Dr. Mary A. Papazian
I promised several months ago to continue with a deep dive of our strategic plan, Transformation 2030, so next up is Goal 3—“Grow and Thrive.”
Finally, with our staff and faculty, we need to ensure we are providing opportunities for professional growth and satisfaction. This includes leadership development and spaces where everyone can have their voices heard on issues that are important to them.
So how will we achieve these outcomes?
Already, we proudly feature an incredibly talented and diverse set of staff members and employees on campus who quietly work every day to create an environment where our students can succeed. Retaining dedicated employees such as these, and ensuring that San Jose State is an employer of choice will be key to transforming our campus and leading us into the future.
Charlie Faas, our vice president for administration and finance, and Kathy Wong-Lau, our chief diversity officer, are leading the implementation for Goal 3 and are developing a creative, thoughtful roadmap that focuses specifically on one area of transformation—the staff experience at San Jose State.
It is a multi-pronged approach, one that we anticipate will include several activities:
- A once-per-semester career fair developed for SJSU staff that offers workshops, coaching, continuing education information, poster sessions, and current campus-wide job postings;
- An initiative focused on early career and mid-level staff that would provide leadership and committee experiences as well as opportunities to contribute to university initiatives;
- Programming and opportunities for staff to enhance their organizational visibility and leadership, provided through brown bag lunches and “day in the life” storytelling by staff members.
Another key area of focus will be staff recognition, where we frequently and consistently call out—and reward, when possible!—our staff members who work so hard to ensure that campus operations and programs run smoothly in support of our mission.
A recently-formed staff council has suggested the development of an annual Staff Recognition Awards event, and we are preparing to implement these awards for the first time this spring at our Spartan Service Celebration.
So change—thoughtful, student-focused, tangible change—continues to be a hallmark of what we are working to accomplish at San Jose State. As always, you can learn more about Transformation 2030 and join the effort. Thank you!