A letter from the editor
This issue comes to you nearly two weeks before its planned publication date. I made the decision to email it out early because there are so many wonderful events coming up at the end of the month, and I wanted to be sure that UNC staff had the opportunity to register for them and attend.
I am especially excited about all of the Employee Forum-sponsored events that are scheduled. The Education and Career Development Committee has been busy launching a new series of brown bag lunches to bring staff together from across the campus. Each lunch will feature a different professional or career development-related topic. That committee is also planning an extended mini-conference after the success of their panel discussion on careers in higher education last year. They will continue to contribute pieces to the regular “Career Corner” section of this newsletter.
I am happy to announce that the Public Relations and Communications Committee is sponsoring two social media trainings this spring due to staff demand. However, the committee has decided that despite a nearly two year successful run, we are planning to stop hosting the monthly staff book club. I have been heavily involved in the planning and logistics of the book club meetings, and the decision to cease continuing the meetings comes as a result of a personal need to re-prioritize my activities and get back some of the life in my work-life balance. I am actively looking for other groups on campus to take over the book club so that we still have a place for staff to read and engage interesting topics. We will continue to publish this newsletter each month.
The other committees stay busy as well. Kathy Ramsey has been coordinating numerous deliciously-catered meetings for the delegates. She organized a fabulous holiday reception in December for delegates and their guests, and she has been making sure that delegate divisional seats stay filled so that all parts of campus are well represented. The Carolina Campus Community Garden continues to thrive with ever abundant harvests and expanded plantings. This year we will see the construction of a brand new solar-powered green house.
Finally, I am most excited about elections season. In March the Employee Forum will hold annual elections for new delegates and Forum Chair. Our current chair, Charles Streeter, will not be eligible under the Forum’s bylaws to run again for that office. Charles has done some incredible work with getting the Forum organized and re-energized over the years. He has continued Jackie Overton’s tradition of strong, outspoken and gentle leadership. It will be difficult to let him go, but it will also be exciting to see who comes next.
With that, I leave you to think about your goals for the year as a staff member at UNC, and I hope you will become involved with the Forum if you have the opportunity this year. Look out for more information about the upcoming elections and opportunities to get involved.
All my best wishes for a happy and healthy new year!
Katie Turner
Employee Forum PR and Communications Chair