Staff Senate

at Missouri State-West Plains

You are here: Home / Agendas / 05/08/2025 Staff Senate Agenda

05/08/2025 Staff Senate Agenda

by

Staff Senate Mission Statement:

The Staff Senate serves as a liaison to administration as an advocate for staff welfare and productivity, in conjunction with the University’s mission to support, improve, innovate, and promote academic excellence.


University Mission Statement:

Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities. As a two-year public institution, we provide accessible, affordable, and quality educational opportunities.

 

Call to Order

Approval of Agenda

Approval of April Meeting Minutes

Chancellor’s Report – The chancellor is on the Springfield campus, attending the May Board of Governors meeting.

President’s Report (Trish Smith)

  • Retirement reception information for Chancellor Lancaster.
  • Reminder: If any department(s) want to host the next That Friday Thing, please send me an email at the WPStaffSenate@MissouriState.edu email address.
  • Fundraising for Staff Senate:
    • “Grizzly Campus Recipes” cookbook:
      • Only three more need to be sold to cover the cost of the cookbook. Everything past that is 100% profit for the staff senate coffers.
  • Welcome to the Grizzly family:
    • Jose Mercado – Custodian
  • A message of the Public Affairs Committee:
    • Colleagues,

We want to give a BIG Thank You to everyone who helped in one way or another during the Interscholastic Contest. Thanks to you, we were able to provide students an opportunity to apply their knowledge, be proud, and to celebrate. We know everyone had a busy schedule. However, you were an important part of making this event a success, and we want you to know your support was noticed. Like we hear around, “it takes a village” to bring this event to this level. The ISC has become a signature event for our campus, an important tool for recruitment, and an opportunity to bring our people together.

Infinite thanks,

MSU-WP Public Affairs Committee

  • The next Administrative Council meeting is Wednesday, May 14. Please let me know if you have any questions or issues to bring before the Council. My extension is 57900, and my email address is WPStaffSenate@MissouriState.edu. My office door is always open (Kellett Hall, #203).

President-Elect Report (Trevor Cressman)

Secretary Report (Kileene Collins)

Treasurer Report (Alex Graham)

Committee Reports

  • None this week

Department Reports

  • Human Resources (Alyssa Collins)
  • GAP Graduation: The GAP team will be recognized this Friday during the end-of-year cookout.
  • Vacation Leave: As summer draws near and the fiscal year winds down, it’s the perfect moment to check your vacation leave balance. At Missouri State University, full-time employees can carry forward vacation leave—but only up to a point. If your balance exceeds twice your annual allowance by June 30, you’ll lose those extra hours. Check your leave balance through the Employee Dashboard in MyMissouriState.
  • Shared Leave Pool: The Shared Leave Committee is working toward a goal of 2,500 donated vacation hours by June 30. Donations can be made in one-hour increments, and every hour matters. When you give to the Shared Leave Pool, you’re not just donating hours — you’re providing peace of mind, relief, and support to someone in your MSU family during a time of need. Refer to the HR Blog for more details.
  •  Garnett Library (Rebekah McKinney)
  •  Si Siman, the Ozark Jubilee, and Music Business at the Crossroads (see attached flyer)

 Upcoming Events & Important Dates:

 Adjournment