ESSC By-Laws

The University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Engineering School Staff Council (ESSC) By-Laws 

Mission 

To communicate with a unified voice, advocate in the interest of staff, inform and collaborate on decision making and build a strong community. 

Vision 

To recognize and celebrate the community of respected, skilled professional staff who are active contributors to the success of the school. 

Goals 

The Staff Council is invested in: 

  • Celebrating staff success 
  • Fostering and identifying career paths 
  • Empowering staff to be self-advocates 

The Staff Council collaborates with colleagues in the School of Engineering to identify key concerns and develop recommendations that enhance support for Engineering staff. This includes: 

  • Addressing staff concerns in a dedicated portion of all staff council meetings; 
  • Integrating staff into School governance and affairs 
  • Facilitating communication between staff, administration, faculty and other partners 
  • Fostering staff development and recognition to support staff retention 
  • Monitoring Engineering school policies, programs and initiatives that impact staff and, when necessary, taking appropriate action, which could include: 
  • Identifying areas of concern and making recommendations for improvement 
  • Working with appropriate offices on grounds to ensure that critical policies, procedures, and program guidelines are clear, transparent, and accessible to staff 
  • Disseminating information about initiatives, programs, and policies that impact staff and sharing resources needed to navigate school and University systems 

 

Membership 

Engineering School Staff Council (ESSC) membership will be comprised of a minimum of two and up to four voting members from each designated unit to include: 

  • Biomedical Engineering 
  • Chemical Engineering 
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering 
  • Computer Science 
  • Dean’s Office 
  • Electrical and Computer Engineering 
  • Engineering and Society 
  • Materials Science and Engineering 
  • Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 
  • Systems and Information Engineering 
  • Engineering Centers – currently includes: LinkLab, Center for Transportation Studies (CTS), Innovations in Fabrication (FAB), Nanoscale Materials Characterization Facility (NMCF), Center for Advanced Biomechanics (CAB) 

Membership is limited to full-time and regular part-time staff of the Engineering School who have been employed for a minimum of 60 days. 

  • Members can be nominated in the following ways, but not limited to: 
  • By the full membership of ESSC 
  • Self-nominated 
  • Nominated by unit leadership 

Staff Council’s year will align with the University’s fiscal year: July 1st through June 30th. New council members will be installed at the first regular meeting in July. Each member’s term shall last for two (2) years. Nominations to the Council for open seats will be announced by the Vice Chair to the community at large, after the May Staff Council meeting. 

 

Officers: 

Officers will be nominated by the membership of the Engineering School Staff Council at the May meeting. Voting will occur during the first two weeks of June. 

  • Voting will be by an anonymous survey conducted by Parliamentarian 
  • New Officers will be introduced at the July ESSC Meeting 
  • Open positions will be filled within two consecutive meetings following vacancies 

The officers shall include: 

  • Chair 
  • Vice Chair 
  • Immediate Past Chair  
  • Communication Officer 
  • Treasurer 
  • Parliamentarian 
  • Committee Liaison 
  • UVA Staff Senator who is a non-voting ex officio Representative 

Chair- The Chair will be a three-year commitment: one year as Vice Chair, one year as Chair, and one year as Past-Chair (non-voting advisory position). Responsibilities include: 

  • Open and close meetings 
  • Develop and share the agenda in advance of meetings 
  • Serve as Liaison to Engineering Leadership (including but not limited to attending DAC meetings; providing feedback on proposed HR policy changes, etc.) 
  • Serves as the outward-facing representative of the Council 
  • Approving all written communications made by the Council 
  • Provide support to other team members 
  • Authorizing financial expenditures 

Vice-Chair- The Vice-Chair is the inward-facing manager of the Council. Responsibilities include: 

  • Assumes responsibilities of the Chairperson in their absence, removal or incapacitation 
  • Oversees constituency liaisons 
  • Ensures the Staff Council provides adequate resources and support for liaison success 

Immediate Past Chair - The Immediate Past Chair is a non-voting position. Responsibilities include:  

  • Continue regular attendance at Staff Council meetings 
  • If the Chair is unable to preside, Past Chair will fulfill duties until the Vice-Chair is available 

Treasurer – Responsibilities: 

  • Budget coordination with support of the Chair 
  • Keep an accurate and current record of all expenditures 
  • Process and submit invoices for payment 
  • Reconcile project reports monthly 
  • Give a financial report at the Staff Council meetings 
  • Report on financial activity to the Engineering Chief Financial and Operations Officer 

Communications Officer – Responsibilities include: 

  • Shares meeting links 
  • Records meeting minutes, posts for review by Council 
  • Submit minutes for approval 
  • Work with the Chair/Council members to maintain outward communication 
  • Generates newsletter items for the general Engineering newsletters 

Parliamentarian- Responsibilities include: 

  • Maintain By-Laws 
  • Time management for meetings 
  • Meeting structure maintained - to follow Roberts Rules of Order 

Committee Liaison- Responsibilities include: 

  • Support the development of ad hoc committees to address various concerns as brought to Staff Council by Engineering staff members 
  • Connect groups to resources 
  • Help committees define and report progress 
  • Support groups to develop the initial structure of groups 
  • Prepare a report for Dean’s Office leadership to be presented by Chair and/or Vice Chair 

Staff Senate 

  • Engineering Staff Senate representatives will serve as ex officio non-voting members on the Engineering Staff Council during the duration of their Staff Senate term. 

 

Meetings 

To encourage engagement and transparency, meetings will be open and held monthly with the agenda distributed to all Engineering staff one week prior. Voting will be restricted to voting members of the Staff Council, but all present will be allowed time to provide feedback and ideas when time is available. All voting members of the Staff Council are expected to attend. 

 

Attendance Policy 

Attending the Staff Council monthly meetings is an essential responsibility for serving on the Council; therefore, members should plan to attend all meetings. Inevitably, situations will arise that prevent members from attending a meeting, but the Council requests that members limit their absences to no more than 3 meetings during the year. 

If you will be absent from a meeting, please notify the other members in your unit to help ensure adequate representation at all Staff Council meetings. 

If you are not able to attend a meeting, we strongly recommend that you review meeting minutes, and materials provided during/after the meeting. 

If your absences exceed the number allowed, as stated in this policy, the Council Officers will contact you to discuss the next course of action. If an officer, or council member, will be absent for a time frame of 13 weeks or longer, a new officer or council member will be sought to fill the role by the Council Officers. 

 

Resignation 

If a Council Member is unable to fulfill their responsibilities on the Staff Council, the member should formally resign. This resignation should be communicated to the Council Officers. 

 

Amendments and Update to By-Laws  

The Engineering School Staff Council retains the authority to amend the ESSC By-Laws. The By-Laws will be reviewed and modified as needed, or every two years. Amendments to the By-Laws must be presented in writing and require a two-thirds majority vote of the current active ESSC members in favor of the amendment to be approved.  

  

 

Adopted on April 24, 2024 

 

Amended on July 10, 2025