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Faculty and Staff Resources

Resources for faculty and staff

Available Resources

Here are a few frequently requested information for faculty and staff. 

Rice Business Staff Council

Dedicated to improving the experience of working together through engagement and involvement

Making Magic Happen

Contact Us    Anonymous Questions/Suggestions for Rice Business Staff Council

A staff council was formed in 2018 to work with the dean’s office in an effort to strengthen ties between employees in the business school, enrich the school through more efficient and thoughtful processes, and improve our personal and professional outcomes.

These leaders began their roles by serving as partners working to ensure the success and enduring impact of the Employee Engagement processes. As that process nears completion in 2019, the council will transition to its permanent role serving to advance the goals of the Engagement process and to serve as a sounding board and conduit for communication between staff and the dean’s office.

If you have questions or comments, please email rbsc@rice.edu and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. 

New Rice Business Staff Council

Inaugural Rice Business Staff Council

Rice Business Employee Engagement Project

Based on the results of a recent Gallup Employee Engagement Survey, areas for improvement were identified in overall employee satisfaction. Volunteer project teams were created to address five focus areas:

  1. Professional & Career Development
  2. Implementation
  3. Communication
  4. Recognition
  5. Onboarding

What exactly are we doing?

  • Creating opportunities for change from within
  • Improving what we already do every day
  • Encouraging teamwork and creativity
  • Making recommendations to the dean

Why?

  • To improve relationships with our colleagues
  • To advance the way we work
  • To keep our work meaningful and rewarding

About Leadership Roles

  • Mission: The Rice Business Staff Council’s ambition is to enhance the work experience for all staff members of Rice Business by providing representation, resources and opportunities for involvement that elevate and celebrate overall work life engagement.

    Term: Each role will serve a two-year term beginning officially November 1, 2019- October 31, 2021.

    Time Commitment: Attend 1-2 RBSC meetings a month (1 hour each). Attend 1 meeting bi-monthly with Dean Rodriguez (1.5 hours). Time commitment for roles will vary based on the activity/service. 
    *Roles that recommend committee support may require additional meetings as needed and set by the person in this role.

    Qualifications: Must be employed for 6 months at Rice University in order to apply.

    Lead

    • Sets meeting and Town Hall agendas
    • Develops timelines and Sets OKRs – (Objectives and Key Results) and goals
    • Arranges meeting times and reserves rooms
    • Main point of contact for communicating with Peter/April

    Secretary

    • Takes and creates meeting minutes and uploads to ASANA
    • Manages historical documents and resources
    • Arranges for Town Hall meetings to be recorded
    • Posts relevant documents to Rice Box

    Treasurer

    • Manages budget and approves purchases
    • Aligns policies and procedures with Jones School financial policies
    • Interfaces with Tim and Lynder to assure proper fund allocation

    Communications

    • Serves as liaison to Marketing and Communication Office for approvals
    • Monitors the RBSC email and Q&A from staff
    • Handles any communications challenges
      *Recommended that a committee be created to help with responsibilities

    Recognition and Employee Appreciation

    • Identifies opportunities for employee recognition/appreciation & implements process or programs
    • Coordinates appreciation events with Events Specialist
    • Recommended that Supervising Directors serve as advisors to this role to achieve buy-in

    Events Specialist

    • Plans and executes Lunch & Learns
    • Plans and executes Coffee Chats with Peter
    • Coordinates with RBSC to plan and execute Town Hall meetings
    • Plans and executes events as determined by the RBSC
      *Recommended that a committee be created to assist with event execution

Want more info? Check out our FAQs:

  • For those of you newer to Rice Business, the school asked employees to participate in this survey to gather feedback. In general, it’s a way for organizations, leaders, managers and individuals to focus on what employees need for their current and future performance and development goals.

    Gallup's research strongly recommends using a theme to unify efforts to address the results of any Gallup survey performed, and we found that "Making Magic Happen" is a theme that resonates.

     

  • Implementation — Leads: Kailen Bond and Danielle Riley

    Sponsor: Kathleen Clark
    Team: Rebecca Brown, Weezie Mackey, Tatianna (Aker) Carr and Kalyn Speck

    Professional and Career Development — Leads: Pat Salas and Michelle Kaltenbach
    Sponsor: Michael Koenig
    Team: Megan Gossett, Deanna Golden, Danielle Riley and Melinda English

     

  • The Employee Engagement project will last about one year. However, some of the changes implemented as a result of the project will continue beyond the year mark.

  • To succeed, the project needs your input and support, with the goals of a better workplace and better communication.

  • The Rice Business Staff Council is the ongoing structure to continue the work of the Employee Engagement Project teams beyond the conclusion of this project.

  • Big kudos to our in-house graphic designer Eddie Martinez for creating the “Making Magic Happen” logo.

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