The Civil Service (CS) and Administrative/Professional (A/P) councils have served as key shared governance bodies representing the staff of Illinois State University since 1959 and 1976, respectively. CS and A/P employees and their respective councils act as front line contacts and essential support for university faculty and students, and carry out a wide range of background institutional functions. Both councils also provide representation on the same set of shared governance bodies, such as the Academic Senate and various university-level committees, and frequently share similar interests and concerns regarding university policy.
In recent years, changes in civil service policy at the state level have significantly exacerbated an already substantial disproportion between CS and A/P staff; while the Civil Service staff currently numbers over 1,600 employees, A/P staff are less than 500.
In light of the changes in staff numbers and the commonality of interests between the councils, the A/P and CS councils propose that we would best serve our constituents by merging our two separate councils into a single staff council. This merged Staff Council will represent A/P and CS employees equally as one united group of staff employees.
In order to provide transparency with this process and provide opportunities for staff to ask questions and provide feedback, A/P and CS Councils will be hosting two roundtable information sessions which all staff are invited to attend. Release time may be granted based on operational needs of the department.
Session No. 1: Thursday, November 2 from 5-6:30 p.m., Honors Program Building 113/114
Session No. 2: Wednesday, November 8 from 12:30-2 p.m., Stevenson 401A
Members of both councils will be present during each session to answer questions and provide additional information about the proposed staff council. There will also be opportunities to submit feedback both in person and electronically. The electronic feedback form will be sent out after each information session for staff to submit their comments and thoughts on the proposed merger.
