Staff Senate

Spring 2021 Elections

Augsburg University Staff Senate has two important elections this spring: We are currently taking nominations for Staff Senate and University Council Staff Representatives.

Staff Senate is accepting nominations for four open seats.

To nominate someone to serve on Staff Senate, or to nominate yourself, please fill out this form by clicking on this link. The nomination deadline is 5 p.m on April 9.

Staff Senate Membership

Augsburg University Staff Senate is composed of six members who are nominated and elected by their peers for a two-year term and two at-large members to be chosen, in every instance, by Staff Senate. All Staff Senate members have the option to serve a third year.

Election Procedures

Nomination Rights: Nominations are collected through the online form. An online survey will be distributed for the election of the two open positions. Composition of Staff Senate: It is recommended that members be at least .75 FTE, regardless of exempt or non-exempt status.

University Council Staff Representatives

There is one staff representative position being filled at this time. For an overview of the full process, see the University Council page.

Staff may nominate other eligible staff or self-nominate for either Staff Senate or University Council using this nomination form.

Nomination deadline for both Staff Senate and University Council is April 9, 2021.

Please email staffsenate@augsburg.edu with questions.

2020 Staff Senate Election

Staff Senate has two open seats and now is the time to fill them.

Augsburg University’s Staff Senate is composed of six members who are nominated and elected by their peers for a two-year term, as well as two additional at-large members appointed by Staff Senate. All members have the option to serve a third year. The senators serve Augsburg University and its staff by providing a forum to foster and promote a positive and meaningful dialogue among staff, faculty, students and administration by advising in decision making processes, by serving as an advocate for staff, by promoting professional development opportunities, and by recognition of staff’s contributions to furthering and upholding the mission and values of Augsburg University. You can learn more about the Staff Senate on our webpage.

Check your email for the link, review the list of nominees, and vote for two candidates you would like to see on the Staff Senate.

The deadline for voting is 5:00 pm on Friday, October 9th.

Staff Senate 20-21 Elections

Welcome to the 2020-2021 academic year!

Staff Senate is accepting nominations for two open seats.

To nominate someone to serve on Staff Senate, or to nominate yourself, please fill out this form by clicking on this link. The nomination deadline is 5 p.m on September 25.

Augsburg staff will be able to vote for Staff Senate nominees from October 2 to October 9.

The winners will be announced by October 21.

Staff Senate Membership

Election Procedures

Any questions please contact us at staffsenate@augsburg.edu

2020 Outstanding Staff Award Recipients

The winners of the 2020 Outstanding Staff awards are:

Outstanding Newcomer Award:
Max Poessnecker, LGBTQIA+ Student Services and Equity & Inclusion Initiatives

Outstanding Staff Awards:
Hana Dinku, Pan-Afrikan Center
Lonna Field, Christensen Center for Vocation
Eric Graham, Facilities
Allyson Green, Sabo Center
Marah Jacobson-Schulte, Provost’s Office

Staff Senate thanks all of the nominators for their work in gathering nominees and recommendation letters. We also thank those who were nominated and recognize the great work that all staff have exhibited to be nominated by their peers.

You can view the slideshow here

Horticultural House of Horrors!: Staff Senate in the Augsburg Greenhouse

On Halloween, Staff Senate co-sponsored Assistant Professor of Biology Leon Van Eck’s monthly open house in the Augsburg greenhouse. This month’s greenhouse tour featured the spiky, poisonous, and carnivorous plants in Augsburg’s collection. Can you spot the especially spiky Hallanger Cactus?

Augsburg staff observe plants in the greenhouse.

Thanks to everyone who joined for this fun event!

Watch out for more Staff Senate opportunities in the coming weeks and months, including an athletic facilities tour on November 12 from 2-2:30 p.m.

April 2019 Auggie Pride Recipient

Congratulations to Anne Lynch, disability specialist in the CLASS program along with Dave St. Aubin, Ricky Anderson, and Eric Graham from facilities for receiving the April Auggie Pride Award. They consistently go above and beyond their regular call of duty to help students and other campus parters succeed. Staff Senate admires their outstanding work and are honored to award them with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Dave St. Aubin, Ricky Anderson, and Eric Graham

Group photo of athletic facilities workers — Congratulations David, Eric, and Ricky for receiving the April Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: They all went above and beyond to help me get my softball field ready to play a doubleheader this past Sunday. They gave my student athletes the opportunity to compete and not have to make up another game during the middle of a very stressful academic time of year. They worked past shift hours and on the weekend to make this happen. I am very grateful for them and their acts!

Anne Lynch

CLASS Office gathers for a group photo — Congratulations Anne for receiving the April Auggie Pride Award

Nominations: The CLASS Office has been going through significant changes over the last academic year due to staff turnover. Through it all, Anne Lynch, the longest-standing member of the CLASS office (19 years!) has been a rock.

