Get Involved with the USU Staff Employee Association

Interested in getting involved with the USU Staff Employee Association? There are many roles to fill as a volunteer with the SEA. Board and Committee elections are typically held each year at the end of Spring semester, and other volunteer opportunities are also available. A service year matches the fiscal calendar, beginning July 1 and ending June 30.

Watch the SEA Board Panel Discussion on YouTube

Executive Board

Executive Board members serve from 2-3 years, depending on their position. Secretary and Treasurer serve for two years. The President Elect rotates into the President and Past President roles one year at a time, over the course of three years.

All Board and Committee members are expected to (1) attend monthly meetings, (2) report on their specific areas of concern, and (3) assist with SEA events throughout the year. They also work with their committee member (and Board members as needed) to address additional duties specific to their area.

President/Past President/President Elect (3 years)

An SEA volunteer is first elected as President Elect, where they learn the duties of the President and fill in for the President as needed for a year. The following year they serve as President, becoming Past President for their final year of service.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (6-8 hours/month as President, 4-6 hours/month as President Elect, and 2-3 hours as Past President); busy season in the Spring and early Summer; also serves on select USU committees representing SEA interests.
  • Skills Needed: communication, planning, budgeting
  • Systems Used: Outlook (calendar, email), Zoom

Vice President/Past Vice President/Vice President Elect (3 years)

An SEA volunteer is first elected as Vice President Elect, where they learn the duties of the Vice President and fill in for the Vice President as needed for a year. The following year they serve as Vice President, becoming Past Vice President for their final year of service.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (4-6 hours/month as Vice President, 4-6 hours/month as Vice President Elect, and 4-6 hours as Past Vice President); busy season in the Summer.
  • Skills Needed: interpersonal skills, communication, planning, scheduling.
  • Systems Used: Outlook (calendar, email), Zoom

Treasurer (Junior/Senior, 2 years)

The Treasurer serves for 2 years (first year as Junior, then as Senior) and must have a minimum of one-year experience with the USU accounting system and have demonstrated knowledge and understanding of all accounting policies and procedures.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (2-3 hours/month) with a busy season during financial reporting periods; must meet minimum experience requirements
  • Skills Needed: budget tracking
  • Systems Used: Banner, Argos, Excel

Secretary (Junior/Senior, 2 years)

The Secretary serves for 2 years (first year as Junior, then as Senior), with primary responsibility for record keeping, Board communication and meeting scheduling.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (5-7 hours/month) with additional time in November and May; must be proficient with the use of email and enjoy taking notes during meetings
  • Skills Needed: typing, organization, setting agendas/minutes
  • Systems Used: Zoom, Outlook, Box

Media & Public Relations (2 years)

The Media & Public Relations Committee is responsible for communicating and promoting SEA events and opportunities for all SEA members. This includes periodic news articles on things of interest for SEA members, updating the SEA website and social media (as needed), and email communication.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (6-8 hours/month)
  • Skills Needed: writing, organization
  • Systems Used: Omni CMS (website management), Banner Communications Tool (monthly emails), YouTube (to upload videos from SEA events and arranging captioning through 3PlayMedia to meet USU accessibility requirements), basic Qualtrics (familiarity with these tools is helpful, but can be taught to the successful candidate)

Committees

Each committee consists of a senior and a junior members. Members generally serve for two years, one year as the Junior member and one year as the Senior member, however, Benefit & Staff Welfare also includes an incoming committee member and service is for three years. This timeframe may vary if a committee member steps down and someone is appointed to fill their remaining term. In addition to the specific areas of responsibility, all Board and Committee members work together to carry out SEA events throughout the year.

