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PURPOSE:

The purpose of the UHESA, hereby established to serve all staff employees in higher education will work together to:

1) Unify higher education staff associations toward common goals.

UHESA was formed in 1995 to serve all staff employees in higher education. The objectives of the association were:

	To provide representation for staff employees in higher education in Utah.
	To provide a means through which staff employees may have a voice in making decisions that affect them.
	To provide a forum for staff employees to participate in the achievement of the goals.
	To improve the public image of staff employees within the various institutions of Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).
	To provide a means of association and inter-communication among the staff employees within USHE.
	To assist in strengthening a staff association in every institution of higher education in the State of Utah.

Through the years, UHESA has been actively involved with staff representatives from around the state of Utah. UHESA has been a sounding board and a facilitator for staff representatives with critical issues. UHESA has made efforts to be actively involved with the Board of Regents and Legislature, but has been unsuccessful due to the amount of time involved in attending monthly Regent and Legislative meetings.

In January of 2003, the UHESA Executive Board and staff representatives voted that UHESA become more active in higher education staff associations throughout Utah. UHESA will be active in assisting Institution presidents in achieving individual institutional goals, as well as promoting active involvement in strengthening common goals affecting higher education staff across Utah.

UHESA recognizes the importance of educating community members, local and state government officials on the role staff play in maintaining high standards for which higher education institutions in Utah are recognized.

2) Provide representation and a powerful voice for staff employees in higher education in Utah.

Morale within the Utah System of Higher Education is diminishing, largely due to the lack of compensation increases (including both salaries and benefits). The USHE’s long standing recruitment message has been that, although our salaries lag behind peers on a national level, our benefits are good. But during the last three years, economic constraints have resulted in zero percent salary increases for staff employees. In addition, insurance premiums increased substantially during the same time period, with staff employees being asked to help cover the higher costs. The resulting net loss to staff employees within higher education has been significant.

UHESA understands that productivity declines when morale suffers. The USHE cannot maintain vibrant, forward-thinking employees without compensation increases. Even though economic constraints have not resulted in formal pay cuts, such a situation has in fact been created by giving zero percent salary increases in years when staff employees are required to pay for benefit increases. If this trend continues, staff employees at USHE institutions will fall even further behind their peers.

Every decision that affects higher education is a political decision. UHESA recognizes and holds state officials accountable for the following items (as outlined in Governor Mike Leavitt’s 1000-Day Plan):

	Invest in people - the governor believes public and higher education should be the highest funding priority in the state government and has stood firm on this principle in his budget recommendations and through each legislative session.
	Develop Utah as a technology capital - the governor is working to accelerate the development of Utah as a top-tier technology state. Even though the technology sector is struggling, the state is building new engineering facilities; training more math, computer science, and engineering students.
	Enhance life quality - the governor believes quality of life is an essential economic asset. He has laid out a strategy to conserve critical lands, create a superb system of trails and streams, improve air and water quality, expand health care coverage and promote online government.
	Governor Leavitt ended his state of address speech with the following declaration: “Utah is a composite of its people and the state of our state is strong”.
	Offer a means through which staff employees have a voice in making decisions that affect employment, benefits, retirement, work environment, and any other matter pertaining to the work environment.
	UHESA staff representatives serve on boards and committees that make decisions impacting staff on a daily basis within Utah’s higher education institutions.
	Policy makers make political decisions that have consequences for higher education staff. Therefore, UHESA will take a leadership role with Utah Legislature and the Board of Regents to prioritize higher education staff issues.
	Improve relations of higher education staff with the Board of Regents, Legislators, and the Governor of the state of Utah.

UHESA’s Executive Board consists of a President, President-Elect, Secretary and Past-President, and Institution staff representatives from the nine higher education institutions in Utah. A representative from the Executive body of UHESA will start attending monthly meetings of the Board of Regents and report back to the Institution staff representatives on the events from each Board of Regents meeting. Information from these meetings will also be posted on the UHESA website by the Media and Public Relations Subcommittee Chair.