Anne always keeps the big picture in mind and strives to keep us rooted in the CLASS office mission and service model as we navigate these staffing challenges of doing more with less.

She has taken on a significant increase in her student load, while at the same time still providing thoughtful, measured, and warm approach to ensuring students have equal access. She has also taken on the lion’s share of training our newest team member, Cassie, who is brand new to working in higher education. With Anne’s long tenure at Augsburg, she offers Cassie a breadth and depth of knowledge like no one else on the team. Cassie has shared how valuable the training has been and what a welcoming presence Anne has been throughout her on-boarding.

Residence Life Tour

Thursday, May 23 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Depart from Urness/Mortenson Lobby
Add to your calendar

Join us for this one hour tour of campus living. This is an opportunity to see the residence halls and housing options for our students, first year through graduation. It takes a community to make a community, so don’t miss out!

March 2019 Auggie Pride Recipient

Congratulations to Margaret Anderson, program coordinator, off-campus study programs, CGEE, for receiving the March Auggie Pride Award. Margaret helps students and their families when they are studying abroad. Staff Senate admires her outstanding work and are honored to award her with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Margaret Anderson

Study Aboard department gathers to celebrate Margaret's awards — Congratulations Margaret for receiving the March Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Margaret Anderson goes above and beyond to help students and their families when they are studying abroad. She has done a superb job working with parents in particular. Here is an excerpt from a parent email.

“…as a “Rookie” Mom sending her daughter to a foreign country, [I found that] Margaret was so patient answering ALL of my questions. She handled all of our communication with grace and professionalism. I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated her and thought you should know that she is really an asset to your University. You probably don’t get to see her “in action” on a day to day basis. So I thought that you should know that for me, she was the “face” of Augsburg. [….] I have been very impressed with your staff both here and in Mexico. Dr. Ann Lutterman-Aguilar and her staff in Cuernavaca have taken very good care of my Rebecca. [….] It’s been a joy for me to send my daughter to study abroad with such a great program!”

February 2019 Auggie Pride Recipient

Congratulations to Mai Chong Vang, Financial Aid Counselor, for receiving the February Auggie Pride Award. During changes within her department both in staffing and processes, Mai has thrived as a fantastic counselor to our students and families. Staff Senate admires her outstanding work and are honored to award her with this month’s Auggie Pride Award.

Mai Chong Vang

The financial aid department gathers for a group photo — Congratulations Mai for receiving the February Auggie Pride Award

Nomination: Mai Chong is an invaluable member of our office and the larger university. She does outstanding work each day and is always ready and willing to learn new skills in order to assist other staff with their work. This has been noticed and greatly appreciated recently in our office as we have been short-staffed during the last few months. It’s not only that she has stepped in to help others with their work when needed, but she has done so while adapting to her own shifting work. As a result of a change in processes, she has nearly doubled the amount of financial aid awards that have been sent to prospective students compared to this time last year. In addition to her work behind the scenes, she is a fantastic counselor to students and families. She consistently provides a calm demeanor and presents complex financial aid information in an accessible way for students to understand.

To learn more about the Auggie Pride program and to make a nomination click here to visit our website.

Call for University Council Staff Representative Nominations

Staff Senate is grateful for the 3-year term that elected UC staff representative, Jim Trelstad-Porter, has served. As his term comes to an end we are beginning the election process for the next elected UC staff representative.

The overall Council structure is an outcome of the Shared Governance Report released in 2014. The goal is to establish advocates with deep institutional knowledge from across the campus community to provide recommendations on issues that affect the University’s commitment to its mission and values.

Eligibility of representatives

Those eligible to serve on University Council are Augsburg staff with a .75 FTE or higher regardless of exempt or nonexempt status, not including union, MnEEP or temporary employees. Staff Senate members are eligible to serve on the University Council and/or its sub-committees.

Reviewal of the nominees will be based on the following criteria:

Staff members meet eligibility requirements as described above.
Staff members have been employed by Augsburg University for a preference of two years or more.
Staff members have demonstrated both leadership and the ability to work across departments in their tenure at Augsburg.
Staff members are able to represent the staff perspective while advocating for the interests of the University as a whole.
Staff members have a broad range of institutional knowledge.
Staff members must demonstrate an understanding of the current campus climate.
Staff members understand the University’s strategic goals and are dedicated to helping achieve them.

The selection process for the University Council Staff Representative begins with an open call for nominations from April 15–22. Nominations are received electronically from any eligible voting staff members. Self-nominations, nomination of others, and nominations for Staff Senate members are acceptable. Nomination Form.

Learn more about UC Staff Rep requirements, expectation, and election process.