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November 20, 2014

SAC to collaborate with CMU staff

Pitt’s Staff Association Council (SAC) has been approached by the staff council at Carnegie Mellon University as part of the CMU group’s effort to examine how more established staff organizations function, SAC President Rich Colwell announced at its Nov. 12 meeting.

“We are going to collaborate with them,” Colwell said. “We’re going to see if we can help each other look at the other councils in the region and see what they’re doing,” with the intent of potentially emulating others’ programming.

In other SAC news:

• During a presentation on the work of the Office of Community and Governmental Relations by John M. Wilds, assistant vice chancellor for Community Relations, and Kannu Sahni, director for Community Relations, Wilds announced a Dec. 15 public event, Oakland Leadership Celebration, bringing together University Chancellor Patrick D. Gallagher with the four other new leaders of the largest organizations in Pitt’s neighborhood. “There’s never been a time when the heads of all five Oakland institutions have changed” in the same short period, Wilds said. The other senior leaders are new presidents of Carnegie Mellon University, Subra Suresh, and Carlow University, Suzanne K. Mellon, as well as Leslie C. Davis, Senior Vice President of UPMC and Executive Vice President and COO of the Health Services Division and Jo Ellen Parker, president of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. “We’re going to celebrate…,” he said. “Hopefully they’re going to be talking about the future from their perspectives.”

The event, to start at 5:30 p.m. at Alumni Hall with a cocktail reception, will include a panel moderated by Bill Flanagan, executive vice president for corporate relations of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.

Wilds warned that the event would have limited seating, but said the evening also would be webcast. Registration details are at www.opdc.org.

• Health, safety, IT and transportation chair Ken Doty said his committee is looking into whether staff fire marshals can be appointed for each building, as they once were, with SAC members ideally taking the lead in these volunteer posts to supervise evacuations during fires.

• Tammeka Banks, staff relations chair, said the gender-wage comparison study currently being undertaken by SAC, with the aid of Human Resources officials, now also will include a comparison of salary increases between men and women. No timetable has been announced yet for the study’s completion or release.

• This year’s spring assembly will take place March 12  in the William Pitt Union and its focus will once again extend beyond technology.

• Elections for the next slate of SAC officers will be held at the group’s May meeting; SAC members will vote on a four-person ad hoc elections committee in January.

• External relations chair Fiona Seels said her committee hopes to develop SAC videos to highlight the group’s capabilities and accomplishments, and has approached organizational development staffers in Human Resources to discuss future programming for SAC.

• Operations committee head Hillary Koller reported that SAC’s Book Fund applications now are being reviewed, and that the annual awards this year will be five $500 scholarships and one for $750 – a new award in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Mark A. Nordenberg.

• SAC member Matthew Richardson announced that the Pitt Dance Marathon would be offering all proceeds to a new charity this year, Children’s Hospital, and that organizers of the 10th annual event are trying to increase involvement by the Pitt community. While Richardson said he did not expect staff members to spend 24 hours dancing in the Cost Sports Center (set for noon Feb. 21-noon Feb. 22), staff can pursue individual or team fundraising goals through the event’s online site or may sponsor a meal at the event.

—Marty Levine

Filed under: Feature,Volume 47 Issue 7