President's Letter
Welcome to the Emory Employee Council!
Our theme for the 2008-2009 academic year is Talk to Me: Communication in Community. Talk to Me is a call to action for Employee Council members. As an advisory body, our primary purpose is to facilitate communication between Emory employees and university administration. We are here to serve as a voice for our colleagues, as well as to bring the information we receive back to them.
A specific function of the Employee Council is to foster closer working relationships between the organizational areas and groups of employees at Emory by endorsing and promoting community-building programs and activities. We have a tremendous opportunity to be active members of an amazing, diverse, supportive community. To quote Emory's vision statement:
Emory is a destination university internationally recognized as an inquiry-driven, ethically engaged, and diverse community, whose members work collaboratively for positive transformation in the world through courageous leadership in teaching, research, scholarship, health care, and social action.
As Employee Council representatives, we share responsibility for building this destination community. We are the representatives of the colleagues in our departments. We are the people who meet regularly to receive important information, discuss issues and provide feedback through appropriate channels.
Talk to Me is your charge to:
- Make sure the colleagues in your area know you are a Council representative.
- Talk with them about their concerns, ideas and opinions.
- Actively participate in Council meetings and represent your colleagues' voices.
Effective communication is essential to community-building. So, as part of this year's meetings, we will have the opportunity to hone our communication skills. In an effort to improve our own skills, we will dedicate part of each month's meeting for training on how we communicate with one another: in person, over email, in writing, etc.
Last year we became better informed by "Discovering Emory." This year we encourage you to experience Emory in new and different ways. We will have multiple opportunities to participate in the life of the Emory community. Each month we will sponsor at least one event for Employee Council members to promote among staff - these experiences will include tours, athletic events, performing arts, and other ways to participate in the life of the Emory community.
We will continue to hear from invited speakers, receive important updates, and discuss important topics. I hope you are as eager as I am to raise awareness of Employee Council and to make a positive difference in our Emory community.
Looking forward to a fun and productive year,
Matt Engelhardt
President, Employee Council 2008-2009