SC President's Report

December 7, 2020 - Nancy Shane

Good morning, UNM Staff!

I hope that you and yours are well. Regarding CoVID-19, there are mixed conditions in our state, with Rt down, a vaccine coming soon but long months before we may all be treated, and hospitalizations at an all-time high. My thoughts are especially with the staff and clinicians at UNMH and our other HSC service facilities. We are all weathering this too-severe, too-long, all-encompassing hardship as best we can; they are called on to contain it and make it go away. Their decisions small and large must feel a burden at times; and they are putting themselves in harms’ way regularly. So let us give our thanks and compliance.

Staff Council Initiatives

Money on Your LoboCard. For many months, the Council has struggled to find a suitable substitute for our signature event, Staff Appreciation Week, comprising the lion’s share of the Staff Council discretionary budget. In November, the Council selected its choice–perhaps the simplest and most flexible now possible. In the next weeks, we will load $7 onto each staff member’s Lobo card or employee badge. This mini- stipend can be used in various ways on and off campus; and specific guidance is on its way. I would like to thank all Councilors for getting this done, especially the members of the Rewards and Recognition Committee who developed the proposal.

Gerald May Staff Awards. One of the most important Staff Council initiatives, this cash award recognizes some of the best among our ranks. Congratulations to the winners! They are Antoinette Rael of Chicana & Chicano Studies; Corine Gonzales of Enrollment Management; Gary Harrison of the Physics & Astronomy Department; Mitzi Vigil of the School of Law; and Oceana Black Elk of Arts Sciences Advisement. These five staff exemplify outstanding features of our UNM community—positivity, energy, hard work, and thoughtful attention to their respective crafts. We appreciate their determination and efforts! Please join us to hear their stories at the Award Ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 10th, 2 p.m.

Call Out to Branch Campus Staff. Deepening Staff Council’s relationships with the staff at our four branches is a priority of mine. As community colleges in rural areas, these institutions are quite different than the Albuquerque campuses; and our charge to ‘represent the interests of all staff’ is compromised by the lack of voice our branch staff now have. Those of us in Albuquerque simply cannot know all of what our branch staff might need – nor what Albuquerque might learn from them, or they from one another. While it’s true that branch staff may form their own representative bodies, the facts are that (1) three of the four branches do not now have their own council; and (2) the policies approved in Albuquerque—and many Staff Council resolutions and actions—apply to all campuses whether they are a good fit or not. So far, I have not had much luck engaging with most branches. Branch staff, please consider this a call-out to each of you. Do you see ways we can help each other? Are there things UNM Main does not understand? If you do not think Staff Council matters to you, what could change that? And what have you figured out about improving your work lives better than anyone? Please, let us know. Email me anytime.

News and Happenings with the Board of Regents

We are currently in the middle of the December round of Board of Regent meetings. Last week, its sub-committees met; and on Wednesday the full committee will meet. Here are some highlights so far:

  • The Ad Hoc Governance Committee approved updates to Regent Policies related especially to the change from the leadership position of ‘HSC Chancellor’ to ‘Executive Vice President of HSC.’ They also approved increasing the University’s settlement authority (that is, without Regent approval) to $1 million from $400K, while also requesting the Regents be informed of all settlements and judgements in any amount. These recommendations will be considered by all Regents on Wednesday. The sub-committee made no new comment on ‘the Regent Appeal,’ changes to which it was considering earlier in the Fall.
  • The Athletics Department made clear the projected and extreme loss of income this fiscal year in the Regent’s Finances & Facilities Sub-Committee. I learned more about the dissolution of Innovate ABQ as a public-private not-for-profit; it is in the process of becoming a solely UNM-owned entity. Its mission to foster economic development and job creation in New Mexico is unchanged. Finally, we were introduced to the Foundation’s new investment company, which seeks to improve the performance of the Endowment compared to recent years.
  • In the Regent’s Academic/Student Affairs & Research Sub-Committee, Provost Holloway shared several initiatives around student retention. He noted that for us and elsewhere in the country, the drop in enrollment between fall and spring is likely to be most severe for community colleges. The Parent Association has requested to change its name to the Parent and Family Association; and they reminded us that their beautiful Christmas ornaments now available help fund needs-based scholarships.

Financial Planning 

The Budget Leadership Team considered the recommendations for student fees submitted by the Student Fee Review Board. This group of undergraduate and graduate students did a sound job determining how to divvy the $13.4 million in student activity fees. BLT passed their proposal with one amendment, giving a bit more funding to Athletics from an expenditure that provided no direct student benefit. 

Regarding the Voluntary Retirement Incentive offered to Main/Branch faculty and staff, you may be interested to know that approximately 90 staff ultimately took advantage of the offer. The incentive—usually paid by Departments—amounted to $1.3 million, compared to the annual salaries for those individuals of $5.3 million. Some of those individuals will be replaced—at least in part—so the ultimate savings to the University from this offer is still unknown. In other news, a handful of staff have been able to take advantage of the voluntary reduction in FTE to handle their personal circumstances in this unusual time.

Think you know UNM?

See how you do on the attached quiz – BEFORE you Google. It’s tough, or so it was last year to Staff Councilors. A few of us wrote it for the ‘Nuts & Bolts’ component of a business meeting. Let’s just say no-one nailed it. How about you?

The Staff Council President’s Coffee Hour grows each month and is such a fulfilling event! In November, we discussed topics for the possible upcoming Professional Development Day and constituent concerns. We were also reminded that it’s a good time to use your tuition remission dollars to take an interesting online class at one of our branch campuses! Please join us for any length of time at the next one on Friday, December 18th, from 8-9am. Don your gay apparel and bring a cup of cocoa; and I’ll reveal the answers to those tricky quiz questions.

 

 

Nancy L. Shane (she/her/hers)  
Assistant Director of PEAR | School of Medicine

UNM PhD ‘08
President | UNM Staff Council
nlshane@salud.unm.edu 
scpresident@unm.edu

 

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Mailing Address

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1 University of New Mexico
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