Staff Advisory Council
College of Food, Agricultural,
and Environmental Sciences
Minutes

February 16, 2000
Ag Engineering Bldg., Columbus

Present: Betty Aylsworth, Rita Bowers, Carol Bunn, Marjorie Dellinger, Mark Erbaugh, Ann Lighthiser, Deb Gallagher, Shelley Whitworth, Becky Hooper, Jim Karcher, Mabel Kirchner, Barbara LaMoreaux, Kathy Mohler, Pat Patterson, Carol Sowers, Regina Vann, Thad Welch, Cathy Zirkle, Christine Nielsen, Susan Sommer
Absent: Cindy Crawford, Sherri DeCant, Anne Groves, Ted Gastier, Janice Dicarolis

The regular meeting of the Staff Advisory Council was held in Columbus at the Ag Engineering Building from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Agendas were distributed, and Thad reported the executive team met earlier in the week to develop the agenda and discuss other related business. Minutes from the November meeting were reviewed, and no changes were noted.

Task Force Reports

Membership Directory
The membership directory was sent to all staff this past month. Many positive comments were expressed by everyone. Credit was given to Barbara LaMoreaux and her staff who did the stuffing, labeling and sent the directories through campus mail.

Promotion Display
Cathy Z. reported the display is behind schedule due to scheduling conflicts with staff in the Communications and Technology Unit. The task force members will meet following today's meeting to review drafts developed by Tim Bowman who is now assisting Millie Scheid with the display.

enVision
The February issue featured an article written by Janice Dicarolis. Betty Aylsworth is scheduled to write the next article for the April issue.

Web Page
Deb Gallagher reported the web page is current; the November minutes were added, and she will next add the last enVision article (Cathy Z. will send her a copy), the staff directory, and some SAC meeting pictures. Deb is transferring data to another web program which will show the banner in a better format.

List Serve 
Ann Lighthiser reported the following changes for list serve owners: Cathy Forte has been replaced by Nancy Ray and Becky Hooper was replaced by Regina Vann. Regina will be responsible for postings to the list serve. Ann also noted she made 300 changes to the list in January following the first mailing. It is hoped this will not continue to be a high maintenance task once these initial changes are incorporated.

As discussed at the November meeting, guidelines need to be developed to use with the list serve. Regina and Ann offered the following suggestions:

No more than two messages per month sent, but at least one $ Information needs to be relevant to all staff. Messages from USAC and SAC will be sent automatically; other messages will need to be approved by the SAC Chair or Communications Director.

Members discussed some possible information that could be sent via the list serve that staff do not have access to currently or may be received by hard copy after the fact -- Human Resources updates, minutes from administrative cabinet meetings, various calendars (maybe this could be a link on the web page). Questions to be answered: who would be responsible for gathering this information and who are the appropriate contacts?

It was agreed that it will be critical to get the word out that a list serve and web page are now developed and available for all staff. Regina will compose the next message to go out announcing the web site. The message will be reviewed by the exec team.

Survey Marilyn Trefz joined the meeting and presented an update on the staff survey. A summary from the December 20 meeting was distributed. Marilyn assured members that work done on the survey up to this point will continue to be included, although it may look different as it is incorporated with the other information discussed at the December meeting. In review, questions on the survey will relate to staff development and employee recognition/rewards. The various sub-categories were listed on the handout. Dale Safrit designed a template and Marilyn is now in the process of pulling all the wording together to make concise, related questions. It was agreed the survey will be sent to the entire population of the college staff rather than a sampling (paper mail; not email). Dale's grad assistant will compile and analyze the data as well as do follow up and non-response mailings. Marilyn agreed with Dale that he could use the survey results in his research and professional writing.

After discussion and input from members, the following was agreed on by everyone:  A formal statement of purpose will be part of the introduction and the making the college a compelling place to work statement will be included;  Add the SAC logo to the survey; Bargaining unit staff will not receive the survey; A question will be added to determine if staff are aware there is a Staff Advisory Council; Demographic questions will be listed at the end; Approximately 40 questions will be ranked according to importance with the top five prioritized at the end of the survey.

Marilyn will provide the task force members a copy of the survey before it is presented to all SAC members at the March 15 meeting. Targeting the week of March 27 to mail the survey with results to be analyzed and results presented at the June SAC meeting.

Rewards and Recognition

Marilyn distributed to everyone a letter from Dean Moser requesting that SAC study and recommend changes to the CCS and A&P reward system. This was one of four priorities coming from the October 1999 Project Reinvent retreat, and this request comes on the heals of the College approving this week a set of guidelines for faculty. (Thad will email this document to SAC members or find the web link.) Dean Moser's request will be delegated to the Recognition and Rewards task force. Marilyn encouraged the TF to pull advice and resources from outside experts by including them in this process (some suggestions were made). Results from the staff survey will be used in this process also. Thad requested the TF meet prior to the next regular meeting and give a report on March 15. A chair had not been designated for this TF; Regina Vann and Christine Nielsen agreed to co-chair the TF.

