Carnegie Mellon University

Staff Council

The voice for staff at Carnegie Mellon University

About Us

The chief purpose of Staff Council is to examine matters related to all staff, and to formulate recommendations to the university administration regarding staff concerns. Staff Council representatives provide advocacy on behalf of all staff members, and contribute to the vibrancy and well‐being of the entire Carnegie Mellon community.

Divisions

The structure of Staff Council ensures that all schools and campus units are represented. During divisional election years the Vice Chair of Staff Council, with the advice and consent of the Governance, Elections and Membership Committee, determines the Staff Council divisional breakdown based on the most recent campus organizational chart.

Representatives

Staff Council is comprised of 60 representatives who are elected to two-year terms. 30 Divisional representatives and 30 At-large representatives work closely with university administration to address issues and develop best solutions for staff and the university community.

Meetings

General body meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month and are open to all staff. Per the constitution, Staff Council is required to meet 10 times each year. All general body meetings are zero-waste events!

Committees

We all do better work if we learn from the diverse voices in our community. That’s why most of the committees, as well as the general body meetings, are open to the CMU community. The exceptions to this are the Benefits, Relations Guidance Advisory, and the Governance, Elections, and Membership (GEM) committees.

You have an open invitation to join us whenever you can. Please take a look at the committee descriptions and consider where you might be able to share your talents. Then contact the committee chair for more info.

Elections

Elections for Divisional Representatives are held biennially and elections for At-Large Representatives are held in alternate years. All full-time and part-time Carnegie Mellon staff who are not represented by Faculty Senate or a collective bargaining unit are eligible for nomination. We seek representatives from all departments and we encourage you to nominate yourself!

Events

Staff Council hosts several events throughout the year including the Food Drive, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, and the Ice Cream Social. Staff Council also partners with other campus departments such as Human Resources and the Provost’s Office to bring you the Benefits Open Forum, the Benefits and Fitness Fair, the Community Picnic and Kennywood Day. All of these events are free and open to all CMU staff. You don’t have to be a member of Staff Council to help out with most of these events! If you would like to volunteer, contact the committee chairs or email Staff Council.