Committee Highlights

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?

• Provided valuable perspective and feedback on the Senate Affairs Committee request for new funding for AY23-24.
• This year the Benefits Spotlights event series highlighted the University’s new Gender Affirming Care benefits.

What do you want to focus on next year?
The Committee hopes to push the AMC and University to take on more of a leadership role in the provision of benefits, as opposed to merely matching the status quo of similar organizations. The new Gender Affirmation Care is but one example of NYU being at the forefront of providing for its community members! We hope to forward these concepts on the fronts of child care, pro-active mental health, and affordable housing and transportation. 

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
Slow but steady!

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share? 
NYU can be a true leader in fields beyond research!

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year? 
Come help us shape the NYU of the 21st century! Your voice is needed to remind the University that Administrators are an integral part of a three-legged stool. We made sure the University survived Covid; we should be lauded and appreciated for those herculean efforts.

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?
The resource our committee provides was invaluable this year during a time of growth and transition for several officers, senators, and other council members.

What do you want to focus on next year?
Next year we’d like to continue to focus on the presented recommendations within the Anti-Racism Task Force’s report, following up on outlined courses of action and accountability as authored by the Executive Committee.

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
Vigilant, Swift, Compliant

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?
The Communications Committee continued our regular metrics reporting of the AMC website and the AMC Monthly and maintained our inclusive committee model of rotating meeting scribe/facilitator and providing space to collectively share news, resources, and opportunities. We were excited to welcome some new folks this year who were willing to jump right in on new projects.

Much of our work in 2022-23 was centered on increased transparency of AMC processes and accessibility of AMC content. In partnership with the Nominations & Elections Committee, we completed a set of AMC “primer sheets” to outline the elections process and ways to get involved. We also invited the Senior Unit Representative Chair to join our committee meetings and collaborate on new ways to share resources among the SURs. Additionally, building on our work in 2021-22, we developed a website refresh strategy including a survey to select AMC constituencies and content templates for committee leads, which will inform our updates over the summer in advance of the next academic year.

What do you want to focus on next year?
We plan to continue focusing on our goal to further transparency, accessibility, and support within the AMC and seek additional ways to share resources and collaborate. We would also like to partner with AMC leadership in developing an overarching communications plan and sharing our communications strategy with the AMC community.

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
Thoughtful, Inclusive, Intentional

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share?
The industry average open rate is 37.66% for emails in the education sector (as of April 2023). Thanks to regular metrics reporting by our AMC Monthly lead Carlos, we learned that our average open rate is a whopping 76.8%!

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year?
The AMC Communications Committee is an inclusive, collaborative, and supportive group of talented professionals across NYU. Our aim is for committee members to feel empowered to share, reflect, and bring all ideas to the table. While constructing direct communications, analytics, and webpage maintenance all remain part of our core duties, there are also opportunities to creatively explore graphic design, web design, photography, and more, as well as explore building communication strategies and working toward public speaking and personal communications. We welcome anyone and everyone who is interested in amplifying the important work of the AMC and expanding their professional development and leadership skills.  

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?
The Community Service Committee began the year with a call to expand partnerships and foster community through a DEI lens. We ended 2022 with one event and two major drives. First, Halloween saw the group help stuff trick-or-treat bags and provide volunteers for the annual children’s parade in Washington Square Park. In November, we organized a Thanksgiving Food Drive partnered with the Black and LatinX Alumni Affinity Group and benefitted the Xavier Mission in Manhattan and CHiPS (Community Help in Park Slope) in Brooklyn. In December, we partnered with Community Relations for our Holiday Toy Drive. 

At the start of the 2023 Spring semester, our annual Recycling Drive collected greeting cards for St. Jude’s Ranch for Children; eyeglasses for Grand Central Optical; sneakers for the MORE Foundation; books for Housing Works; towels, sheets, and pillowcases for ASPCA. In March, our Diaper Drive for Little Essentials exceeded expectations. We ended our year on a high note with an Adopt A School: Books and Bucks Drive that brought much-needed books in both English and Spanish to children at PS70 in the Bronx.

