Election Process
Purpose
The purpose of the Staff Council is to act as the representative body of all non-faculty staff of WPI. Staff shall be defined as all permanent, non-union staff members who are not members of the President’s Management Council. As such, it shall have the power to review and make inquiries into matters of the campus community for the benefit of all concerned, and; 1. to increase the sense of identity, recognition, and worth of each staff member in their relationship to the Institution; 2. to identify concerns relating to staff and to seek solutions; 3. to provide a channel of communication with administration and faculty; 4. to promote staff development and well-being and to recommend policies which aid in retaining highly qualified personnel; and 5. to integrate staff into campus governance and existing university affairs, and to organize and conduct meetings in order to make recommendations on all matters affecting the welfare of its constituency and to direct to the appropriate persons or councils.
Annual Elections
An annual election process (while keeping half of the Staff Council intact) will ensure the flow of continuity from year to year and will allow for rotating participation in the Staff Council moving forward. Staff Council member terms expire on June 30 of the second year of service.
Eligibility Criteria for Staff Council Membership:
Any staff employees (except union members, faculty and members of the President's Management Council) are eligible for nomination and to participate in voting.
The Staff Council will be comprised of 18 members; 14 elected and 4 appointed, with the goal of equitable representation across departments, exempt and non-exempt employees and demographics. Each member represents all eligible staff. To ensure a balanced representation of all university divisions and departments on the Staff Council, the council members are categorized into 7 divisional groups. Each group is comprised of approximately an equal number of eligible employees with similar work functions.
This organizational approach to the election process will help support divisions regardless of their size and is designed to support all areas of work regardless of function.
For election purposes, areas, and numbers of representatives to be elected from those areas will be designated and reviewed by the Executive Committee each election cycle. Any change in the areas will be determined by a majority of the Staff Council before elections are held on or before the April meeting or when deemed necessary and appropriate.
Nomination Process
- The nomination process will open on April 7th and will run through April 18th to receive peer and self-nominations.
- The Staff Council committee in collaboration with Talent and Inclusion will vet all submissions to ensure nominees meet eligibility criteria.
- Nominees will have the option to accept or decline the nomination.
- Elections will take place online from May 19th through May 30th at 11:59 p.m.
- Elected members will be informed June 6th through June 12th and a university-wide announcement will be sent on July 1st.
- The Council will have its first meeting with newly elected and appointed members in early August.
Voting Method
In an effort to broaden the representation of employees across the divisions, nominees will be grouped. Groups represent an even distribution of employees and job classifications levels of eligible employees. Eligible staff will be able to vote for one (1) nominee per group. You can use the table below to identify the group to which you belong.
| Group 1 | Finance & Operations, Talent & Inclusion |
| Group 2 | Chief of Staff, Office of the General Counsel, Information Technology |
| Group 3 | Advancement, Marketing Communications |
| Group 4 | Global School, School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, School of Engineering |
| Group 5 | Graduate Studies, Undergraduate Enrollment, Undergraduate Studies |
| Group 6 | Student Affairs |
| Group 7 | Research Division + Provost Office: Center for Project-Based Learning, Faculty Governance, IT Analyst & Support, Library Services, Morgan Teaching & Learning Center, Registrar |
Timeline For Election 2025
April 7th – April 18th:
Opening of peer and self-nominations submissions.
APRIL 25th:
FAQs Zoom for Nominees
May 20th:
Meet & Greet with Nominees at the Spring 2025 Staff Forum | 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. | Campus Center Odeum
May 19th – May 30th:
Voting/elections will take place.
June 6th-12th:
All nominees will be notified of the results. Staff Council identifies the two appointees.
July 1st:
University-wide announcement of newly elected and appointed members.
Early August:
The newly elected Staff Council members will begin their term in August for a term length of two years.
Resources
You can refer to the Staff Council Constitution and Bylaws located on the Staff Council homepage to learn more about the election process. If you have further questions about the process or about the Staff Council in general, you may email at staffcouncil@wpi.edu.