Bank Street Staff Council

Overview

The following excerpt was taken from the Governance & Organizational Handbook pp15-16:

The Staff Council represents the interests of all members of the Bank Street staff and acts as a center to which all matters of interest to the staff may be brought. The Staff Council's function is both to address concerns about programs, practices, and issues that affect the work of the College and to propose programs and strategies for improvement concomitant with the democratic ethos and philosophy of education under which Bank Street was founded...

Specifically, the Staff Council is charged with but not limited to:

• fostering and strengthening a sense of community through communication and participation with all constituencies within the Bank Street community. This includes communication within and between divisions, between staff and administration, and between staff and trustees;
  
• promoting cross-divisional program development and collaboration;
  
• participating in establishing Collegewide budget priorities;
  
• reviewing and assisting in the development of Collegewide and external educational policies;
  
• acting as a clearing house for organizational and quality of life concerns;
  
• fostering discussion of and participation in institutional planning;
  
• promoting resolution of disputes between differing constituencies of the College;
  
• facilitating Collegewide dialogue of major issues in such forms as all-College meetings;
  
• recommending to the President and Board of Trustees policies and practices designed to increase the effectiveness of College programs.
  

As just explained by the Governance Handbook, Staff Council offers a forum for any staff member to address concerns, share information or propose programs to facilitate our work and strengthen communication college-wide. Here is a brief overview:

• Staff Council meets on a monthly basis to discuss key issues, problem-solve and build community across all divisions.
• Staff Council members include representatives from: Childrens' Programs, Continuing Education, Finance & Administration, The Graduate School, Institutional Advancement and Support Staff; and co-chairs of two Standing Committees: The Budget Priorities Committee and The Diversity Committee.
• Cabinet meets with Staff Council leadership and Staff Associate Trustees to review and discuss council concerns and recommendations.
• Staff Council communicates its work through divisional representatives, bulletin board postings, Weekly e-Bulletin and four All-College meetings sponsored by the President's Office.

Questions? Ideas? Feel free to contact divisional representatives or email co-chairs Christina D'Aiello and Lindsey Wyckoff at: staffcouncil@bankstreet.edu

Creating time for

Consultation, Communication and Collaboration

~Your Staff Council~