UTSC Officer and Standing Committee Chair Job Descriptions

Additional information can be found in the UTSC Bylaws. Nominations for the elected positions will open during the January or April meeting and elected officers will begin serving after the close of the May meeting. Standing Committee chair positions are generally appointed by the Chair of Vice Chair of Staff Council.

Officer and Committee Chair positions are excellent opportunities for leadership positions in Staff Council, and they can lead to new doors being opened. But they take a fair amount of time commitment and easy access to email. If needed, please talk with your supervisor before taking on additional duties. All positions are up for re-election or re-appointment after 1 year.

Elected Officer positions:

• Chair
• Vice Chair
• Recording Secretary
• Parliamentarian

Appointed Standing Committee Chair positions:

• Communications Chair
• Issues and Research Committee Chair
• Diversity and Inclusion Chair
• Health and Wellness Chair
• Professional Development Chair
• Sustainability Chair

Chair (elected Officer position)

Monthly time commitment: 15-20 hours in slow months, 40+ hours in busy months (May, June, July, August)

Work as a complementary team with the Vice Chair. Divide duties up according to your relative strengths and weaknesses. For example, if the Chair is better at political stuff and the Vice Chair is better at organizing, let the Vice Chair organize the meetings and let the Chair do the talking at meetings.

Responsibilities include:

• Act as liaison to the Office of the President
• Serve as primary media relations person
• Appoint (with the assistance of other officers) chairs for the standing committee positions (Communications, Issues, Resources, Elections)
• Regularly communicate with Representatives
• Occasionally communicate with campus at-large (~11,000 staff members)
• Act as principle steering official of the Council, lead general meetings and ExComm meetings
• Meet regularly with executive leadership at the university (President, CFO, AVP of HR, etc.) and ensure they are aware of issues effecting staff
• Speak publicly on behalf of staff in awards ceremonies, UT remembers, and other events as needed
• Coordinate annual retreat for representatives
• Other duties as required

Qualities desired:

• Minimum of 1 year as a Representative by the time of taking office
• Strong desire for advocacy on behalf of staff
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Professional demeanor
• Leadership and facilitation skills
• Ready access to email
• Strong computer skills
• Knowledge of university's inner workings, awareness of departments/groups on campus and their leadership

Vice Chair (elected Officer position)

Monthly time commitment: 10-15 hours in slow months, 40+ hours in busy months (May, July, August)

Assist and fill in for the UTSC Chair as needed. Divide duties up according to your relative strengths and weaknesses. For example, if the Chair is better at political stuff and the Vice Chair is better at organizing, let the Vice Chair organize the meetings and let the Chair do the talking at meetings.

Responsibilities include:

• Serve as overseer of all subcommittees in Staff Council, including getting regular updates from them and ensuring chairs are doing what they're supposed to be doing (meeting regularly, fulfilling their assigned tasks for the benefit of UTSC, etc.)
• Assist filling campus-wide committee positions
• Call special meetings with subcommittees as needed to get them back on track
• Create distribution lists for subcommittee members
• Create annual survey for reps or campus that helps UTSC gather data for project ideas
• Provide regular updates during the general meetings (public speaking)
• Serve as representative of UTSC officers during executive level meetings
• Assist and fill in for the UTSC Chair as needed

Qualities desired:

• Minimum of 1 year as a Representative by the time of taking office
• Strong desire for advocacy on behalf of staff
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Professional demeanor
• Leadership and facilitation skills
• Ready access to email
• Basic computer skills
• Knowledge of university's inner workings preferred

Recording Secretary (elected Officer position)

Monthly time commitment: 10 hours, +2 hours in February, March, August, and September

Responsibilities include:

• Arrive early and take minutes for general sessions, Executive Committee meetings, and other meetings (President, VP of HR, CFO, etc.)
• Send minutes and executive summary to Executive Committee for review within 1 week of meeting
• Distribute minutes from general session to Representatives within 2 weeks of meeting
• Post approved minutes on website
• Record attendance for general and Executive Committee meetings
• Certify quorum (or not) at each general meeting
• Generate reports of unexcused absences and work with Nominations and Elections Chair for follow-up
• Maintain records related to the position
• Attend monthly meetings with UT Austin President, Associate VP of HR, and other high level officials
• Serve as interim Chair/Vice Chair if a vacancy occurs mid-term

Qualities desired:

• Minimum of 1 year as a Representative by the time of taking office
• Accuracy and impartiality while taking minutes
• Timely turnaround of minutes and summary
• Ready access to email
• Basic computer skills
• Professional demeanor

Parliamentarian (elected Officer position)

Monthly time commitment: 10-15 hours; 30+ during busy months (February, April, May, August, September)

Responsibilities include:

• Attend General Meetings and Executive Committee meetings and ensure they follow the Staff Council Bylaws, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Rosenberg’s Rules of Order
• Provide the Executive Committee and  UTSC Chair with advice or explanations, as related to historical information, Staff Council precedent, Bylaws, SOP and/or Rosenberg’s Rules of Order
• Serve as timekeeper during meetings as needed
• Chair the Ad Hoc committee to review and revise Bylaws and SOP, in even numbered years, or as needed
• Chair the Ad Hoc committee to review UTSC District composition in odd numbered years, or as needed
• Assist with orientation of new members, officers, and committee chairs, as needed
• Assist Issues and Research Committee Chair and Communications Committee Chair, as needed
• Assist choosing At-Large Representatives as vacancies occur
• Attend monthly meetings with UT Austin President, Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, Associate VP for HR, and other high level officials
  