UHESA will work with the Presidents Council, a council that consists of all Institution Presidents, to assist in educating Legislators on the importance of higher education in the state of Utah and the impact if Legislators continue to support zero salary increases while depleting benefits that affect higher education staff in the state of Utah.

UHESA wants to put the responsibility where it belongs - Legislators should be held accountable for decisions that send the message that higher education within the state of Utah does not matter and does not affect the economic state or well being of the state of Utah. The UHESA Executive body, staff institution representatives, and the UHESA Legislative Subcommittee, will work with political leaders to insure higher education staff are valued, understood, and protected from continued zero compensation and depleting benefits.

3) Train staff association leaders on ways to help strengthen their associations and institutions, as well as instill in staff a sense of pride.

UHESA meetings are held bi-annually with the option to hold emergency meetings. During the bi-annual meetings, staff representatives will share ideas with each other and receive training to help them to strengthen their associations, and to improve employee morale. UHESA will also meet with employee groups at each institution throughout the year and listen to individual staff concerns and to educate staff on the role of UHESA.

4) Present a means of association and inter-communication among the staff employees within the Utah System Higher Education.

UHESA will be the facilitator for communication between staff institution representatives. Staff institution representatives will deliver critical information and data to assist the UHESA Executive Board with reports to be provided to the Board of Regents and Legislature.

UHESA will be more responsive in posting pertinent information which affects staff on the UHESA website, particularly during the Legislative session. The UHESA Legislative Subcommittee and UHESA Media and Public Relations Subcommittees will work with the UHESA Executive Board to keep the UHESA website up-to-date.

5) Educate and encourage staff of the Utah System Higher Education institutions to become involved in the political process.

The UHESA Executive Board, institution staff representatives, and UHESA members will work together to become actively involved in government issues and meetings, get involved in open Caucuses, and elect friends of higher education. UHESA will be recognized as one of the influential lobbying groups, fighting for higher education issues such as salary increases for staff and benefit programs. The UHESA Legislative Subcommittee will track the votes of elected officials on issues pertaining to higher education and publish to the UHESA website.

UHESA members will also become actively involved in the political process to identify candidates with favorable positions on higher education priorities. UHESA encourages members to support recommended candidates in their local areas.

6) Educate the citizens of Utah regarding the responsibilities of staff in Higher Education in the State of Utah.

Staff members assist higher education institutions to achieve goals of recruiting and retaining students - enhancing the reputation of higher education in the state of Utah. Staff employees have daily contact with students from advising to registration.

Classified and Professional employees assist in the daily operation of higher education institutions, providing support in matters such as, business, accounting and development, as well as facilities, staff support and secretarial support. Classified and Professional employees work in research areas as research associates or lab and research technicians bringing hundreds of millions research dollars in the state of Utah.

Professional employees are contributors in teaching, advising, development of new technologies, recruitment, marketing, research, accounting, business development, engineering, program administration and coordination, administering and maintaining higher education network systems, and many more vital functions.

Classified employees are contributors as assistants to administrators, office assistants, accounting assistants, technicians, human resource specialists, grounds keepers, computer technicians, contract coordinators, lab and research technicians, library assistance, food service workers, mail carriers, teachers’ aides, facilities maintenance and other important functions.

Additionally, Professional employees also recruit students, enhance research, negotiate contracts and grants, transfer and license technology, and assist in incubating new companies, as well as enhancing economic development.

And, Classified employees also maintain higher education facilities, construct or remodel classrooms for the faculty to conduct research, students to attend classes, and offices for employees to work.

UHESA encourages its members to be actively involved in neighborhood and community efforts to support education programs aimed at helping Utah’s kids understand the importance of completing their education and obtaining goals to better their future by advancing their education (i.e. helping at-risk youth, improving a child’s self-esteem through after school programs or reading programs, etc).

UHESA will work with local business, community and city officials to provide programs aimed at improving student literacy and self-esteem programs, and helping at-risk youth.

UHESA members are encouraged to become as active as possible, representing themselves as members of the Utah Higher Education Staff Association. This will help support the efforts of UHESA in strengthening the image and value of all members within UHESA with recognized community and government officials around the state of Utah.