Become a Senator
Do you care deeply about UVA?
Do you have an interest in strengthening and making a difference in our community?
Do you want to be part of something bigger than yourself or your department?
Would you like your voice to be heard?
2024 Staff Senate Openings
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Advancement - 1 opening (2-year term)
Architecture - 0 openings
Arts & Sciences - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
Batten - 0 openings
Business Operations - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
Data Science - 0 openings
Continuing & Professional Studies - 0 openings
Education & Human Development - 2 openings (both 2-year terms)
Darden - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
Engineering - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
EVP-COO (includes HR, Safety & Security, and other offices) - 3 openings (2 3-year terms, 1 2-year term)
Finance - 2 openings ( 3-year term and 2-year term)
Facilities Management - 1 opening (2-year term)
ITS - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
Law - 1 opening (3-year term)
Library - 1 opening (3-year term)
McIntire - 0 openings
Medicine - 0 openings
Nursing - 0 openings
President's Office - 1 opening (3-year term)
Provost Units - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
Research - 2 openings (3-year term and 2-year term)
Student Affairs - 2 openings (both 3-year terms)
About the Staff Senate
The Staff Senate serves all academic division staff through open communication with our constituency so that we can represent staff interests to university leadership and ensure staff are an integral part of key decision-making. The Senate is comprised of 67 senators and represents 24 organizational areas in the academic division and over 6,700 staff at UVA.
As a member of the Staff Senate, you have the opportunity to
- Collaborate with staff from across grounds and to be a part of a community that cares deeply about the well-being of staff at UVA.
- Provide input and help to shape UVA programs and policies that are of particular interest to staff.
- Gain a deeper understanding of how the University works, how decisions are made and what offices around grounds do.
- Connect with UVA leadership. Staff Senate hosts senior leadership at monthly meetings and provides time for staff to engage in a conversation with the top administrators.
- Provide your coworkers a voice in University governance.
- Hear first about upcoming UVA initiatives.
- Develop professionally and try on a different hat. The Senate provides many opportunities to serve in leadership roles, as project managers, as program coordinators or as project leads.
- Network and gain greater access to additional leadership opportunities on grounds.
What is involved in serving?
Typically, a senator serves a three-year term, but in some cases a new senator will complete the term of a senator who left the Senate mid-term. In this case, the term will be 1 or 2 years. Each senator is asked to set aside up to 4-6 hours each month for Staff Senate membership responsibilities.
As a senator, you represent the concerns and interests of the employees in your organizational unit and to serve those staff members well, it is important to be an active member, which involves attending monthly Senate meetings; being in regular communication with the staff in your organizational unit and sharing their ideas, questions and concerns with the Senate; and participating in the work of the Senate by serving as a Senator coordinator, on a working group or in other ways that suit your time and talents.
Who is qualified to serve on the Senate?
YOU - as long as you are a part-time (receiving benefits) or full-time staff member and have worked at UVA for at least one year as of August 1. Every staff member can make a valuable contribution to the Staff Senate. There are no “right” qualifications and no voice is more important than another. We need your individual talents, whether it is your vision for how we can make UVA a better place to work, your passion to seek out solutions to common issues, or your commitment to serving staff and the UVA community. You can play a role in serving a greater cause and improving the work lives of your fellow staff members. Your voice, your ideas and your contribution to UVA matter. Attend a Staff Senate meeting if you would like to get a taste of what it would be like to serve.
Want to learn more?
- Contact your Senate representatives to learn about their experiences serving on the Senate.
- Attend a Staff Senate meeting. They are open to the University community.
- Browse our website to learn more about how we are structured.
I’m ready! How do I join?
Contact your representatives or the Senate membership team with questions or to let us know you'd like to run.
Each organizational unit in the Academic Division of the University is represented on the Staff Senate, and each unit has a particular number of senators depending on how many total staff members work in that unit. In general every June, the Staff Senate holds elections for open seats in each of the units. If your unit has an open seat, your representatives will contact you in March or April to let you know (or please feel free to reach out to your representatives to inquire). At that time, submit your name to be included on the ballot.