  Elections- 
• Communicate with districts about upcoming elections (regular and officer)
• Understand and apply the rules relating to eligibility, nominations, voting, and certification of elections
• Select panel of vote counters to assist during regular and mid-term elections (these are trusted, non-Staff Council Representatives)
• Work with Recording Secretary to follow up on representative absences
• Work with tech support group to webpage with names and emails of newly elected officers, committee chairs, and representatives
• Maintain records related to the position
• Although this is listed as a "committee", often this is a committee of one

Qualities desired:

• Minimum of 1 year as a Representative by the time of taking office
• Accuracy and impartiality while giving advice
• Ready access to email
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Professional demeanor
• Intermediate computer skills

Issues and Research Committee Chair (appointed position)

Monthly time commitment: 10-20 hours

Responsibilities include:

• Attend general sessions and Executive Committee meetings
• Serve as primary contact for Issues email account, which takes in general questions relating to Staff Council and assists unrepresented districts, and work to solve the issue or question
• Respond to issues within 1 business day, even if you don’t have an answer or solution
• Escalate issues to Chair and/or Executive Committee, as needed
• Report to Executive Committee types of issues submitted each month
• Assist Chair in assigning issues to committees for research and recommendations, as needed
• Track issue proposals and their status
• Maintain records related to the position
• Periodically update the UTSC Representatives on committee progress
• Compile an end-of-term written report for the UT Austin President about committee progress
• Be prepared to make an end-of-term presentation to the UT community

Qualities desired:

• Ready access to email
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Openness and responsiveness to ideas and feedback
• Problem-solving ability and persistence
• Interpersonal skills and professional demeanor

Communications Committee Chair (appointed position)

Monthly time commitment: 10 hours

Responsibilities include:

• Attend general sessions and Executive Committee meetings
• Assist Recording Secretary as needed with meeting minutes and/or executive meeting summary
• Lead committee members who are responsible for maintaining the UTSC website, wiki, and social media
• Monitor webcast tool and social media sites during general meetings for incoming questions
• Maintain records related to the position
• Assist Chair in drafting email that details previous meeting summary and tentative agenda for general meeting, if needed
• Assist Chair during general meetings with getting microphones to audience members with questions, if needed
• Periodically update the UTSC Representatives on committee progress
• Compile an end-of-term written report for the UT Austin President about committee progress
• Be prepared to make an end-of-term presentation to the UT community

Qualities desired:

• Ready access to email
• Above average computer skills
• Excellent written communication skills
• Website maintenance experience, social media experience a plus

Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair (appointed position)

Monthly time commitment: 10 hours

Responsibilities include:

• Attend general sessions and Executive Committee meetings
• Lead committee members who are responsible for creating or partnering on diversity and inclusion initiatives for campus
• Facilitate committee meetings, including setting an agenda
• Maintain records related to the position
• Periodically update the UTSC Representatives on committee progress
• Compile an end-of-term written report for the UT Austin President about committee progress
• Be prepared to make an end-of-term presentation to the UT community

Qualities desired:

• Ready access to email
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Presentation/public speaking skills preferred
• Interpersonal skills, including passion for fostering open and inclusive environments
• Global and cultural awareness

Health and Wellness Committee Chair (appointed position)

Monthly time commitment: 10 hours

Responsibilities include:

• Attend general sessions and Executive Committee meetings
• Lead committee members who are responsible for creating or partnering on health and wellness initiatives for campus
• Facilitate committee meetings, including setting an agenda
• Maintain records related to the position
• Promote Wellness Champions
• Co-coordinate Staff Council participation at the Annual Health and Wellness Expo
• Keep abreast of current wellness initiatives and activities
• Compile an end-of-term written report for the UT Austin President about committee progress
• Be prepared to make an end-of-term presentation to the UT community

Qualities desired:

• Ready access to email
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Presentation/public speaking skills preferred
• Interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Creative thinker

Professional Development Committee Chair (appointed position)

Monthly time commitment: 10 hours

Responsibilities include:

• Attend general sessions and Executive Committee meetings
• Facilitate committee meetings, including setting an agenda
• Maintain records related to the position
• Identify, promote, and propose professional development solutions and training opportunities for all staff
• Manage and promote the UTSC Professional Development Grant Program, including collecting grant submissions, overseeing the voting process among the Professional Development Committee, and working with HR and FAS to transfer funds
• Promote the Staff Educational Benefit, Lynda.com, CareerSmart Programs and other existing professional development opportunities
• Co-coordinate Staff Council participation at the Annual Health and Wellness Expo
• Investigate the feasibility of a campus-wide staff mentorship program
• Compile an end-of-term written report for the UT Austin President about committee progress
• Be prepared to make an end-of-term presentation to the UT community

Qualities desired:

• Ready access to email
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Presentation/public speaking skills preferred
• Interpersonal skills
• Passion for adult education, professional development, training, mentorship, and coaching

Sustainability Committee Chair (appointed position)

Monthly time commitment: 10 hours

Responsibilities include:

• Attend general sessions and Executive Committee meetings
• Lead committee members who are responsible for creating or partnering on sustainability initiatives for campus
• Facilitate committee meetings, including setting an agenda
• Maintain records related to the position
• Promote current sustainability projects or campus committees, including partnering with the Office of Sustainability on their annual luncheon
• Collect metrics and/or benchmark other programs to determine success
• Compile an end-of-term written report for the UT Austin President about committee progress
• Be prepared to make an end-of-term presentation to the UT community

Qualities desired:

• Ready access to email
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Presentation/public speaking skills preferred
• Interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Passion for sustainable policies, practices, and opportunities