What do you want to focus on next year?
For AY 2023-24, the Committee plans to continue expanding our work through a wider and more inclusive lens. We hope to increase our focus with a thoughtfulness on the impact of our drives.

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
New partners, Horizons, and Audience.

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share?
Our work has no finish line.

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year?
It’s fun, rewarding, and we need your hand and your voice!

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?

• We co-sponsored an event with Asian Administrators and Allies. The event was focused on wellness and self-care.
• We co-sponsored a salary negotiation event with Administrators of Color Network. It was a continuation of the conversation we had last year highlighting the new salary law.
• Before the fiscal year closes we hope to host a restorative practice circle.

What do you want to focus on next year?
We have struggled with attendance and participation. People often have ideas but no desire to do the work behind it. Sangeeta was Programming Chair. We hoped it would be a co-chair position. Every meeting we asked for someone to take on this role and no one ever did. Next year we hope to strengthen our core group and recruit new members.

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
Community-building, Anti-racism, Collaborative

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share?
That additional training is always helpful for everyone. Many believe that once they declare themself an Ally that they are past the work. It is ongoing.

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year?
Equity is imperative at this institution. If you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem.

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?

• As a first time lead for the committee, it was a challenge to learn how to utilize Qualtrics to run the election process for the officers, senators and representatives elections for 15 schools and units. Finding administrators who had experience in this area allowed for the sharing of knowledge and informal training for the current N&E team to move forward with the behind the scenes work of the election cycle.
• It was helpful to be familiar with the current AMC bylaws to guide the efforts of the N&E committee. More importantly, it was key that previous and current chairs of the Bylaws committee was part of the N&E committee. They proved to be invaluable resource persons who shared their historical knowledge and also shared new insights on how to address election questions that have come up during the year.
• The greatest impact for the year was the collaboration between various committees, namely the Communications committee who was responsible for sending out the mass email communication to the administrators regarding our process and the election results.
• For our Meet the Reps event and AMC 101, the N&E team worked closely with the Special Events committee to deliver Zoom-based events. This was done to ensure that the events still continued while our academic community was slowly returning back to campus. With many constituents on a remote schedule, it was for the best interest of our attendees to continue with Zoom based events. The only event we were not able to host was the Meet the Committee event that is normally scheduled in September to mark the beginning of of the academic year. We hope to include that in our programming this coming year.
• We also continued with the sharing of the Behind the Title feature for administrators from across various schools and units in the University.  Some administrators featured in this area went on to become active in the AMC in future years so this proves to be a great way to engage administrators to become more active in the future.
• As a chair who does not shy away from public engagement and speaking up, it was an honor to be featured multiple times at several of our monthly meetings, both in preparation for elections and for the actual election meeting in April 2023. Visibility was key to get administrators to feel comfortable to get out of their shell, and consider running for elective office. At some of the in-person AMC events, a personal conversation with a potential candidate resulted in at least four administrators agreeing to run for officer and senator.
• The 2023 election cycle will also go down in recent history as a time when we lost a few of our candidates just days before an election. We had so many changes to the senate group that resulted in Christina Avgerinos (Vice-Chair) and D’Simmons Jendayi (Chair) taking part in senator Jenga. Life happens and priorities change. Administrators get promoted or leave the university and we need to activate the little known bylaw rules governing special appointments and carefully track when the turnovers happen because the replacements have to come from the same election year cycle. This amplifies the importance of having enough people be designated alternates for any given election cycle. It also made a difference when representatives have to leave as well. Senior Unit Reps have to identify who can fill the vacancies to ensure adequate representation from all the schools and units.

What do you want to focus on next year?