Activities Committee (2 years)

The Activities Committee is responsible for organizing, overseeing, and executing a diverse range of staff activities for SEA members throughout the year that will enhance work-life balance and overall well-being of staff members.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (4-6 hours/month) coordinating activities throughout the year.
  • Skills Needed: interpersonal skills, strategic planning, organization, networking, communication.
  • Systems Used: Zoom, Qualtrics, Excel

Benefit & Staff Welfare Committee (Junior/Senior/Incoming, 3 years)

The Benefit & Staff Welfare Committee consists of an incoming, Junior, and Senior member who rotate through the roles over a three year period to meet the requirements of the USU Benefit Advisory Committee.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (5-6 hours/month for three years) with a busy season during the Winter; includes services on the USU Benefit Advisory Committee
  • Skills Needed: familiarity with benefits and HR processes
  • Systems Used: Work, Zoom

Employee Connections (2 years)

The Employee Connections Committee works closely with HR to inform new employees of the benefits they have as a member of SEA. They also work with HR on employee grievances as needed.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (3-4 hours/month)
  • Skills Needed: desire to help, written communication
  • Systems Used: Outlook (email), Zoom

Employee Development (2 years)

The Employee Development Committee is responsible to create opportunities for SEA members to develop professionally through periodic professional development events as well as selecting presenters/instructors, specific topics, and relevant ideas for the development conference. Any recordings will be uploaded to YouTube, captioned for accessibility, and shared on the SEA YouTube channel.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (5-7 hours/month) coordinating professional development events throughout the year, typically one each month
  • Skills Needed: interpersonal skills, Zoom meeting creation/scheduling (including registration and recording set-up), Zoom facilitation (chat functions, mic/sounds and sharing troubleshooting), Qualtrics general knowledge
  • Systems Used: Zoom, Qualtrics, Excel

Employee Recognition (2 years)

The Employee Recognition Committee is responsible to review, select, and award employees who are nominated for SEA Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year recognition. This includes arranging to formally present the selected employees with a certificate of recognition.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (3-4 hours/month with extra time in April/May to coordinate the award of the Employee of the Year)
  • Skills Needed: communication, organization, writing
  • Systems Used: Outlook (email), Zoom

Employee Scholarship (2 years)

The Employee Scholarship Committee is responsible for promoting, evaluating, and awarding SEA Employee scholarships and professional development awards each year, working with USU's AwardSpring software. They also encourage SEA members and others to donate to the SEA Scholarship Fund.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (2-3 hours/month) with a busy season (extra hours) in Fall and Spring when scholarships and professional development award applications are evaluated
  • Skills Needed: communication, detail-oriented
  • Systems Used: Qualtrics, ScholarshipUniverse

Research & Evaluation (2 years)

The Research & Evaluation Committee has the charge to advise and support the research and evaluation needs of the USU Staff Employee Association. The committee members work with SEA leadership to identify specific issues and needs, and then develop the appropriate tools to gather staff input that will help inform SEA planning and decision-making. The committee member develop, collect, analyze, and disseminate the results of their various data collection efforts in the monthly SEA communication.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment: year-round (3-4 hours/month); may also be involved with Utah Higher Education Staff Association (UHESA) to support information gathering on relevant topics for staff Statewide
  • Skills Needed: data analysis, interest in Legislature and telling of staff stories, understanding of statistics and focus groups helpful
  • Systems Used: Qualtrics, Excel

Statewide Campus & Extension (2 years)

The Statewide Campus & Extension Committee (1) represents the concerns of the Statewide Campus and Extension offices around the State and (2) encourages SEA participation among the Statewide Campus and Extension offices (excluding USU Eastern which has a separate staff employee association and activities). The volunteers who fill these roles need to come from a Statewide Campus or Extension office. Board meetings are broadcast via IVC and will be arranged to accomodate committee member campus locations.

Things to Consider

  • Time Commitment is year-round (2-3 hours/month); no travel is required
  • Skills Needed: communication, making connections, time management
  • Systems: Outlook (email), Zoom, Qualtrics

USU Eastern Chapter

The USU Eastern campus hosts an SEA Chapter with officers and committee members. Elections for those offices are handled by the chapter. You can learn more about those offices and committees on the USU Eastern Chapter page.

Declare Your Candidacy or Encourage Someone to Run

You can learn more about how to declare your candidacy, or encourage someone you know to run, by visiting our open candidacy information page.

SEA Volunteer Roles