Election Process
Purpose
The purpose of the Staff Council is to act as the representative body of all non-faculty staff of WPI. Staff shall be defined as all permanent, non-union staff members who are not members of the President’s Management Council. As such, it shall have the power to review and make inquiries into matters of the campus community for the benefit of all concerned, and; 1. to increase the sense of identity, recognition, and worth of each staff member in their relationship to the Institution; 2. to identify concerns relating to staff and to seek solutions; 3. to provide a channel of communication with administration and faculty; 4. to promote staff development and well-being and to recommend policies which aid in retaining highly qualified personnel; and 5. to integrate staff into campus governance and existing university affairs, and to organize and conduct meetings in order to make recommendations on all matters affecting the welfare of its constituency and to direct to the appropriate persons or councils.
In May 2023, the nomination process will begin to select the remaining nine council members to complete the composition of the Staff Council. The nomination process will open on May 16th and will run through May 31st.
Annual Elections
An annual election process (while keeping half of the Staff Council intact) will ensure the flow of continuity from year to year and will allow for rotating participation in the Staff Council moving forward. Staff Council member terms expire on June 30 of the second year of service.
Eligibility Criteria for Staff Council Membership:
Any staff employees (except union members, faculty and members of the President's Management Council) are eligible for nomination and to participate in voting.
The Staff Council will be comprised of 18 members; 14 elected and 4 appointed, with the goal of equitable representation across departments, exempt and non-exempt employees and demographics. Each member represents all eligible staff. To ensure a balanced representation of all university divisions and departments on the Staff Council, the council members are categorized into 7 divisional groups. Each group is comprised of approximately an equal number of eligible employees with similar work functions.
This organizational approach to the election process will help support divisions regardless of their size and is designed to support all areas of work regardless of function.
For election purposes, areas, and numbers of representatives to be elected from those areas will be designated and reviewed by the Executive Committee each election cycle. Any change in the areas will be determined by a majority of the Staff Council before elections are held on or before the April meeting or when deemed necessary and appropriate.
Nomination Process
- The nomination process will open on April 8th and will run through April 19th to receive peer and self-nominations.
- The Staff Council committee in collaboration with Talent and Inclusion will vet all submissions to ensure nominees meet eligibility criteria.
- Nominees will have the option to accept or decline the nomination.
- Elections will take place online from May 28th through June 7th at 11:59 p.m.
- Elected members will be informed June 10th through June 20th and a university-wide announcement will be sent on July 1st.
- The Council will have its first meeting with newly elected and appointed members in early August.
Voting Method
In an effort to broaden the representation of employees across the divisions, nominees will be grouped. Groups represent an even distribution of employees and job classifications levels of eligible employees. Eligible staff will be able to vote for one (1) nominee per group. You can use the table below to identify the group to which you belong.
| Group 1 | Finance & Operations |
| Group 2 | Chief of Staff, Office of the General Counsel, Information Technology |
| Group 3 | Advancement, Marketing Communications, Talent & Inclusion |
| Group 4 | Global School, School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering |
| Group 5 | Graduate Studies, Undergraduate Enrollment, Undergraduate Studies |
| Group 6 | Student Affairs |
| Group 7 | Academic & Corporate Engagement, Center for Project Based Learning, Faculty Governance, Provost Office, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Library Services, Morgan Teaching & Learning Center, Registrar, Research |
Timeline For Election 2024
March 28th: Announcement on upcoming election/calling for nominations
April 8th-19th- Opening of peer and self-nominations submissions.
May 20th: Meet & Greet session at the Spring 2024 Staff Forum | 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. | Campus Center Odeum
May 28th-June 7th: Voting/elections will take place.
June 10th-20th: All nominees will be notified of the results. Staff Council identifies the two appointees.
July 1st - University-wide announcement of newly elected and appointed members
Early August – New Staff Council members will begin their term in August for a term length of two years.
Resources
You can refer to the Staff Council Constitution and Bylaws located on the Staff Council homepage to learn more about the election process. If you have further questions about the process or about the Staff Council in general, you may email at staffcouncil@wpi.edu.