{"id":2535,"date":"2026-05-14T15:41:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T20:41:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/?p=2535"},"modified":"2026-05-14T15:41:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T20:41:34","slug":"staff-senate-meeting-minutes-may-14-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/2026\/05\/14\/staff-senate-meeting-minutes-may-14-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff Senate Meeting Minutes May 14, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Date\/Location:\u00a0<\/strong>May 14, 2026 &#8211; 10:30 a.m. in Melton 112 with Zoom option available.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In Attendance<\/strong>: Lauren Willis, Kileene Collins, Jacy Miller, Sheila Sparks, Emilie Brotherton, Douglas Cooley, Wayne Cahoj, Tanya Miller, Lindsay Waggoner, Sophia Skinner, Michelle Bryan, Cedric Wooledge, Missi Jett, Jon Allen, Kenzie Warren, Kris Brinkerhoff, Alyssa Collins, and Mandy Collins. <strong>Participants via Zoom: Sue Icenhower, Kelley Towell, &amp; Misty Davis.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Approval of Agenda &#8211; <\/strong>Motion to approve by Wayne Cahoj and seconded by Emilie Brotherton\u2013 motion passed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Approval of April Meeting Minutes \u2013 <\/strong>Motion to approve Douglas Cooley by and seconded by Lindsey Waggoner\u2013 motion passed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Chancellor\u2019s Report<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Shout out to all that helped with commencement. Thank you for all the hard work.<\/li>\n<li>Budget Update: We have dealt with historic issues and now to focus on enrollment.\n<ul>\n<li>Enrollment\n<ul>\n<li>Summer is up 8% in headcount and up 5% in credit hours<\/li>\n<li>Fall over all is down 1% in headcount and down 1% in FTE; we are headed in the right direction<\/li>\n<li>State appropriations: expecting flat state funding which is what we budgeted for<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Possibly selling a few properties:\n<ul>\n<li>Shannon Hall \u2013 If it sells, we have proposed to lease the building for a year.<\/li>\n<li>Putnam \u2013 if it sells, the music dept will be relocated.<\/li>\n<li>Pennsylvania House<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Our physical spaces on campus are being reviewed to make the best use of our physical footprint.<\/li>\n<li>HLC\/IAC Hearing April 21 Update:\n<ul>\n<li>Due to the outstanding report, the only <em>\u201cMet with Concern\u201d<\/em> component: Strategic Planning &amp; instead of the anticipated follow-up site visit, the committee recommended a written response on our progress, and we are expecting our probation to be lifted. More to come.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Facility updates:\n<ul>\n<li>Many departments are preparing to relocate to different areas on campus.<\/li>\n<li>Melton 112 will be renovated using private funds.<\/li>\n<li>The Vet Tech renovation is complete with just a few minor last-minute things, and we are expecting the first classes to take place in spring 2027.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>President\u2019s Report (Lauren Willis)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reminder to check budgets. \u00a0If there are charges that need to be processed or you find something that needs corrected, please contact Christina Kerley. Year end is coming soon.<\/li>\n<li>June 18 Early Release at 3:00 p.m. for employee appreciation week (this is before the Juneteenth holiday). Alyssa Collins added there will be an Ice Cream Social that day prior to the early release, along with some other fun activities that week. More information will be shared later.<\/li>\n<li>Priorities for Staff Senate in Academic Year 2026-2027\n<ul>\n<li>Building Relationships\n<ul>\n<li>Lauren shared some ideas for fun activities during our meetings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Department Spotlights \u2013 each meeting will spotlight a different department to update everyone on what they have going on. If you have a slow time and not much to share, contact Lauren to schedule a better month to be added to the schedule.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>With the Counseling Center combining space with the ASCEND department; to reduce confusion, Lauren is encouraging references to the building location as the NAC.