President's Address
Greetings All,
Wow. It is officially the holiday season. While I have been very busy with all the things that come along with representing you, I am going to forgo sharing all of them this month in favor of sharing the outstanding events we need you to participate in!
First, Staff Senate is hosting its 34th Annual Holiday on Campus next Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. in the Student Union. Holiday on Campus is an event for the children and grandchildren of LSU students, faculty, and staff. There will be free food, beverages, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus and holiday characters, arts and crafts, raffle prizes, and entertainment. We encourage attendees to bring non-perishable food items for the LSU Food Pantry, toys for Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, or diapers for the Junior League of Baton Rouge’s Diaper Bank. Thank you to President Tate, Provost Haggerty, Executive Vice President Lewis, and Campus Federal for making this event possible! If you would like to volunteer to help, please sign up here.
Next up is our door decorating contest! The theme this year is "Mike’s Holiday Tunes & Toons.” Now is the time to get your team together, get registered, and get the creativity flowing. I can't wait to see what y'all come up with! Rules and registration are available on our website.
Our final holiday announcement, or request, is please come out and visit the inaugural year of the Louisiana Lights at the Burden Gardens! Beginning on Nov. 29, you can step inside a glowing wonderland and discover a new festive tradition by experiencing the radiant beauty of the historic Windrush Gardens at Burden. The event will be held Thursdays - Sundays through Dec. 29. If you would like to purchase tickets or volunteer at the event, please visit the LSU AgCenter's website.
In non-holiday news, I am pleased to request your input in our strategic planning process! LSU Staff Senate is dedicated to representing the interests and needs of staff and fostering a collaborative environment that promotes growth, inclusion, and a positive workplace. We advocate for staff well-being and engagement and build partnerships across campus to ensure staff voices are heard in decision making—Advocacy, Awareness, and Appreciation for all staff.
As we develop the 2026-2030 strategic plan, we invite you to take a brief and anonymous survey to provide feedback on our current mission, vision, values, and goals and suggest areas for improvement. Your insights are invaluable in helping us shape initiatives that truly reflect and support the needs of LSU staff. If interested, you can review the 2020-2025 strategic plan at Staff Senate Strategic Plan 2020-2025.
Take the Staff Senate strategic plan survey here.
Finally, we are still accepting applications for our Career Excellence and Enrichment Award! This award provides funding for costs associated with employee professional development activities, including conferences, training, certificate programs, or other educational opportunities. Please see our Scholarships & Awards webpage for more information.
Thank you for making it this far...in reading my address, in the academic year, and the calendar year. Thank you for showing up in all the ways we have contributed to the wins of our individual departments and the institution as a whole. And most importantly, to the wins we have accomplished with our family, friends, and community this year.
If your year has been anything like mine, I celebrated some very small wins in very big ways because every win, no matter how large or small, deserves to be celebrated. I am thankful for every win and loss that I experienced and all the ways I continue to learn about what matters most—our community and the ways we all contribute to make the world a better place for all of us.
Happy Thanksgiving!