• For 2023-2024, the Nominations & Elections committee would like to resume its partnership with the Special Events committee in delivering the three key events for our administrative community. That would be the Meet the Reps (for new and continuing reps), Meet the Committee (usually in Sept or October) and the AMC 101 (usually held in January).
• We look forward to continuing to prepare the annual Election Guide using Qualtrics as a means of collecting the writeups from candidates in order to prepare the final document that introduces all the candidates running for elective office. The Election Guide also gives all candidates an equal opportunity to present themselves and share what is important to them and how they can bring their unique perspective to the role they wish to be elected for.
• We also would like to seek out administrators who are familiar with Qualtrics so as to help out behind the scenes with the election process. Sometimes we don’t need a massive time commitment across the span of the full year. We just need it primarily during the months of March and April when setting up the election process and validating the results. 
• For each of the schools and units, having dedicated Senior Unit Reps and a fully engaged Chief SUR (such as Matthew Shelosky) to track open vacancies is key because we need to continuously reach out to our constituent population to replace these open vacancies. We need to learn how to promote the AMC as a worthwhile endeavor to add to worklife balance and to also direct attention to key issues that are important to all administrators at the University. It all starts within a school or unit.

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
Leaning, Learning, Collaboration:

• Leaning on individuals to take some of the requirements of the process when I needed coverage. This year’s unofficial co-chair, Irene Patron, served as an invaluable member of the team when it mattered the most. By setting expectations with each other, we understood when were the best times to do committee work and when were the times we needed to engage others when we were unable to devote the time necessary to our deliverables.
• Learning new skills and information gathering was key to the success of the current year. As a chair, I had to learn the systems behind the election process by seeking out those who had used the systems before. There were many google chats messages to previous chairs of the N&E committee (Mike McCaw and Will Willoughby) to ask how things worked, where to seek for tools and who to speak with to answer my questions. Their willingness to answer all the small seemingly inconsequential issues and questions that I had made all the difference in the world to make me successful in my role and in the success of the committee.
• There was also a learning opportunity in working with our new AMC administrative coordinator, Evy Fung, who took over a role that had not changed hands since its creation. We both had learning curves to overcome and expectations and boundaries to set in order to get the best of what we can offer in terms of supporting each other.
• Collaboration is the next key word for the year. The Special Events team with Julie Kaplan, and the AMC leadership was very supportive of our goals and operational needs of our committee. We also have to thank Seamus Mullin who moved to the Communications committee under Kate Hogan’s leadership. Their team contributed immensely in reaching out to each and every administrator with just the right amount of messages to effect a good election season.

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share?
Sometimes attending in-person events could lead to an unexpected connection. In one of the Fall get togethers, I saw Nicholas Reed just having a drink. We reconnected over the fact that his Friday AMC hour over zoom had given me a chance to just connect socially with administrators. He played some cool music and I would casually just chat with folks in the Zoom Room. Fast forward to the happy hour when Nick mentioned that he would be willing to help me out if I needed him. He did not have much time to commit but I did get him to help me out with preparing the 2023 Election guide. He did a fantastic job and I was thankful for the opportunity for him to contribute just enough to take ownership of this very important election. My campus is off the beaten path on First Avenue, so it is a trek to go to the Washington Square campus but I consider it a worthwhile investment of my time to network, to connect or reconnect and activate an administrator to help in just a small way that can make a big impact.

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year?

• Sometimes a little contribution goes a long way. As chair with limited knowledge of Qualtrics, I happened to ask someone in one elevator ride up to our offices if she knew Qualtrics. Her knowledge helped me immensely to prepare the ballots and to actually run the results in a more efficient manner. I would have wasted a lot of valuable time trying to figure things out on my own. So thank you to my Dentistry colleague Yan Zhao who took 20 minutes to explain, show and test the system that allowed me to complete the process as expected.
• This coming year, I want to ask other folks to consider joining the committee. We are a dedicated group of individuals who could use a few more folks in our team.  Many of the work can be done remotely.
• Do you know that I have started telling folks to use their AMC experience as a way to boost their professional contributions to NYU?  List it on your Linked-In pages, share it on your social media pages (like FB, IG, Twitter, TikTok and anything else out there to promote yourself). One person recommended that I list my contributions on my annual performance evaluation. That is an excellent way to get our managers to know how we make an impact to NYU beyond our day jobs. We learn new skills, we grow our network of influence and get to meet some really amazing people in the process.
• Lastly you can gain more than you realize. The more you can give in terms of your voice, your ideas and contribute your knowledge and skills, the more that we as a team can deliver a more efficient election process. We can host more fun collaborative events, and encourage administrators to run for elective office. We can surprise ourselves but doing things outside of our current sphere of knowledge. The more of us are in the team, the less burdensome it would be to make things happen. Also, N&E is never considered top of mind for being a fun group, but this year it has actually been a fun and engaged group because of the people who are part of it. So won’t you consider joining us in 2023-2024? It could change the trajectory of your work life balance here at the University. I will always be proud of my personal contributions this past year. I hope you can consider joining me for the coming year and also experience the feeling of a job well done!

