2025-26 — led by President Chris Burkett

• Advocated for staff priorities through ongoing collaboration with university leadership, Human Resources and additional campus partners on issues such as telecommuting guidance, market pay structure implementation, employee communications, and parking and mobility planning
• Secured Staff Senate representation on the Presidential Commission on Employee Insights and the university Parking Mobility Master Plan stakeholder process
• Proposed and advanced updated Staff Senate apportionment and bylaw revisions to improve equitable staff representation and governance processes
• Expanded professional development and AI learning initiatives for staff, including promotion of Garnet AI Foundry resources and development of a campuswide AI Basics for Staff workshop series
• Successfully planned and promoted the third iteration of the USC Staff Appreciation Day, themed “The Greatest Staff on Earth,” for 2026 
• Collaborated with Human Resources to revise and recategorize the Staff Excellence Awards to include four strategic pillars (mission excellence, operational excellence, people and culture, and career achievement) that better reflect the impact of staff across the institution  
• Strengthened community engagement through initiatives like the SEC Food Fight victory benefiting the Gamecock CommUnity Shop, Heart Walk participation, Cocky’s Reading Express, Families Helping Families and additional volunteer opportunities 
• Supported a universitywide AED advocacy initiative in partnership with Student Government to improve campus safety awareness, training and policy development 
• Established new operational procedures and organizational resources for Staff Senate including funding request processes, equipment borrowing procedures, and centralized policy and governance resources 
• Increased fundraising and external support for Staff Senate activities through initiatives such as increased Give 4 Garnet participation, the Staff Senate Cornhole Tournament, Appreciation Day silent auction and book sale efforts, and a $10,000 donation from Founders Federal Credit Union 

2024-25 — led by President Megan Colascione 

• In collaboration with President Amiridis and university leadership, Staff Senate expanded the Staff Senate Awards program, leading to the launch of the inaugural USC Staff Excellence Awards
• Secured reduced-rate annual and lifetime membership access and benefits for all active staff and faculty to the USC Alumni Center
• Introduced the first-ever Staff Appreciation Day design contest; engaged over 1,200 staff members at the second annual Staff Appreciation Day
• Produced and released the first historical video highlighting the evolution of USC’s Staff Senate
• Onboarded a new Ex-Officio Advisor – the Vice Provost for Strategy and Innovation from the Provost’s Office
• Established official staff councils in the College of Nursing and the School of Medicine–Greenville
• Strengthened community engagement through initiatives such as Keep the Midlands Beautiful street cleanup, Service Saturday, Ronald McDonald House meal service, and donation drives for Adopt a Teacher, the Student Success Center, and the Gamecock CommUnity Shop
• Expanded Staff Senate visibility through active participation in University Move-In, the Provost’s Retreat, the Employee Insights Committee, the USC Traditions Committee, the First Generation Center’s Mentorship Program, the Faculty Senate, the Council of Academic Deans, and the Policy Advisory Committee 

2023-24 — led by President Tyson Lusk

• Participated in the search for and hiring of the first USC staff ombudsperson 
• Launched the inaugural USC Staff Appreciation Day that also entailed the second iteration of the Staff Senate Awards program; all were funded through a generous budget allocation from President Amiridis. Read more about the first Staff Appreciation Day.
• Collaborated with the S.C. Legislature to pass a resolution recognizing the USC Staff Appreciation Day
• Advocated for staff employee well-being services that led to the creation of a brand new office exclusively for staff well-being
• Initiated discussion on allocating spaces on campus for staff health and wellness
• Passed Staff Senate Bylaw amendment formalizing the Awards and Recognition Committee and the Scholarship and Fundraising Committee as permanent standing Staff Senate committees

2022-23 — led by President Dr. Rushondra James

• Created two ad-hoc committees: Fundraising and Scholarship and Staff Senate Awards 
• Established regular meetings of Staff Senate president with Provost Arnett
• Established the inaugural USC Staff Senate Awards recognition program and ceremony
• Secured that Dean’s Search Committees would all include a staff senator 
• Staff Senate president participated in the Investiture Ceremony for President Michael Amiridis
• Created and submitted to USC leadership a comprehensive proposal for a staff ombudsperson
• Continued Staff Senate’s visibility through on-campus representation, for example: Move-In Day, Light the Way for Women in Leadership, Imagine Carolina, EPMS Refresh Committee and President's Diversity Council

2021-22 — led by President Dr. Shelley Dempsey

• Drafted and adopted bylaws to set foundation for Staff Senate
• Held our inaugural Staff Senate elections
• Asked for and received a budget from leadership to hire a part-time assistant for Staff Senate
• Represented the staff's best interests on the university president’s Covid Task Force
• Initiated discussions for hiring a staff ombudsperson for the USC campus

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If you have any issues or concerns that you would like Staff Senate to address, please contact your staff senator(s).  You can locate your representative  here.