Dear colleagues:

At our Fall Convocation in September, I announced the creation of a Staff Council that will serve as an advisory body to gather feedback from staff constituents and advance ideas to share with the Cabinet and with me. 

The goals of the Staff Council are:  to consider issues and provide counsel on matters that impact the university and to foster greater communication to all members of the university community.  

In order to launch this initiative quickly, I asked senior administration for an initial slate of nominations of individuals for me to appoint to the Council.  It is my sincere hope that the members of the Council represent an active cross-section of staff members from across all divisions. 

I asked the individuals listed below to serve an initial term on the Staff Council for the 2019-2020 academic year, and am grateful that each has accepted this responsibility.  Going forward, immediate agenda items will include: designing standard procedures and developing a process to elect new members. 

The first meeting of the Council will be Thursday, October 3. At the meeting, members will be briefed on their role and responsibilities, and elect a Chair.

Al Acerra	Police Department
Karen Blaney	Information Support
Bill Byrne	Facilities
Mike Callahan	Veteran Services
Jon Cascone	Rec, Fitness, Intramurals
Carolyn Ciervo	University Advancement
Kathy Dabney	Student Activities
Liz Gensemer	Undergraduate Admission
Mary Kate Kane	School of Education
Nancy Kusch	Finance – Bursar’s office
Mark Mohrman	Athletics – Communications
Karen Morrow	Office of the General Counsel
Rosaly Rivera	Human Resources

Please join me in thanking our colleagues for supporting this important initiative. I fully expect that you will be hearing more from the Staff Council in the near future. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President

Dear colleagues:

One of my core beliefs and a foundation of the University community is providing all students and employees an equal opportunity to succeed at Monmouth and to be free from discrimination.  It is a responsibility that we all share.  The attached Reaffirmation of Monmouth University’s Equal Opportunity Policy is provided to you for your information.  Department heads should ensure that a copy of this Reaffirmation is posted on the department bulletin board and the previous one removed. 

We are required by law to adopt and publish a policy against discrimination. We are also required to publish grievance procedures to provide for prompt and equitable resolution of discrimination/sexual harassment complaints.  In order to comply with these requirements, a copy of the Monmouth University discrimination and harassment policy can be found on-line at https://www.monmouth.edu/equity-and-diversity/discrimination-and-harassment.  Links to a copy of the most recent “Procedures for Reporting and Resolving Complaints of Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Against Non-Faculty Employees” and “Procedures for Reporting and Resolving Complaints Regarding Discrimination/Sexual Harassment [Faculty]” can be reached from this page. A hard copy of these documents may be obtained by calling the Office of Equity and Diversity at x7577.  Please take the time to peruse and familiarize yourself with this important University policy. 

Finally, attached you will find a Complaint Procedure Notice which department heads should post on department bulletin boards or other conspicuous location within your department.  When posting this notice, please remove any previous notice which may be on the bulletin board. 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President

Dear campus community:

On Wednesday, September 11, our country will mark the anniversary of the tragic events of the terrorist attacks of 18 years ago. 

The University, in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, is offering a day of public programming including art and discussion.  The day includes a video screening, a panel discussion, and a gallery exhibit.  You can find additional details by clicking on this link. 

In addition, in honor of our country and in remembrance of all those who lost their lives, there will be a tolling of the University bells for two minutes at the following times:

            8:46 a.m.          AA Flight 11 was flown into the World Trade Center North Tower.
            9:03 a.m.          AA Flight 175 was flown into the World Trade Center South Tower.
            9:43 a.m.          AA Flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon.
           10:10 a.m.         UA Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, PA after heroic actions by passengers and crew.

Members of the Monmouth University community who are on campus are invited to observe a moment of silence at these times.

At noon the University bells will ring out our National Anthem.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President

Dear Campus Community:

At approximately 2:15 p.m. today, the Monmouth University Police Department responded to a report of a vehicle accident on the north side of the University campus. A vehicle operated by a 61-year-old male crashed into a parked vehicle and subsequently changed direction and came to rest after crashing into Hesse Hall. No students were injured or involved in the crash. Hesse Hall was evacuated and the building damage is being evaluated by a structural engineer. Students housed in the affected areas of Hesse Hall will be relocated until those areas are deemed safe for occupancy. The driver of the vehicle has been transported to Hackensack Meridian Health Jersey Shore University Medical Center. There were no other occupants in the vehicle and no other injuries were reported.

We are grateful for the support of our first responders from the Monmouth University Police Department and our neighboring communities. If necessary, support services are available for students, faculty, and staff at Counseling and Psychological Services (732-571-7517) and the Office of Student Life (732-571-3417).

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Leahy
President