UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The University Staff Advisory Council (USAC), which serves the president and his administration in an advisory capacity about issues that have an impact on staff across the University, elects new leaders each year.
In 2016-17, John Ilie, facilities coordinator for the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology, is chair; JeanMarie Jacob, assistant director of client service management for Corporate Alliance Programs, is chair-elect; Faye Maring, human resources consultant for the College of the Liberal Arts, is secretary; and Leslie Hutchins, administrative support coordinator for Undergraduate Programs and Outreach in the College of Nursing, is secretary–elect.
Ilie is serving his third year as a USAC member. He wants USAC to continue to work effectively with the University administration, including fostering communication.
That includes next year’s Staff Awards presentation, which will be held at Schreyer House on May 17, 2017, thanks to an invitation extended from President Eric Barron.
Ilie said he would like to see USAC’s committees (Elections & Membership, Communications, Commonwealth Campuses, Alumni and Awards & Events) increase their outreach efforts to staff. He plans to attend committee meetings to familiarize himself with the committee members and their goals and to help implement new initiatives.
He said reviewing USAC’s structure and bylaws and defining committee job descriptions will be one of his first steps, along with finding ways to connect USAC with Staff Advisory Councils across the University, including those at the Commonwealth campuses.
Jacob, chair-elect, was at Penn State Greater Allegheny for 10 years and now telecommutes to her job in new business development with World Campus.
Starting her third year at USAC, Jacob is looking forward to holding a leadership position. As a veteran of another campus and a part of World Campus, Jacob hopes to use her personal experiences as a springboard to create opportunities for staff from various campuses and departments to work together toward common goals.
“I really am hoping to bring a voice to all staff including and especially the campuses,” Jacob said.
“USAC has great representation from different units and campuses,” she said. “I absolutely think there is an opportunity to represent staff concerns and make an impact.”
Jacob said this is “an interesting time to be in higher education.” Citing budget challenges and demographic shifts across the state, she believes that USAC will continue to play a vital role in advising the University administration.
Maring is starting her third year on the University Staff Advisory Council as the secretary. A 14-year Penn State staffer, Maring has spent her entire career in the College of the Liberal Arts and is currently the human resources consultant for the college.
She was a founding member of the college’s Dean’s Staff Advisory Council. She said her goal at USAC is to make it possible for all staff to have the same positive experience at Penn State and share her opinion that Penn State is “an amazing place to work.”
“I want to help foster a positive attitude among staff,” she said.
Maring said she is looking forward to a continued and increasing appreciation of staff’s role and contributions to the University.
Hutchins, secretary-elect, has served two years on USAC, including serving on the awards committee. The committee accepts nominations from all campuses and units to recognize staff who are dedicated to their jobs and find ways to contribute something extra to their work – whether it’s a positive attitude, developing an innovative process or exhibiting leadership qualities.
“We have good representation from across the University and the campuses,” she said, and she wants to use USAC to continue to facilitate an exchange of thoughts and ideas between staff and administration.
Hutchins’ interests include initiatives that will help staff better understand and appreciate cultural differences and exploring ways to better accommodate the changing needs of staff.
For more information on USAC, go to: http://ohr.psu.edu/university-staff-advisory-council