Past Events
Erskine B. Bowles Staff Service Award
The nomination process for the Erskine B. Bowles Staff Service Award is now open. We would love to see all campuses represented in the mix! Please share this email with the attached flyer.
The Erskine B. Bowles Staff Service Award was established in 2010 by the UNC Staff Assembly to recognize employees whose accomplishments are consistent with the goals of the University and its public service mission. The ideal recipient must be a permanent staff member (SHRA or EHRA non-faculty) of any of the 17 UNC constituent institutions, the UNC System Office, or a recognized University affiliate and should:
- Exemplify excellence in their professional interactions and customer service within their university employment;
- Provide extraordinary service to their campus and UNC system outside their job description;
- And provide exemplary service to their surrounding community.
The recipient of the award will receive a memento, a $1,000 award, recognition from the Staff Assembly and UNC leadership, and a short video about their service produced by UNC-TV.
To streamline the nomination process, the only required documents are a completed nomination form (including narrative details for each of our selection criteria) and an accompanying letter of recommendation. Additional support material (letters of support from supervisor(s), peers, administration, or community members; news articles from campus or local news sources) is highly encouraged, as it can considerably bolster the nomination. Successful nominations provide supporting documents that leave no doubt about the individual’s merit.
Anyone from your campus (faculty, staff, friends, volunteers) can submit a nomination, so we encourage you to share this information as widely as possible!
To give all schools the opportunity to turn in a nomination, the deadline is July 31, 2026.
If any questions, please feel free to reach out to your co-chairs of the Erskine B. Bowles Service Award via email Shagail Reed, reedsh@wssu.edu or Katie Musgrove, kmusgrov@email.unc.edu
School’s Out: Getting Everyone Through the Summer Webinar
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 p.m.
It is summertime, and school is out! For many people, summer conjures images of lazy, relaxing days at the beach. However, for many working families, summer brings the challenges of balancing the demands of adult work schedules with the desire to provide safe, fun activities for children. This workshop offers several ideas on summer activities and provides practical suggestions on how to keep your kids safe while you’re at work.
You can also find all sessions on the HR Events Page. We’ll continue hosting additional workshops throughout the year, so stay tuned for more!
Come on out for the 6th Annual Mighty Four Miler to run (or walk!) in Riley Howell’S honor!
The race will take place on Saturday June 20, 2026 at 7:45 a.m in downtown Waynesville, Frog Level.
After the race and the awards, head to Frog Level Brewing to enjoy Biscuits and Beer.
If you can’t make it for the in-person event, we also have a virtual race option that you can register for. If you choose to participate virtually, you can run or walk four miles solo on race day, and you will receive a shirt, a medal, and some RHFF merch in the mail after the event.
Registration proceeds will go directly to the Riley Howell Foundation Fund’s operational costs so that we can continue to support organizations that benefit victims of gun violence.
Visit this link to learn more and to register for the race in-person or virtually!
Coffee & Conversations with Staff Council
Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is underway!
Visit the Open Enrollment website to learn about the various changes for the 2026 Plan Year and go ahead and make your selections.
You have until Friday, Oct. 31, to finalize your benefits elections. Changes will go into effect Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Niner Nation Week Decorating Contest
Congratulations to our winners!!
1st Place: Tax/Payroll, Reese 301C5
2nd Place: Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Cone 382
3rd Place: Niner Central, Cone 380
Staff Appreciation Tailgate
Map of the Shuttle Bus Pick-up Locations. Map of the 49th Acre Tailgate.
Coffee, Conversation, & Community – Spring 2025
Western North Carolina Supply Drive
2024 Homecoming Decorating Contest
The Staff Council would like to congratulate the 2024 Homecoming Decorating Contest winners.
1st place in the Carts category – Fraternity and Sorority Life
Office Category:
1st Place – Middle, Secondary & K12 Education
2nd Place – Cato College of Education Dean’s Office (COED – Mebane)
3rd Place – Special Education & Child Development
There were no entries in the individual category.
We are so proud of our campus partners who participated and showed off their team spirit that we would love to give them a shout-out, too!
Human Resources
Risk Management and Insurance
Political Science and Public Administration
Office of School & Community Partnerships
Department of Educational Leadership
Mebane Early Literacy
Reading & Elementary Education
Student Involvement
Click here to view photos from the contest.
Go Niners!
2024 Staff Fall Festival
On behalf of the Staff Council, and especially the Staff Council Events and Education Committee, we want to thank you so much for supporting our Annual Fall Festival. Attendance continues to grow and we welcomed just under 600 staff this year. We are grateful to be able to host an event that allows staff to take a couple of hours away from their daily tasks while students are on break to eat and engage with each other! Staff Council is committed to continuing to grow our engagement efforts with staff and looks forward to welcoming you to any meeting you would like to attend and to all future events! Please visit our website for information regarding when and where we meet (including a zoom option) and reach out to us at staffcouncil@charlotte.edu to become more involved in Staff Council!
Contest Winners:
Congratulations to our contest winners!
Craft: Cathy Saunders
Photography: Kelly Ortiz
Baking: Joe Rick
Candy Corn Guessing: Chris Brasel
Acronyms:
- 1st place: Ysatiz Piñero
- 2nd place: Kelly Anderson and Bianca Fruscello
- 3rd place: Sara Richardson, Renee Johnson, Angel Wallace, and Nicole (if you see this, please let us know your last name!!)