Staff Advisory Council Focused on Connections, Collaboration

This year, the St. John Fisher University Staff Advisory Council is working on creating connections across campus; designing a blueprint and proposing content for staff professional development; and researching culture and engagement assessment, recognition, and survey instruments.

Re-established in spring 2023, the council is working directly with Fisher’s cabinet to discuss and improve organizational life, promote a healthy culture, and enhance communication across levels and divisions.

“In essence, the Council reimagines and unifies the work of the former Staff Advisory Council, Healthy U, and Staff Recognition committees,” said Valerie Benjamin, assistant vice president for human resources, who serves as the facilitator for the council along with Megen Jankowski, human resources talent manager. “The council is very much committed to working across campus to ensure that Fisher remains a great place to work for all.  It’s about staff first and foremost, which is a critical organizational priority as we come back together post-pandemic.  Of course, day to day results are interdependent, so there’s a benefit in bridge-building and efficacy for everyone who works at Fisher.”

The group, which represents all six University divisions, convened for the first time in spring 2023 and worked over the summer months to develop a charter. It also formed subgroups to address three priority areas: cross-functional collaboration; professional development; and employee culture and engagement research platforms.

At the council’s most recent quarterly meeting with the Cabinet, the research team made recommendations for a survey platform that will collect and analyze employee feedback and provide benchmark data against peer institutions, as well as mechanisms to foster peer and colleague recognition at Fisher. The cross-functional collaboration team developed a list of current employee engagement activities and is looking at ways to fill gaps and create more opportunities for employees to interact, both in their day-to-day work and socially. The professional development committee shared results from a recent staff survey and is planning a series of focus groups this fall to dig deeper into the needs and wants of staff professional development.

“One of the aspects of my work in Safety and Security that I love is that I get to constantly interact with colleagues from across divisions and Schools,” said Brock Glann, assistant security director, Office of Safety and Security, who is a member of the cross-functional collaboration team. “Our sincere hope is to promote meaningful opportunities for employees from across all divisions to interact, both professionally and personally.”

Most recently, the Staff Advisory Council hosted two information sessions at Fall Convocation and this week, launched the Walktober initiative on campus, a 31-day fitness challenge through the month of October. To date, 29 teams and 344 individuals have registered.

The council will continue to meet quarterly with the Cabinet and provide updates to the greater campus community on its activities and efforts.

Have feedback? Email staffadvisorycouncil@sjf.edu.