Staff Council News
July 1, 2024
The SJSU Staff Council has wrapped up the election process for the July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026 term. The Executive Committee includes Harish Chander, Glenn Gumin, Richard Hernandez, Lixia Hou, and Janis Wright.
June 14, 2024
SJSU and auxiliary staff can now vote in the Staff Council Officer Elections! The deadline is June 26, 2024.
May 22, 2024
The SJSU Staff Council's Annual Officer & Committee Elections are happening soon! If you're interested in serving in a leadership role, please watch the Staff Council Leadership Track presentation to learn more about each role and what the work entails.
May 3, 2024
SJSU and auxiliary staff can nominate themselves or a colleague for a Staff Council Officer position! The deadline is May 31, 2024.
April 24, 2024
The Staff Council was able to host a Spring Celebration event with the generous sponsorship of the Office of the Provost! We had 180 attendees from all divisions across campus! Take a look at our photos from the event!
March 28, 2023
The 56th Annual Celebrating Spartans: Honoring Faculty and Staff was held on March 28, 2023 in the Student Union Ballroom. Harish Chander, Chair of the SJSU Staff Council, presented the Critical Employee Awards.
February 22, 2024
Staff Council Chair, Harish Chander, was invited to speak at the investiture ceremony for San Jose State University's 31st president, Cynthia Teniente-Matson! You're welcome to read our Chair's speech!
November 16, 2023
The Staff Council hosted a potluck-style Friendsgiving event in the Engineering building! There was a festive assortment of food, including many home-cooked dishes! It was an intimate gathering where staff had the opportunity to meet new colleagues and enjoy a few games of Bingo!
August 24, 2023
Our annual Ice Cream Social was held with the generous support of the Office of the Provost. The delightful gathering took place in the Student Union Ballroom, bringing together 200 staff members and colleagues campus-wide for an afternoon of community building and fun conversations.
August 14, 2023
Staff Council members approved revisions to the Staff Council Bylaws in order to clarify term limits for the Chair and the Past Chair officer positions.
August 8, 2023
Officer elections were held in response to a change in our bylaws. We are pleased to announce that Richard Hernandez was elected as the Staff Council Staff Awards Liaison, with a service term through June 30, 2024.
June 26, 2023
Officer elections were held in response to a staff transition. We are pleased to announce that Thuy Nguyen was elected as the Staff Council Communication Specialist, with a service term through June 30, 2024.
May 8, 2023
Staff Council members approved revisions to the Staff Council Bylaws [pdf] in order to redefine the the Staff Awards Liaison officer position and allow for Ad Hoc Committees.
May 1, 2023
Officer elections were held in response to a staff transition. We are pleased to announce that Lixia Hou was elected as the Staff Council Treasurer, with a service term through June 30, 2024.
March 2, 2023
The 55th Annual Staff Service Celebration and Staff Awards returned to an in-person ceremony and was held on March 2, 2023 in the Student Union Ballroom. Harish Chander, Chair of the SJSU Staff Council, presented the Spartan Spirit Award to Matthew Snyder.
January 12, 2023
The Staff Council Executive Committee met with Interim Steve Perez to thank him for his support of the Staff Council and service to the SJSU community during his one year tenure at San Jose State. We wish him all the best as he takes his new post as interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at CSU Chico.
Photo by Zaynna Tello
October 11, 2022
[Article in the Mercury News, 10/14/22]
Staff voices were represented by the Staff Council Vice Chair, Sabrina Porter-Parees, during a panel discussion at the SJSU Workforce Housing Information Session on October 11, 2022. This session provided an opportunity for panelists to discuss their continued concerns surrounding housing unaffordability, followed by updates from University Marketing and Communications on a recent housing survey, and by FD&O on the Alquist Redevelopment project. During the discussion, Sabrina raised various concerns from staff members about how the inability to afford housing near campus has negatively impacted the workforce. She included data that showed the average non-MPP staff salaries across SJSU were less than $66,000 per year.
September 19, 2022
University Personnel is hosting a week of activities (SJSU Together) for staff and faculty from Monday, September 26 to Friday, September 30. There will be fun-filled activities and opportunities to meet your fellow Spartans! We hope you'll be able to attend these events!
September 12, 2022
Staff Council members approved revisions to the Staff Council Bylaws [pdf] in order to extend officer appointment terms from 1 year to 2 years.
August 29, 2022
SJSU has released a Housing Demand Survey for Staff, Faculty, and Graduate Students. We are excited that our staff have the opportunity to provide feedback on the Alquist Project during the early stages of development.
June 30, 2022
The SJSU Staff Council has wrapped up the election process for the July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023 term. The Executive Committee includes Harish Chander, Sabrina Porter-Parees, Jessica Larsen, Anie de la Rosa Clark, and Ravi Pisupati. The Staff Recognition Committee includes Shealyn Bissell, Anh Nguyet Thi Nguyen, Judi Garcia, Larissa Bates, Sylvia Ruiz, and Trisha Gilges.
June 6, 2022
SJSU and auxiliary staff can vote in the Staff Council Officer & Committee Member Elections! The deadline is June 24, 2022.
May 30, 2022
The President's Office has generously approved a new staff award category to be implemented in Fall 2022 - The Critical Employee Award! The purpose of this award is to honor an SJSU staff member or an auxiliary staff member who is shining behind the scenes to support our campus. We encourage you to review the nomination criteria. Many thanks to the Staff Council - Staff Recognition Committee (Larissa Bates, Angee Ortega McGhee, Carrie McKnight, Erlinda Yanez, Lisa Vlay, and Minh Chau Barr) for their work on the proposal!
