May TUSS News for Staff

Published by on May 20, 2025 12:00 am Comments Off on May TUSS News for Staff in Students

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: 

  • Summer Dining Options will include Glen Dining Hall, Dunkin and 7720 Cafe. Support Summer Dining @ TU! $6 Fridays will continue for summer 2025.  
  • University Archives and Special Collections team presented about their University Archival Records Survey. Contact Felicity Knox if you have questions. 
  • Stratus team is focusing on year-end obligations. Staff are encouraged to review deadlines and complete year-end obligations. Visit the Stratus website for deadlines and more information.  
  • SVP Ben Lowenthal gave a shoutout to HR, OTS, Payroll, and everyone involved in TU’s work on updating the state’s new Central Payroll Bureau interface.  
  • TU remains well positioned in light of the current budget reductions. We continue to maintain a hiring pause, not a hiring freeze.  
  • The procurement office will begin conducting additional reviews on procurement requests of $50,000 and above.  
  • The budget model review committee has completed their review process and submitted a proposal to the President. A subcommittee has also been created to review and standardize internal budgetary processes.  
  • UStore update: Currently waiting on financial data from external vendors. Once that is received, a data driven decision will be made between using an external vendor or continuing to operate the store in-house.  
  • SECU Arena Returns! State Employees Credit Union (SECU) has signed a naming rights agreement with TU. TU Arena has returned to its former name, SECU Arena.  
  • Maryland Transfer Intensive steering committee was formed to strengthen transfer pathways between community colleges and 25 participating colleges, including Towson University. President Ginsberg serves as a committee co-chair.  
  • June 25, 2025, will be the retiree luncheon with President Ginsberg. TU Retiree Benefits can be found on the website. 
  • 4-day telework pilot in Office of Technology Services continues with final review planned for August.  
  • Market Assessment and Pay Study has been changed to Market Assessment and Pay Strategy to reflect the ongoing nature of the work.  
  • Position reviews can be initiated at any time by having the supervisor complete a DocuSign request. Anthony Skevakis gave a shoutout to HR for visiting the Dean of Students’ office and speaking about the process. 
  • Performance Review season is upon us. The only group who will see changes to this year’s performance review process is Operations, which is piloting a new ratings scale. Seven focus groups with 82 attendees were held to discuss revisions to the performance review process, in addition to considerable research on best practices at 74 other institutions. Staff were also given the opportunity to fill out a survey to give feedback about the performance review process. All of that information, including the full history of performance evaluations processes at TU, was given to Dr. Ginsberg for his decision-making. 
  • Performance Review training, MAPS Q&A, and a variety of other trainings are offered through HR Training. 
  • Nyasha Lumumba from Human Resources presented about hiring practices. A minimum of three individuals are required to be on the search committee, but you can have more. Hiring managers should consider how individuals on the search committee will relate to the role. A minimum of three candidates must be interviewed; however, if a hiring manager has trouble securing three interviewees, they should reach out to HR. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis if no qualified candidates remain.  
  • Retention offers were also discussed as a follow-up to the President’s Staff Town Hall on May 12. TU’s existing policy for retention offers states that the new position must be comparable to your current position and you must have a definitive offer letter. The final decision will be with the Divisional Vice President. 
  • A question was asked about promotion in lieu of search. Data shows this leads to inequitable promotions. TU does offer the option to post an internal-only position through Taleo, which remains on the site fora minimum of one week and is only open to current TU employees.  
  • Information was sent to returning students about the personal mechanical conveyance policy. Target date for enforcement is August 1, 2025.  
  • Smith Hall construction update: An unexpected concrete caisson was encountered underground and required noisy demolition. This was delayed to accommodate final exams. Construction will kick up over the summer.  
  • Glen Tower B will be completed in June and bring approximately 350 beds back online.  
  • Administration & Finance and University Marketing & Communications staff with offices on the 4th floor of Administration Building have been relocated to Linthicum Hall until October to enable building remodeling.  
  • SVP Steve Jones offered a shoutout to Event & Conference Services, Facilities Managment, Parking, Public Safety, and Athletics for work in successfully hosting CAA Tournament. 
  • SVP Steve Jones also offered a shoutout to Event & Conference Services and Student Affairs for work on year-end recognition events for students. 
  • The TU Impact Awards subcommittee is reviewing 18 nominations for awards. 
  • The Board of Regents Staff Awards timeline is shifting to July through November. This shift is made by USM to align with the Board of Regents Faculty Awards timing.  
  • Bylaws committee is working on their annual bylaws review. If you have any suggestions, email TUSS@towson.edu 
  • Executive Board supported the Staff Town Hall which included 170 participants. Stay connected through TUSS! 
  • Staff Senate general elections were completed with good campus participation. New senators were welcomed and introduced themselves.  
  • Council of University System Staff (CUSS) meeting was hosted by UB online. Chancellor Perman discussed the circumstances of the coming years and looking to break away from reliance on federal dollars.  
  • Events and Engagement committee reported a successful Staff Week and thanked everyone who participated. If you have any feedback or took any photos and would like to share, please email TUSS@towson.edu  

QUESTIONS FOR STAFF:  

What feedback do you have regarding this year’s staff senator election process? 

Send your feedback to TUSS@towson.edu or anonymously via our feedback form.      

AWARDS: 

Top Tiger 

Top Tigers receive a recognition certificate and a gold pin in honor of their work in making TU a great place! If you have received exceptional service from a staff member or group, please nominate them for a Top Tiger Award. TU faculty, staff and students can nominate TU staff members or groups by submitting a Top Tiger Nomination Form. 

 

Congratulations to these recent Top Tigers: Chris Chott, David Merino, Rasha Travis, Kristen McCurdy, Atika Syed, Melanie Batchelor, Richard Patterson, Tom Roger, Dawn Kuessner, Peter Morin, Laura Steck, Kalea Nixon, and Eric Baumbusch 

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 

TUSS Meeting: June 18, 2025, 1 p.m.
Zoom Direct Link
Meeting ID: 987 0275 2003
Passcode: TUSSZoom 

  

Please visit our website for more information about TUSS, details about upcoming meetings, the list of senators, and details about staff awards. 

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This post was written by Primrose, Greg