Service Professional
Advisory Council
SPAC Minutes
February 19, 2015
8:30am – 10:00am
Applied Research & Development (ARD), Bldg #56, Large Pod
Hostess: Mary-Kate Wolter
Present: Andrea Graves, Dylan Rust, Alicia Krzyczkowski, Mary Kate Wolter, Mark Young, Bryan Cornn, Dan Boone, Shari Miller, Kathleen
Carpenter, Karletta Jones, Maraka Mason, Nat Cairney, Kim Knowles, Diane Verkest, Suzanne Siler, Trevor Luttinen
By Collaborate: Elizabeth Wilkinson, Gail Westerlund, Hannah Erickson, Jacque Buchanan, Justin Hagin, Karen Flores, MaryLynn Quartaroli,
Robber Bergman, Susan Lauer, Suzie Martinez, Teresa Haven
Absent: Stephanie McCarthy, Yael Bernstein, Cheryl Goldberg, Bernadette Presloid
8:30am
Call to Order & Introductions
Called to order by Suzanne Siler with introductions for in-person attendees.
Suzanne Siler, Chair
8:35 – 8:50am
ABOR/NAU Legislative Agenda
Christy Farley, Vice President for Legislative Affairs
House and Senate presentations are forefront on our agenda. Gov. Ducey is proposing a long-term outlook to best prepare for necessary
reductions. The current FY15 budget shortfall is addressed by various fund sweeps. The FY16 shortfall is $500M, not including the current K-12
lawsuit. Of that shortfall, there is a $75M cut to the State Universities, which means $13.1M cut to NAU. Some Legislature members believe the
cuts needs to be even deeper to the universities. This is not a reflection of the value of the universities, but more on the State’s fiscal
environment. The Legislature and ABOR are reviewing a variety of strategies focused on enrollment growth, budget changes and reductions. ABOR
has approved various regulatory reforms based on Tri-University requests with the focus towards streamlining and cost reductions. Examples
include:

Benefits:
NAU operates its own program independent of the State which allows for a more robust program. UofA and ASU are now considering
this concept too. NAU is advocating for the protection of its current system.

Liability and Risk Insurance:
Currently this is purchased through State. Proposal is to open a separate fund for the universities.

Retirement:
Two types currently offered – Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and the Optional plan. The Optional Plan is dictated by various
statutes with a majority of its members in faculty positions and some in staff positions. This system has been available for approximately
20 yrs. Contribution rates for employees and employers in the Optional plan is lower than required in the State plan. NAU is advocating
to maintain authority to propose to the Legislature what is in the best interest of NAU employees, the State and the health of the funds.
Items in discussion include options for new hires. One proposal is to have anyone currently in the State plan moving from a State
employer into the universities stay “as is” with a window to switch into the Optional plan. Another proposal is to have new hires that are
not currently in the State system automatically enrolled into the Optional plan and a window offered to current members in the State
plan to switch to the Optional plan. There will be more details reported soon and a likely 2-3 year timeline for implementation.
Q. Will NAU keep the Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan? The current proposal is have ABOR and NAU maintain authority to review and
determine best options moving forward. Current consensus is to advocate for keeping the BCBS plan.
Q. Please clarify the State Retirement plan discussions, what it the bottom line? Currently there will be no changes mandated to State Plan
members unless they individually chose to switch to the Optional plan. Moving forward, new hires would potentially be automatically be enrolled
in the Optional plan with defined contributions.
Q. Will there be furloughs? Every reduction option is on the table currently and much depends on whether a mid-year rescission is implemented.
At this time, there is no talk of a mid-year rescission. But if one is implemented, then yes, furloughs (a short-term solution) might happen. FY16
plans will all depend on the current budgeting process, the fluctuation in revenues and which short-term temporary vs. long-term permanent
reduction options will be best solutions.
Q. Has President Cheng talked about enrollment growth and where it is to occur? Across the board, all campuses and programs will be focused on
growth, retention 1st to 2nd year, and through graduation. This is an ongoing and continuous goal, a key priority. There are no plans to slow growth
at the Mountain Campus. We are in a very competitive environment which means that all forces will be in effect to promote growth and retention
for Personalized Learning, Online, Extended Campuses, and the Mountain Campus.
Service Professional
Advisory Council
8:50 – 9:00am
Human Resources update
Diane Verkest, Associate Vice President for Human Resources
Great Colleges to Work For is a program managed by the Chronicle of Higher Education http://chronicle.com/section/Great-Colleges-to-WorkFor/156/ . President Cheng asked that NAU participate. This is a great opportunity for feedback and recognition for recognition for 2- and 4-yr
colleges. Approximately 196 colleges participated in 2015. There is a faculty/staff survey component with planning and implementation underway
now. NAU will randomly selection 600 participants from a pool of 50% classified and service professional staff and 50% faculty. The survey is, takes
about 20 minutes to complete with 60-90 questions on various topics including governance, leadership, job satisfactions, work/life balance, etc. If
NAU receives recognition, we will be distinguished among a group of only 2 universities in the Western region (California and Washington)
recognized so far. There is also an “honor roll” where institutions can be recognized in 12 different areas. This gives NAU an opportunity for peer
comparison and growth. Collaborating on the implementation with a preliminary institutional questionnaire is Dan Kain, VP for Academic Personnel
and Laura Jones, Assoc. VP for Planning and Institutional Research. The goal is to maximize participation. Responses are confidential and the
timeframe for survey deployment is Spring Break week, open for 3-4 weeks with reminders, etc. “Honor Roll” – recognized in 12 different area
options.
8:50 – 9:20am
Campaign for NAU, Annual Giving & Employee Giving Campaign
Nate Cairney, Director of Annual Giving
Nationwide data shows state funding decreases and college tuition increases. Arizona is the No 1 outlier in the negative zone, so AZ students really
need help. Philanthropy has a chance to help.