March 18, 2022
The SJSU Staff Council's Annual Officer & Committee Elections are happening soon!
If you're interested in serving in a leadership role, please watch the Staff Council Leadership Track presentation to learn more about each role and what the work entails. This video includes audio
transcriptions.
March 10, 2022
The Support Our Staff Scholarship is now available for SJSU/Tower Foundation/Research Foundation staff members (excluding MPPs). The deadline for submission is May 1, 2022.
February 28, 2022
The SJSU NewsCenter published a story about this year's staff award winners - Joel Morales, Nha-Nghi Nguyen, and Jilliana Hart.
January 27, 2022
The Staff Council Chair led a Staff Q&A Session with Interim President Perez. Watch the video recording on YouTube.
October 5, 2021
The SJSU Staff Council launched a Slack Forum for staff to discuss a wide range of topics, seek support from one another, and build a sense of community.
September 20, 2021
The Staff Recognition Committee and the Office of the President announced the 2021-22 Staff Awards nomination process. There are three award categories: Spartan Spirit, Distinguished Service, and Staff of the Year. This year, SJSU will be honoring nine exceptional staff members at the Spartan Service Celebration in March 2022! Get your nominations in by 5:00 p.m. on October 29th.
August 27, 2021
The Spartan Sparks Committee and the SJSU Staff Council submitted a policy referral to the SJSU Academic Senate [pdf] that requests the addition of three voting seats for staff, starting with the 2022-23 academic year. This is only a policy referral and has not yet been approved.
June 30, 2021
The SJSU Staff Council has wrapped up the election process for the July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022 term. The Executive Committee includes Catherine Fanfa Sullivan, Harish Chander, Janet Sundrud, and Jessica Larsen. The Staff Recognition Committee includes Angee Ortega McGhee, Carrie McKnight, Erlinda Yanez, Larissa Bates, Lisa Vlay, and Minh Chau Barr.
May 7, 2021
The SJSU Staff Council stands in support of our Asian American & Pacific Islander and other diverse community members [pdf].
May 3, 2021
The Support Our Staff Scholarship is now available for SJSU/Tower Foundation/Research Foundation staff members (excluding MPPs). The deadline for submission is May 15, 2021.
March 8, 2021
The SJSU Newsroom published a story about the history of the Staff Awards at San Jose State University and showcased our award winners - Erlinda Yañez, Kim Huynh, and Rhett Frantz.
March 5, 2021
The President announced the formation of the Campus Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CCDEI), which includes a staff co-chair (Angee Ortega McGee) and six staff representatives (Joe Fessehayes, Jose Macias, Sharon Singh, Bonnie Sugiyama, Claudia Tercero, and Alma Verduzco). We're proud of our campus for its commitment to sustaining an inclusive environment and proud of our staff who are dedicating time to this important work!
February 9, 2021
The SJSU Staff Council stands in support of the Black Lives Matter movement [pdf].
January 12, 2021
Staff Council members unanimously approved revisions to the Staff Council Bylaws [pdf] to allow for SJSU auxiliary staff membership and voting rights.
December 15, 2020
The Staff Council Chair submitted a statement regarding staff communication, recognition, and future goals [pdf] for a recent WASC Accreditation Review.
October 7, 2020
The Staff Recognition Committee and the Office of the President announced the 2020-21 Staff Awards nomination process. There are three award categories: Spartan Spirit, Distinguished Service, and Staff of the Year. This year, SJSU will be honoring nine exceptional staff members at the Spartan Service Celebration in March 2021! Get your nominations in by 5:00 p.m. on October 30th.
June 30, 2020
The SJSU Staff Council has wrapped up the election process for the July 1, 2020-June
30, 2021 term. The Executive Committee includes Janet Sundrud, Jessica Larsen, Karina
Avalos, Sandy Jacobs-Tolle, and Vicky Ocampo. The Staff Recognition Committee includes
Amy D'Anna, Larissa Bates, Lisa Vlay, Mai Phan, Sandy Ho, and Yingjie Liu.
Many thanks to the Staff Council Election Ballot Committee (Joanne Delamar, Roopa
Gadham, Gabriela Garcia, Ruchi Mehta, and Jennifer Nathan) for counting the submitted
ballots!
March 25, 2020
The Support Our Staff Scholarship is now available for SJSU/Tower Foundation/Research Foundation staff members (excluding MPPs). The deadline for submission is May 1, 2020.
March 10, 2020
The inaugural Staff Awards, presented at this year's Spartan Service Celebration, were a huge success! We were impressed with the overall presentation of the awards, including the beautiful plaques and framed certificates that were handed out to the award recipients. There's a write up about the event on the SJSU blog. Many thanks to the Spartan Service Celebration Committee for their hard work!
January 28, 2020
The Staff Council Executive Committee launched a SJSU Staff Council Housing Survey to solicit feedback and opinions on the SJSU Housing Plan. All SJSU staff are invited to participate.
January 27, 2020
The interim Chair of the SJSU Staff Council, Janet Sundrud, attended a press conference to
announce the SJSU Comprehensive Housing Plan. She presented a staff perspective on the Silicon Valley housing crisis and made
remarks about how the acquisition of the Alquist Building might provide relief to
SJSU staff members who are struggling financially.
October 10, 2019
The Staff Council approved its bylaws and was formally established, with interim officers, at San José State University.
