Northern Illinois University
Supportive Professional Staff Council

The SPS Council has four voting representatives on the University Council:

• Felicia Bohanon
• Tom O'Grady
• Shannon Stoker
• Christina Sutcliffe

SPS employees are appointed by the SPS Council to serve on many university committees It's not necessary for appointees to be SPS Council representatives.

• Athletic  Board – Jerri Reynolds 
• Campus Parking Committee – John Boswell and Tom O’Grady
• Committee for Academic Equity and Inclusive Excellence (CAEIE) – Michelle Pickett
• Computing Facilities Advisory Committee – Margaret Myles
• Innovative Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee – Megan Woodruff
• Libraries Advisory Committee – Monique Bernoudy 
• Parking Appeals Committee – Heath Duncan, Cody Carter and Tom O'Grady 
• Student Conduct Board – Lupe Flores and Bill Braksick 
• Student Conduct Advisory Board – Manuel Valdez 
• University Advisory Committee to the Board of Trustees – Felicia Bohanon 
• University Benefits Committee – Joe Lovelace and John Boswell

SPS employees serve on presidential commissions. They are chosen by the NIU president from nominations submitted by the SPS Council It's not necessary for nominees to be SPS Council representatives.

• Presidential Commission on Persons with Disabilities (three-year term): Catherine Doederlein
• Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (three-year term): To be determined
• Presidential Commission on the Status of Minorities (three-year term): Felicia Bohanon, Edward Heard, Melody Mitchell
• Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (three-year term): To be determined

As part of the shared governance system at NIU, the supportive Professional Staff (SPS) Council has representatives on the University Council and its committees. These representatives are not necessarily on SPS Council, but are of the SPS classification on campus. Representatives who have been selected to sit on a University Council Committee should review the following information and guidelines upon appointment.

SPS Council

Supportive Professional Staff representatives to university committees are appointed by the SPS Council.

The SPS Council is a form of shared governance and was established to provide a means of communication among SPS on camps and to be a vehicle for articulating the interests and concerns of SPS employees to other constituents of the university community. SPS Council representatives and their alternates are elected by their peers.

SPS Council meets on the second Thursday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon in the Holmes Student Center Skyroom. Individuals do not need to be on SPS Council to attend council meetings. Anyone is welcome.

If you feel that there is a specific issue that needs to be addressed, contact the SPS president or vice president to schedule a discussion and, if necessary, get on the monthly agenda.

University Committee

Attendance

As an appointed SPS representative on a university committee, you are expected to attend all of the committee's meetings and be an active participant. If you are not able to attend, please review the policies and procedures manual for your group for appropriate actions.

If you cannot fulfil your obligations as a representative, please let the vice president of the SPS Council know and a replacement representative will be assigned.

Policy and Procedures Manual

Each committee has a set of guidelines or a manual that defines the committee's goals, mission, meeting times, expectations and voting guidelines (if applicable).

These manuals can be found by contacting University Council at universitycounci@niu.edu or 815-753-1732 or by contacting the chair of your committee.

Contact

The contact for your group is the elected chair of the committee. To determine the chair contact University Council at universitycouncil@niu.edu or 815-763-1732.

We encourage you to reach out to the chair for meeting times and locations upon appointment.

Reporting (Monthly Reports)

The vice president of SPS Council will request a monthly status report for each committee. The vice president determines the schedule for these reports, but they are typically due the first week of each month.

Representatives are expected to write these reports in a concise manner and highlight the main talking points or decisions that are important for SPS employees to know regarding the committee's work. These reports are presented at the subsequent SPS Council meeting.

On some committees, there will be more than one SPS committee representative; however, only one report needs to be completed and coordination among the representatives to decide who submits the report is strongly suggested. For a list of other SPS committee members, refer to the University Council website or contact the vice president of SPS Council.

The vice president of SPS Council determines the schedule for the annual report, but it is typically due in June or July.