OTHER REPORTS

Guiding Coalition - no report; will be meeting this Thursday.

VP's Advisory Council - no report; will be meeting this Friday.

Facilities Master Planning Group - Ted Gastier was absent, but Thad reviewed his report.

Kellogg Evaluation Team Visit Marilyn Trefz introduced two individuals who were on campus conducting interviews relating to Project Reinvent. SAC was one group included in the evaluation, and members were divided into two smaller groups. An open dialogue was held based on the questions asked by the evaluation team. The purpose of the interviews is to collect information to get a perspective of the Project Reinvent process and outcomes. This information will be shared with other Kellogg project staff in various states.

OTHER BUSINESS

March Meeting Thad reported that Dean Moser will attend the March 15 meeting, and Thad requested that each task force chair prepare a comprehensive report on TF activities and future plans.

2000 Meeting Dates Thad distributed a list of meeting dates for 2000. All meeting times will be 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 unless otherwise noted. Dates are scheduled for each month, however, the exec team may cancel if it is deemed there is not sufficient agenda items to warrant a meeting.

September 13 and October 18 have not been confirmed, however, Thad asked everyone to hold these dates. Schedules need to be coordinated with other participants.

The August date is a Friday retreat at Stone Lab. Thad shared information for anyone who might be interested in staying over the weekend - accommodations fill up early. Contact can be made through:  www.putinbay.com;  South Bass has many motels and B&Bs;  Matt Thomas, Assistant Manager of Stone Lab <thomas.347@osu.edu>.

May meeting date - since SAC members are invited to the May 9-10 Next Steps Retreat, it was agreed that if possible and if enough members plan to attend this retreat, the May 17 date would be canceled and SAC will hopefully have an opportunity to meet as a group at the retreat. A decision will be made at the March regular meeting.

Lunches at Meetings

Christine Nielsen suggested that lunches be provided at meetings for those who opt not to brown bag.  A couple options would be to order pizza to be delivered or to arrange for box lunches ahead of time. Discussion centered on who would make the arrangements, but due to time constrains there was not sufficient time to finalize plans, however, there appeared to be sufficient interest. This will be on the next meeting agenda.

TF Chair Responsibilities Thad spoke briefly about clarifying the role of TF chairs. Due to a limited amount of time, this topic will be revisited at a later time.

Effective Group Communication Cathy Zirkle distributed handouts of selected pages from the Paul Axtel workbook which was used at the Mansfield retreat. She indicated that as the council continues to develop, the exec team proposed that SAC revisit some of the communication issues initiated by Paul as a reminder for everyone to talk and listen to each other in an effective way during council meetings and at smaller group meetings. Christine Nielsen suggested a video, Communicating Non-Defensively, which was shown as a supplement to Paul's ideas.

Several inquired about how to schedule the video tape. Cathy indicated she received it from the Leadership Center which is in Ag Admin on the Columbus campus; contact Jill King at 614-292-3114. A wealth of resources is available for loan through this office.

Regina Vann made a motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Susan Sommer.

Copies of the handouts from this meeting will be sent through campus mail to members absent.

The next meeting is March 15, Columbus, 105 Ag Admin.

Becky Hooper Secretary/Treasurer

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences Staff Advisory Council Minutes April 12, 2000 - Wooster

Present: Betty Aylsworth Rita Bowers Carol Bunn Marjorie Dellinger Janice Dicarolis Mark Erbaugh Ann Lighthiser Ted Gastier Deb Gallagher Shelley Whitworth Becky Hooper Jim Karcher Mabel Kirchner Barbara LaMoreaux Pat Patterson Regina Vann Thad Welch Cathy Zirkle Christine Nielsen Susan Sommer

Absent: Cindy Crawford Sherri DeCant Anne Groves Kathy Mohler Carol Sowers

Guest: Marilyn Trefz

The regular meeting of the Staff Advisory Council was held in Wooster in Thorne Hall from 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Agendas were distributed. Thad reported the executive team met on March 27 (Cathy was absent) to develop the agenda and discuss other related business. The exec team meeting followed a presentation by President Kirwan and Provost Ed Ray who met with members of Dean Moser=s cabinet. The exec team was invited to participate in this session. The topic discussed was the university=s academic plan.

No changes were noted in the February minutes. Barb LaMoreaux made a motion to approve, seconded by Marjorie Dellinger. Motion passed.

VICE CHAIR POSITION Thad announced his resignation from SAC because he is taking a job outside the university. This will be his last meeting, therefore, Christine will move into the role of Chair. Christine reviewed plans to elect a new Vice Chair. According to the bylaws, a nomination task force is responsible for this process. Christine will chair the TF, and others volunteering to serve are Barb LaMoreaux and Janice Dicarolis. This Nomination TF will also be responsible for the election of officers later in the year. It was agreed the new Vice Chair will serve the remainder of this year=s term and then continue through the next year.