<\/li>\n<li>Next meeting June 11, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., <strong>NOTE LOCATION CHANGE: NAC Classroom<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Reminder, if you have not completed the \u201cSurvey about your Surveys\u201d, reach out to Alex Graham or your supervisor if you need a link. This is our last chance to make sure any survey information we request is included on the list and to make certain information reported is accurately reflected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>President Elect Report (Wayne Cahoj)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No report this month<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Secretary Report (Kileene Collins)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No report this month<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Treasurer Report (Alex Graham) <\/strong>Alex was not present but provided the following information:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>$1,787.34 in our account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Department Updates, Announcements, and Committee Updates\/Reports<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Committee Reports<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Activities Committee: (Chaired by Trevor Cressman)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Next meeting, Thursday, May 21, 10:30 \u2013 11:30 a.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Department Reports<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Strategic Planning (Lindsey Waggoner)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Lindsey Waggoner thanked all who participated.<\/li>\n<li>We received great feedback from the Board of Governors.<\/li>\n<li>Shifting towards the communications plan and that will be presented to the Board of Governors during the June meeting.<\/li>\n<li>Administrative Council is working on implementation &amp; tracking the progress.<\/li>\n<li>Finalizing the title \u2013 the deadline to vote on the two options is next Monday, May 18, at 5:00 p.m.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Communications (Chad Corley)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>To have your event covered by Communications, send an email to <a href=\"mailto:wpunivcomm@missouristate.edu\">wpunivcomm@missouristate.edu<\/a> or fill out the \u201cRequest Comms Services\u201d on their university webpage: <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.missouristate.edu\/communications\/\">Communications Request &#8211; Missouri State-West Plains<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Human Resources (Alyssa Collins)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Vote on Staff Emeritus status for Mark White<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Emeritus status may be granted to retiring staff and administrative employees as a special recognition for exemplary work performance and outstanding, loyal, and dedicated service to the university.<\/li>\n<li>To be eligible for the title, staff members must also satisfy the following requirements:<\/li>\n<li>Completion of at least 10 years of service in a full-time regular position.<\/li>\n<li>Motion passed to grant Mark White Emeritus status.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shared Leave Committee Representative<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>A representative from the WP Staff Senate is needed to serve on the Shared Leave Committee for a two-year term. The committee reviews shared leave requests and cases via Zoom on the 2<sup>nd<\/sup>Tuesday of every month from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Refer to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.missouristate.edu\/Human\/shared-leave.htm\">Shared Leave<\/a>\u00a0page for more information.<\/li>\n<li>Thank you Missi Jett for serving on the committee for the past two years!<\/li>\n<li>Erica Puckett volunteered to serve for the next two years. Thank you, Erica.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>(Alex Graham)<\/strong> \u2013 Alex was not present but asked Lauren to share:\n<ul>\n<li>Free performance in Springfield, on Wednesday, June 17 at 8:00 p.m. of Around the World in 80 Days\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.missouristate.edu\/inside\/2026\/04\/30\/staff-appreciation-night-at-tent-theatre-2026\/\">Join us for Staff Appreciation Night at Tent Theatre \u2013 Inside Missouri State<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Drawing for Giveaway: <\/strong>This will resume in the fall after the coffee shop reopens.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Adjournment:\u00a0<\/strong>Meeting adjourned at 10:56 a.m.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Date\/Location:\u00a0May 14, 2026 &#8211; 10:30 a.m. in Melton 112 with Zoom option available. In Attendance: Lauren Willis, Kileene Collins, Jacy Miller, Sheila Sparks, Emilie Brotherton, Douglas Cooley, Wayne Cahoj, Tanya Miller, Lindsay Waggoner, Sophia Skinner, Michelle Bryan, Cedric Wooledge, Missi Jett, Jon Allen, Kenzie Warren, Kris Brinkerhoff, Alyssa Collins, and Mandy Collins. Participants via Zoom: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-meeting-minutes","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2536,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2535\/revisions\/2536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.wp.missouristate.edu\/staffsenate\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}