are expected to be shared with the campus by the end of the academic year. https://www.towson.edu/about/administration/senate/committees/  
  • Stratus Updates: All in one transaction report has been released. Improvements to grant summary report released. Drop-in support available. The travel team reminds the campus they are available throughout to help. https://www.towson.edu/financialsystems/stratus/  
  • Vice President Ben Lowenthal offered a snapshot of how the budget process works. https://www.towson.edu/budgetoffice/  
  • Baltimore was designated as a Regional Innovation and Technology Hub which will boost opportunities for TU. https://www.marylandmatters.org/2023/10/24/baltimore-tech-hub-designation-means-region-could-compete-for-billions-in-federal-economic-development-funding/  
  • Staff and Faculty interested in joining the Administration & Finance Annual Employee Celebration Planning Committee contact Nurah El-Fayoumy nelfayoumy@towson.edu.  
  • Vice President Tricia Bradley reported Campus Climate Survey conducted by the Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity (OIIE) has been completed despite low response rates. Responses should inform effectiveness of Diversity Strategic Plan. TU’s next Diversity Strategic Plan will cover 2025-2030 and the new task force will be identified in 2024. https://www.towson.edu/inclusionequity/diversity-strategic-plan/  
  • Employee Engagement Survey conducted by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) completed earlier this year and ModernThink has recently shared thematic results with leadership.   
  • Training & Development shared a training calendar: https://towson.my.salesforce-sites.com/events#/list?keyword=HR and reminded they are open to feedback on training opportunities staff would like.  
  • Staff or Faculty interested in facilitating a training session, please contact Amy Levine amlevine@towson.edu 
  • End of the year hiring deadlines were posted in TU Today. Be sure to follow those deadlines to ensure the hiring process runs smoothly. https://tutoday.towson.edu/2023/11/13/hr-end-of-year-processing-deadlines-6-2/  
  • A reminder that partly due to feedback through TUSS, the university offers a robust employee referral bonus of $1,750!  Applicants should select Employee Referral in the Heard About question. https://www.towson.edu/hr/employment/employee-referral-program.html  
  • Market Assessment & Pay Study has moved into Phase 3. https://www.towson.edu/hr/current/pay-study/  
  • Employee Benefits Open Enrollment period was completed successfully. Thank you to the campus! 
  • OHR encourages staff to have annual conversations with their supervisors about their job description to ensure that it accurately reflects the work being done. If it does not, work with your supervisor to revise or realign tasks. As we learned in our August workshop, OHR Partners are great consultants, so reach out to yours! https://www.towson.edu/hr/current/partners.html   
  • The campus-wide Resource Planning & Advisory Committee (RPAC) was pleased to receive an Increased number of strategic initiative proposals and several from outside of Academic Affairs. https://www.towson.edu/about/administration/senate/committees/resourceplanning.html  
  • Eight initial nomination letters were received in 4 of the 5 categories for USM Board of Regents Staff Awards. TUSS Awards Committee will review and invite excellent nominations for full submissions. 
  • TUSS Exec Board is following up on ongoing campus feedback related to postal operations. Some concerns have been raised and are being forwarded to the post office.  
  • The June TUSS meeting is being moved from June 19 to June 12, 2024.  
  • Council of University System Faculty (CUSF), Council of University System Staff (CUSS), and University System of Maryland Student Council (USMSC) held a successful and informative joint council meeting on November 15. Officer Chip, UMBC’s emotional support canine, was a welcome guest. TU is working to bring an emotional support dog to campus. Chancellor Perman and USM legislative liaison Andy Clark spoke about how USM will remain student-centered going into the future. https://www.usmd.edu/usm/workgroups/  
  • TUSS Events and Engagement Committee met and will send proposals to the Exec Board. October workshop on Leveraging Queerness at Work was well-received and may be repeated in the spring with an expanded format. 
  • During this month’s TUSS general meeting, a brainstorming session was held on the theme of “If you could develop a parking permit system, what would it look like?”  Let us know what you think by responding to this month’s question for staff. 

REMINDERS: 

QUESTION FOR STAFF: 

If you were tasked with developing and implementing a parking permit program for any type of campus, how would you do it/what would it be? Send your feedback to tuss@towson.edu  

AWARDS: 

Congratulations to Top Tigers Nakida Hagans and Kyle Hobstetter! 

Top Tigers 

Top Tigers receive a recognition certificate and a lunch credit in honor of their work in making TU a great place! If you have received exceptional service from a staff member, please nominate them for a Top Tiger Award. TU faculty, staff and students can nominate TU staff members by submitting a Top Tiger Nomination Form: https://www.towson.edu/about/administration/staff-senate/staff-awards/top-tiger-award.html  

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 

TUSS Meeting: December 13, 2023, 1 p.m.
Zoom Direct Link: https://towson-edu.zoom.us/j/98702752003?pwd=N05Id3JZTEhxM2Z4ZUNBRk5OSDAvUT09
Meeting ID: 987 0275 2003
Passcode: TUSSZoom 

Council of University System Staff Meeting hosted at TU: April 9, 2024 

 

Senator Spotlight: Hassan Sanda (he/him), Parking and Transportation Services

How long have you worked at TU? 

17 years  

What is your department and what does your position entail?  

  • Transportation Department Transportation Lead 
  • Familiar with the fleet and a thorough knowledge of vehicle maintenance 
  • Taking an active role in the onboarding process for new driver training as well as follow-up and retraining 
  • Wheelchair training for drivers 
  • Behind-the-wheel road evaluation  
  • Transportation Liaison for the Baltimore Towson University (BTU) partnership 
  • Monitoring buses off and on-campus routes synchromatic software. 

What is your favorite place to eat on or around campus?

West Village Commons  

What do you do to relax? 

Watch old TV shows 

If we were to create a TU playlist, what song would you want to include and why?

Jazz 

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you? 

I have a twin brother. 

If you could have any one skill or talent that you don’t already have, what would it be? 

Pilot’s license 

What’s the proudest moment of your life? 

My 30-year-old son is a commercial pilot. 

Why did you decide to get involved with the TUSS?  

Interest in meeting people. Represent TU and the Towson community.  

Describe what you have learned (or hope to learn) during your time in TUSS? 

I have learned a lot and am still learning how the system works.  

___________________ 

Please visit our website for more information about TUSS, details about upcoming meetings, the list of senators, and details about staff awards: https://www.towson.edu/tuss. 

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This post was written by Primrose, Greg