PSLT minutes
West Campus
7/9/2012
Present:
Joe Nunes, Jerry Reed, Kevin Matis, Isabela Rivera, Julie Balassa, Jeff Hogan, Mariann Swenson,
Donna Kosloski, Heidi Shugg (by phone), Liz Jusino, Johnny Aplin
Old Business
Julie led the team in a discussion and review of the minutes from the previous meeting. The approval
of these minutes was deferred to our next meeting, pending some updating by Julie in the interim.
New Business
Donna discussed exploring a new vision for the new fiscal year with the team. She emphasized her
desire that our work be pro-active and collaborative, and that it foster greater inclusion in college
governance. Donna stated that she intended to lead the PSLT emphasizing achievement, awards,
professional advancement and growth.
Donna also indicated that she feels people are experiencing “a lot of fear” and that she wants to help
folks feel more secure, and that by tying into processes that are being revised or created, such as the
PDP redesign, this anxiety may be lessened and channeled more productively.
She emphasized that ours is a “culture of collaboration” and that in representing the professional staff,
we need to stay actively involved, and actively listen to other staff and peer input. Using the PDP as a
tool for working with supervisors was recommended.
In general, concerns are widespread, not exclusive to a few people, but rather across departments. She
is trying to brainstorm some solutions to build confidence, instill greater trust, and practice
transparency in communication not just in regard to governance, but also in the PDP redesign and other
redesign processes.
The challenge of employee competencies and supervisor competencies and the difficulty folks have in
finding out where they are documented was discussed. Mention of understanding Valencia culture and
certificate programs for supervisor competencies was discussed.
A new Professional Development program is in the works and it will be on-line. This is beyond the
existing Skillport training. This system will also aid in succession planning.
It was stated that we should remove concerns of contract not being renewed as an item on our matrix
since this is considered a “closed door” we have received from Dr. Stone with regard to most
information regarding non-renewal, but rather we should seek to embrace and fully understand the
processes, policies, and procedures involved.
With regard to the PDP, both Johnny and Julia indicated they are aware of cases where individual
employees felt “blind-sided” by unexpected negative elements in their PDP reviews. Others
volunteered that they were also aware of similar cases of PDP “surprises”. There was general
agreement that at best, the PDP should not contain “surprises” for the employee or the supervisor.
Joe stated that there were a number of potentially relevant professional development courses that are
not being adequately used, and that PSLT members should encourage others to take advantage of these
offerings. Jenny Charriez would be the contact here.
A member of the Professional Staff Leadership Team has had a range of supervisors and stressed the
differences in communication among them, in terms of how well the supervisor listens, initiates
contact, or is instead “dismissive”. Much of the impact seems to turn on how the supervisor words any
“recommendations for improvement”. It was suggested that a template might help in this regard.
Discussion indicated that the temporal proximity of the review to the time of the contract renewal
decisions is a question. An expressed consensus was that having one's review near the time of contract
renewal decisions would be beneficial to all.
Julie stated that the performance review process would benefit from “better checks and balances” since
errors in supervisor recollection can be detrimental to the employee rated.
Joe stated that this often comes down to skills and attitude of the particular managers involved in the
rating.
Donna asked for input from all about how the PSLT members felt about her statement of vision. All
indicated basic agreement with what Donna had elucidated. Further discussion ensued.
Liz explained that one common issue with training not being allowed on the job is that all staff are very
busy and it is difficult to find time and gain approval for that time from one's supervisor. In order for
the PSLT to help resolve this it will be necessary to become more pro-active.
Julie said that she viewed Donna's vision for PSLT as positive, but that the college must be a partner in
realizing this vision. A partnership with Organizational Communication and Development has been
formed as suggested by Dr. Shugart.
Kevin stated fifteen years ago, there was no Osceola campus for instance. We are now a much larger
college and as professional staff we are struggling with how to handle this growth.
Julie - “non-superstars” who are doing a good job should still have job security.
Reacting to a question asked in her meeting with Dr. Shugart, Donna indicated that we would need to
partner with Organizational Development to seek some of the goals and solutions discussed.
Several PSLT members indicated that there are currently career staff who do not wish to become
professional staff, even if it means a promotion, since they perceive a salaried, contract position with
the college as less secure than their current non-exempt one. Jerry questioned this in an attempt to
better understand this perception, since technically all college staff are “at will” employees in any
event.
The question “Why do we not get any written expectations with the contracts?” was asked. Dr. Shugart
asked what is received with contracts at Liz Jusino and Donna Kosloski’s meeting with Dr. Shugart. It
appears that more information relating to contract renewal is being considered by the College.
Liz reported that when she and Donna met with Dr. Shugart, the option of Sabbatical leave for
professional staff was raised. This is possible, but rarely used at present. They also indicated that
NISOD awards are possible for staff as well as for faculty.
Julie suggested coming up with a list of “5 things we'll stand behind” as the PSLT. We would need to
send out a survey to the professional staff to get input on these priorities. PSLT members with
suggestions for these items or this survey should bring those ideas to the next PSLT meeting.
Donna enumerated the positions available on the PSLT now. These include the Chair-Elect, CLC
representative, a Downtown Campus representative, and a representative for Valencia Continuing Ed
(formerly Valencia Enterprises). Donna indicated that the chair-Elect is the most difficult role to fill.
Donna will talk to Laura Blasi with regard to the vacancy on the CLC. Other possible candidates were
mentioned. Donna will speak with Debi Jacubcin about the Chair-Elect position. She also indicated
that she will get a list of Professional Staff and their start dates from Adam Carneiro. Donna will also
submit a request to OIT to develop an Outlook/Exchange distribution list by campus for professional
staff.
Donna strongly emphasized that we must employ these mailing lists with continued care and
professionalism. She suggested that all PSLT members should submit proposed mass e-mails to the
PSLT chair for review before sending them out.
Donna asked if there could be a “join our group” link on the PSLT page. Donna will schedule pictures
from the PSLT web page.
Committee Reports
Jerry reports that the CPC did not meet during June, with the Big Meeting substituting. The CPC has a
meeting tentatively scheduled for late July. Jerry said that he will find any notes distributed at the Big
Meeting for re-distribution to the PSLT.
Next Meeting
September 10th, 2 to 4 PM, East campus.