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?

• We added a few new events to our calendar this year with a focus on navigating the ever-changing work environment. To this end, we focused on learning about executive and organizational coaching opportunities at NYU, held a wonderful panel on Navigating Workplace Politics, brought in an outside speaker to talk about Power of Professional Relationships to Drive a Successful Career, and revisited Managing Up in partnership with the office of Talent, Learning, & Organizational Development.
• The Mentoring Team has also continued to create a fabulous AMC Mentoring Newsletter devoted to highlighting professional development resources and events within and outside of NYU.

What do you want to focus on next year?
We want to continue to build our support for the Mentoring Program as well as consider how to highlight existing professional development resources available to administrators at NYU. As always, we hope to continue providing programming and events that meet the evolving needs of our community. 

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year?
Community Engagement, Support, and Growth

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share?
We continue to learn what administrators’ needs and interests are with regard to professional development in a new hybrid work world. Our committee was excited to see that the things we worked so hard to plan really resonated with our community. We hope to continue to create and execute engaging programming that speaks to the needs of our constituents. 

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year?
The Professional Development Committee is a great way to meet colleagues at NYU who are passionate about helping others; it’s also a great way to grow your own leadership skills and NYU network!

What was your programming like this year? Anything new? Anything traditional?

• 25th Annual Art Show - online gallery all year and virtual reception celebrating the Silver Anniversary on June 15
• 35th Annual Retirees Luncheon - the first in-person gathering of retired administrators in three years, at Bareburger, featuring a talk by Work Life co-sponsor Stacey Gordon on aging, on August 18
• Emerging Professionals Welcome Back Happy Hour at Amity Hall - the first in-person event in three years, and the joy was palpable, on November 16
• AMC101 with the Nominations and Elections Committee - an introduction to the election process and an overview of all elected positions, to foster accessibility and interest, virtual on January 24
• Emerging Professionals DIY Cocktail/Mocktail Event with AMC Mixologist Camille Wilson - in-person workshop and happy hour, complete with keepsake AMC lowball glasses for all attendees, on April 20
• May Luncheon, featuring NYU President Andy Hamilton and Keynote Speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones, and promoting the Adopt-a-School outreach with the Community Service Committee - in-person in beautiful Rosenthal Pavilion on May 9
• Pilates Party - ongoing monthly virtual class run by AMC rep and pilates expert Sarah Awad, who leads administrators through an invigorating workout in collaboration with MindfulNYU.

What do you want to focus on next year?

• Embracing the new University President
• Continuing to welcome administrators back to in-person events, without abandoning the inclusivity of virtual options

What three words would you use to describe your progress this year? Flexibility, Appreciation, Partnerships

Is there anything new/cool/surprising you learned this year that you’d like to share?
You can pay Colomba Bakery & Cafe at 29 Waverly Place a per/head fee and have your guests simply stop by and pick out a pastry and coffee – it was especially helpful when we were not permitted to serve food indoors, but it continues to be a useful arrangement for those of us in hospitality.

Any pitch for getting involved with your committee next year?
The Special Events Committee organizes several types of events: traditional annual events, unique Emerging Professionals Group events, and various collaborative events with other committees or university offices. Some are more professional, some are more social, some are creatively planned, and some are historic. There is something for everyone! We welcome you to join the team!