Employment data – “where men aren’t working” – socio-economic indicators prioritize towards un- and under-employed males as an
indicator for the student population’s college readiness and success. AZ is again in high degree of under employed and many AZ students
are first-generation and Pell-eligible.

NAU students are involved in various philanthropic roles and it has positive effects on their student success – it is a transformative
experience.

The Campaign for NAU is going well. Goal for 2008-2016 is to raise $100M – currently 80% met with 90/95% expected to be major
donors. Various successful scholarships have been established – examples include:
Blavin Scholars for foster children who’ve aged out of the state system http://nau.edu/Student-Affairs/Blavin-Scholars-Program/
First Scholars (Suder Foundation) for 1st Generation students who are statistically proven to need more assistance and support to
succeed. http://nau.edu/First-Scholars/
Other campus resources for students include the Campus Dining Scholarship and Louie’s Cupboard for students in need of meals. Focus is
student-centered compassionate.

Lumberjacks are philanthropic, but it’s a newer effort compared to other longer-established programs at other universities. Thanks to
the recent work of the NAU Foundation, networks and new environments are established. Previous culture of 70s/80s/90s is shifting
from “not going to ask you for $” to a more philanthropic focus with Alumni. FY14 stats indicate that small and recurring donations make
a big difference. During last fiscal year approximately 15K donors raised donations of $1-10,000 for a total of $2.7 M. For major alumni
donors last year, 88% made an annual gift at some point and their median first gift size was $18. Out of last year’s donors, 11% had given
for 5 or more consecutive years. That group donated $1.1M.

Employee Giving - why would I give back to a place where I work and in demographic that where cost of living is so high? Employee giving
is about seeing the transformation of our students on a day-to-day basis. What’s great is that you can give to 1,400 different funds to
support your “micro cause” – the cause to which you feel the closest. We always need volunteers – it is a peer to peer solicitation model.
Please let me know if you are interested. From March 2015 through Graduation 2015, the goal is to secure 1,000 employee donors.
There is now a Louie function for payroll deduction.
Q. What are plans as the $1M campaign comes to a close? Celebration! Then strategically plan forward. Given the current State budget concerns,
there will likely be another campaign kickoff soon thereafter.
Q. Are there any efforts to expand giving campaigns with CIE and international students? Yes, CIE leadership is collaborating with us to develop
constituencies and build support within international alumni groups, but there are some limitations including the distance factor for alumni and
logistical challenges like creating a database for recognition of foreign addresses, etc.
Q. If a scholarship like the Blavin is set up, how is it managed within the university systems like Financial Aid, Foundation, etc.? It depends on how it
is funded (endowed or not, etc.) Joint collaboration distributed among university units typically – but sometimes the gifts are unit specific and
managed within the unit.
Q. Are there any funds for emergency support? EMSA does have this, in Student Support Services specifically - Wendy Bruun is the best contact.
There are options for student textbook loans / grants as well as the campus dining assistance. Colleges and departments also have some
discretionary funds as well.
Q. What are the overhead fees associated with scholarships? Again, depends on how the scholarship is set up. If it is endowed, then the fees are
self-supported in perpetuity through the fund, if not then there is a 5% fee associated (comparatively less than fees at ASU and UofA.)
Q. What percent of giving goes towards admin overhead? Administrative costs are managed within the University Advancement annual budget. All
giving is 100% dedicated to the cause and The Campaign for NAU funds are not pre-designated.
Q. What kind of volunteer help do you need? Any and all! It’s mostly about asking your fellow employees to give. It takes about 1 hour per week
to talk with colleagues, distribute and/or collect donor materials and gifts. Please contact me anytime about how you can help.
Service Professional
Advisory Council
9:20 – 10:00am
SPAC Business
SPAC Committees

Supervisory Training (Brown Bag Lunches): Fri 2/27 12noon True Blue EC, 22 ppl currently enrolled. DISC – a Tony Robbins personality
indicator creation. Cassie Petit from HR will present. Best to do the online tool to prepare – see email from SPAC with link.

Publicity (Newsletter/Website): April newsletter pending, contents TBA by April meeting. Full Council now achieved with Alicia
Krzyczkowski newest member and Andrea Graves joining in Nov 2014.