After discussion, Regina Vann made a motion that the election process be held by secret ballot through e-mail to a neutral party. Cathy Zirkle seconded the motion; motion passed. Since Nancy Ray is changing positions in the college office, she will no longer be our support contact, so Christine will contact Dr. Newcomb to designate a replacement for Nancy.

Christine accepted nominations from the floor. Thad nominated Deb Gallagher, and Cathy nominated Jim Karcher. Other nominations will be accepted and members can nominate his/her self. Nominations are to be sent to Christine; deadline is April 21. The Nominations TF will verify all candidates= willingness to serve and present a ballot to members. Voting deadline will be May 8.

MAY MEETING The May 15 regular meeting is canceled. Everyone is encouraged to attend the May 9-10 Foundations@ Professional Development Program in Powell. E-mail registration to <poe.4@osu.edu>. The June 21 meeting will now be scheduled for the NW District, and Carol Bunn will coordinate arrangements.

TASK FORCE REPORTS

Christine announced that since the meeting with Dean Moser was canceled in March, the exec team would like to present a written report to him. She asked that each TF Chair prepare a brief, comprehensive summary of accomplishments and future objectives. Each TF chair is to send their summary to Christine by April 21. Christine and Cathy will then arrange a meeting with Dean Moser to review the transition in leadership and also present this TF report.

enVision - Cathy reported that Betty and she had an article in the April issue; Cathy is responsible for writing the next article.

Promotion Display - Cathy reported Tim Bowman from C&T is finalizing the display, and it should be ready soon.

Web Site - Susan indicated a new design was done with the help of Jim Lemon in C&T to more closely carry through on the design and colors of the logo. Check it out at www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~newsite/index.htm. An e-mail address has been included <sac@postoffice.ag.ohio-state.edu>. Susan is designated to receive these messages. Hopefully, we will have feedback from the survey after it is sent and can obtain input for the Rewards TF through this e-mail address.

List Serve - Ann indicated there have been no changes or updates since the last meeting.

Staff Development - Shelley reported this TF has not met; waiting for more input based on the survey results. She solicited suggestions for members outside SAC as well as other SAC members who have an interest in serving on the TF. Jim Karcher and Janice Dicarolis volunteered to be members, and Becky Hooper suggested Nikki Conklin with Extension to be an outside member. Regina indicated she had resigned from the TF because of her time commitment to the Rewards and Recognition TF. Shelley and Jim were designated as co-chairs.

Members of this TF: Shelley Whitworth, Co-Chair Jim Karcher, Co-Chair Rita Bowers Cindy Crawford Susan Sommer Janice Dicarolis

Rewards and Recognition TF - Christine reported the TF initially held a conference call and plan to meet following today's SAC meeting. Outside SAC members have been added to this TF.

Survey TF - Christine asked for a volunteer to serve as chair. Marjorie volunteered. Mark expressed an interest in this TF, and he also volunteered to serve as co-chair.

Members of this TF: Marjorie Dellinger, Co-Chair Mark Erbaugh, Co-Chair Rita Bowers Carol Bunn Ted Gastier Carol Sowers Kathy Mohler Sherri DeCant

Marilyn Trefz distributed copies of the draft survey and reviewed the additions and changes incorporated based on input at the February SAC meeting. Lengthy discussions followed on various aspects of the survey, and Marilyn will incorporate these changes and work with the TF to finalize the document. Some concern was expressed on the length of the survey, and she indicated that the size will be reduced and put on two 8-1/2 x 11 pages and folded as a booklet. The time line has been moved back by a month -- mailed out by the end of April. Barb LaMoreaux volunteered her students to stuff and mail the survey to all non-faculty/non-bargaining units in the college. Concern was also voiced about confidentiality if in fact a label is used on the survey as a self mailer. It was agreed the survey will be put inside an envelope. A statement of purpose and how the results will be used are to be added to the front portion of the survey. A letter from Dean Moser will be sent to promote the survey and encourage everyone's feedback. If members have any additional comments after reviewing the draft further, the deadline to get them to Cathy or Christine is April 21.

OTHER REPORTS

Guiding Coalition - The Coalition met since our last SAC meeting. Nothing major to report; the Kellogg Team met with this group as they did with the SAC members in February.

VP's Advisory Council - Shelley reported she and Cindy Crawford attended the last meeting. The topic of discussion was GMO (genetically modified organisms). The college has formed a committee to look at the use and concerns surfacing around this topic. The Kellogg Team also attended this meeting.

Facilities Master Planning Group - Ted updated members on the master plan for the college and shared some of the frustrations and questions faced by the members.

OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS

Copies of the handouts from this meeting will be sent through regular mail to members absent due to various deadline dates.

Travel reimbursement forms for this meeting are to be sent to Nancy Ray by Friday, April 14.

Morning refreshments were compliments of Mabel and Christine. Box lunches were provided by Steve Slack, OARDC Director.

Marjorie made a motion to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Christine.

Becky Hooper Secretary/Treasurer