BOLIVAR, MO –After many months of designing and administering surveys, meeting with staff members, drafting by-laws, debating structure and purpose, a staff task force at Southwest Baptist University has turned the reins over to a newly created Staff Council, a group made up of each of the 150 staff members of the University. This historic, first-ever SBU Staff Council is governed by a board of directors that is comprised of officers forming the executive board and representatives for small groups of staff members sorted by years of service to the university.
The purpose of the Staff Council is to promote communication between staff employees and the administration; provide input to the administration on issues affecting staff; and to support and develop activities which serve SBU, and the community.
At the recent Staff Council kickoff meeting, Chair David Bolton said: “You know each person in this room has been given a unique opportunity to serve God in this very unique place. I’m convinced that God has placed each one of us here at Southwest Baptist University for a purpose. Sometimes that purpose is hard to understand or sometimes that purpose is unknown; but God has a plan for us, individually and corporately as a group of employees.
“God has gifted each one of us with unique abilities and unique personalities. He’s designed us all differently so that we can fulfill His purposes. The encouragement we give each other on the job, the smile and ‘hello’ we give as we meet students and each other in the hall, the “occasional” pat on the back for a job well done, the concern we show for each other during times of grief and sickness all prove to those around us that we share something unique in this workplace….Perhaps my biggest hope for today is that we as a group of valued and important members of this organization will re-commit ourselves to doing our very best in all aspects of our jobs. Our work is important, not only to SBU but to the kingdom of God as we serve Him in this place.”
SBU was recently named one of Springfield area’s “Best Places to Work” by the Springfield Business Journal. SBU also has been named one of America’s Best Christian Colleges® for the 10th consecutive year and one of America’s 100 Best College Buys® for the 11th consecutive year. For more information, see www.sbuniv.edu.