SPAC Ambassadors: Still researching new Service Professional employee list and office locations. SPAC fact sheet is ready for print and
distribution - Suzanne to review.

Service Projects: April clean-up will be scheduled soon. Cesar Chavez service day is 3/31, targeted area is around Kilip Elementary school
and collaborations with the Sunny Side neighborhood. Suzanne to review collaboration opportunities with SPAC

Annual Meeting/Mixer: Vote was for UU Havasupai, Thu 4/16/15 12-1p. Catered and with guest speaker – send any nomination ideas to
Suzanne. Potential speakers discussed: President Cheng, VP Jane Kuhn, Executive Director SHRM Wanda Costen.

Leadership Award: Nomination form needs updating, advertising link needs posting via website.
University Committees

President’s Cabinet: Budget was the focus, President Cheng will negotiate with the Legislature for minimal impact to current student
resources and employee benefits. $5 tickets available to Basketball game Sat 2/21.
Q. Was there discussion of “layoffs” at Cabinet? No, NAU is reported to be in a relatively good place from fiscal management of last few
years. “Streamline” doesn’t mean “reduction in force”, but there is a focus towards increased efficiency and centralized systems. Current
construction on campus will wrap-up, then campus planning will be reassessed with focus on maintaining and upgrading older buildings.
https://www4.nau.edu/pair/CabinetReports/Cabinetindex2014.htm

President’s Strategic Planning & Budget Council: no report. http://nau.edu/Strategic-Planning/Planning-Council/

Academic Standards Committee: Thanksgiving Eve policy was discussed since so many students don’t attend classes that day. Discussion
was mixed on whether students ultimately have responsibility to cover their absences around holidays. Grade structure discussion
included whether to continue with the A/A+ system. Posthumous degrees are now approved for students that completed at least 75% of
a degree. The award is a certificate, not a degree. The full policy is available at http://nau.edu/Provost/OCLDAA/Academic-StandardsCommittee/

Employee Development Day Conference: 5/20/15 Passport to Excellence – Develop U. Snacks AM/PM but no lunch. Location is set for
FCB/DuBois. Speakers at sessions tbd.

Classified Staff Advisory Council: no report

Commission on Ethnic Diversity: President Cheng was the speaker in this mostly fact finding meeting. NAU is the least diverse campus of
all where she has worked. No dedicated budget through the President’s Office currently for this outreach and likely not to be renewed.
Some Staff and Faculty reported they choose not to post their photos on websites due to concern of negative feedback. There is lots of
work to be done on this issue campus wide. http://www.nau.edu/ced/

Commission on the Status of Women: no report. http://nau.edu/csw/

Faculty Senate: Focus is the budget. NAU is seeking to choose a student regent. Send any names for consideration to Bruce Fox.
Importance of transfer students. Example, in past years the CA student population was robust, but now CA is accommodating more
students in their own state system and our enrollment of CA students is dropping. Review of the faculty evaluation system is ongoing.
The exemplary performance program for outstanding faculty performance was discussed with debate on how to be implement. ABOR
and academic freedom was discussed with faculty advocating for curriculum not being controlled by donors, ex. Koch Bros. funding at
ASU. http://nau.edu/faculty-senate/

Benefits: no report. http://nau.edu/Human-Resources/Benefits/

Commission on Disability Access and Design: New Co-Chair in voting process now. Seated Vollleyball Tournament is 2/20/15 in the HLC
MAC Gym. 18 participants are registered currently. The CDAD Leadership Award and upcoming event schedule is available for nomination
on the website https://www5.nau.edu/diversity/commission/LeadershipAward.aspx

Parking and Transportation: have not met, no report. http://nau.edu/parking-shuttle-services/

Portal Steering Committee: no changes are planned since this program is planned for replacement by Salesforce, a CRM (Contact
Relationship Management) product, designed to give a more updated, better resource for students.

LGBTQA - Rummage sale donations are currently accepted. May 3rd 2-4p DuBois Fair – need volunteers. Campus restroom accessibility
issues are still in discussion. The transgender health exclusion is dropped – full benefits are offered now through BCBS. A faculty
development session is scheduled 3/12 10am – topics. President Cheng will speak at the 2/19 meeting. Ally of the Year award is open for
nomination at http://nau.edu/lgbtqa/
Minutes from January 2015 meeting – approved by majority
Service Professional
Advisory Council
Good of the order:

KNAU Drive, not enough volunteers for any one time slot – not participating.

Tri-University state-wide Service Professional Conference – checking fund to see if participation is possible in April.

CSAC Mixer March 2015, not enough volunteers available to manage a SPAC table - not participating.

Student Life Hearing Board, Art Farmer will contact volunteers when being called to service on a rotational basis.

Toast Masters – Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom invites anyone to join on campus, Mondays 5pm in the Communications Building, bright yellow
signs – 3rd floor. Official NAU club status pending.
Meeting concluded: 10:00am
Next Meeting: March 12th, 2015 at HRM room pending, Parking and Transportation is guest speaker.