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PSS Meeting Recap

We talked about books, art, and bylaws in our February meeting last week!

• Library Resources & Services

  • Laurainne Ojo-Ohikuare from the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery

    and the Library Policy Committee shared some very helpful Library

    resources and services available to staff.

• Sherman Hall Public Art Project

  • Nora Howell, Public Art Project Manager from Maryland State Arts Council will join us to provide a concise introduction to the public art project and seek your input on the potential themes and goals for the proposed artwork at Sherman Hall. Click here to see the presentation.

• Bylaws Review

  • Our PSS Bylaws committee has been working diligently on reviewing and revising our bylaws. We spent time during our meeting reviewing and discussing how we structure our bylaws, committees, and senator expectations.

Check out the meeting minutes for additional information.

Coming Soon: Senator Nominations and Mentoring Applications

Applications to be a staff senator or a council representative are coming in April - AND you can join the staff senate mentoring program! Meet folks from across campus and make a difference at UMBC for yourself and your colleagues.

What is the Professional Staff Senate (PSS)? We represent you! We are the official representative body of exempt staff employed at UMBC. What do we do? We provide a forum for discussing issues involving or of interest to exempt staff members, such as academic and administrative policies. Some of these topics have included work-life balance, campus climate, employee benefits, and state budget updates and impacts. We work diligently to maintain and contribute to community life at UMBC by organizing events for staff and volunteering for non-PSS sponsored events. Each member serves on selected subcommittees of their choosing regarding certain policies or procedures. Senators serve two-year terms and are expected to attend monthly meetings, serve on PSS committees, and serve on one campus committee as a staff representative. Nominees must be exempt staff employees employed at UMBC for at least one year (hired on or before 4/20/2023).

What is the Council of University System Staff (CUSS)? Staff serving on the Council represent all staff at UMBC at the system-level. Council representatives and alternates report to the Chancellor and Presidents and share staff concerns across the University System of Maryland (USM). UMBC has 6 CUSS members including 3 Representatives (2 Exempt & 1 Non-Exempt) and 3 Alternates (2 Exempt & 1 Non-Exempt). Council representatives should have 1 year of experience in shared governance at the USM system level and have been exempt employees at UMBC for at least one year.

What is the Mentoring Program? The new cohort of the program will kick off in July 2024 and run through June 2025. New exempt staff members (at UMBC less than 3 years) are encouraged to apply to be mentees, and all exempt staff members (at UMBC for 3 years or longer) are encouraged to apply to be mentors! Contact Laila Shishineh with questions, and stay tuned for more info.

Curious? Talk to a current senator! Make sure you’re subscribed to all updates on our myUMBC page to get more information.

Donate Professional Clothes for “UMBC Suits You”!

The Career Center is collecting new and gently used professional clothing for "UMBC Suits You" as part of Career Month! Clothing donations benefit UMBC students, who will be able to pick out a free interview outfit in early April.
Click the image below for more information about where to donate around campus from February 19th - March 1st.

Meet the Senator

Emily Passera

Transitioning from “virtual retriever” in 2020 to fully integrated in-person UMBC community member has been a joy. Since November 2022, I’ve served in shared governance, where I realized my interests in collective action and breaking down silos in higher education. I have been described as a sponge for life-long learning. I just began my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Frostburg State University. Here at UMBC, I instruct First Year Experience (FYE 101) Courses and Sociology 396 sections for our Shriver Living Learning Community, now in its 24th cohort.  I’ve engaged with the transformative Community Leadership Skills Courses:  Place & Place Making with Joby Taylor and Digital Storytelling with Charlotte Keniston. Now I’ve lead close to 150 students and community partners to share their stories (including transfer students, The Universities at Shady Grove, Montgomery College, non-profit leaders, and the Maryland Public Service Scholars).

As a Carnegie Classified Center for Community Engagement, working for the Shriver Center really means working for the Baltimore Region surrounding us. While supervising 300 + students every semester, our partnerships support student learning outside of classroom contexts. It is a pleasure working alongside The Honors College, Sondheim Scholars Program, Meyerhoff Scholars Program, The McNair Scholars Programs, and trusted interdisciplinary Academic Faculty to support student exploration of perspective taking, cross cultural communication, and career goals.

I recharge at home by hiking with my dog Pepper, reading fantasy/romance novels, and finding more hidden foodie spots in Baltimore. I’ve built a strong community of friendships across California, Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

One day, you’ll find me writing a series of books and probably living by a lake with a lot of craft projects.