UWSA Elections

Fall 2023 elections

In October, members will elect:

  • Two directors to join the UWSA Board, one for a three-year term and one for a one-year term. Directors will take office immediately following the UWSA Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
  • The next president to lead the UWSA operations team. The successful candidate will serve as president-elect for one year and assume the role of president in October 2024, followed by one year as past president.

Nominations are due September 26. Find out how to run.

Eligibility

All UWSA members are eligible to put their name forward for either position. We hope that you will consider serving the University of Waterloo staff community by becoming a candidate! As UW adapts and evolves in a changing world, we need a strong voice to ensure that our perspective is clearly presented and reflects the needs of our diverse members.

The UWSA is committed to cultivating a progressive work environment where staff feel safe, empowered to grow, and able to thrive. To ensure varied perspectives in strategic outlook for the Association, the Board of Directors is particularly seeking individuals who can best represent marginalized groups with diverse lived experiences.

Voting eligibility

All staff who are UWSA members by October 1 will be eligible to vote in these elections. 

What’s involved – Directors

Collectively, the Board of Directors guides the high-level strategic governance of the UWSA and provides advice and direction to the Operations Team. The Board also provides oversight to ensure compliance with the organization’s by-laws, governance policies and legislative requirements.

Individually, directors are expected to regularly attend and actively participate in board and committee meetings; bring their best ideas to the table by considering each topic at hand and establishing a perspective; and participate in training and development activities. Any director may eventually fill an officer role: secretary, treasurer, chair, or vice chair, which have additional responsibilities.

Directors receive one day a month of release time from their regular work duties to attend to UWSA business. Some of the benefits of serving as a director include getting training in governance principles and developing working relationships with colleagues from across campus, including senior members of University leadership.

Directors are also the pool from which most staff representatives on the Staff Relations Committee (SRC) and Provost's Advisory Committee on Staff Compensation (PACSC) are selected. These are two important committees that shape our working conditions and compensation, and some directors will serve in this capacity, in addition to their role on the board.

What’s involved – President

The president has overall strategic and operational responsibility for the UWSA’s employees, its programs and services, and the execution of its mission and strategic plan.

The complete term is a three-year commitment with three distinct roles:

  1. In the first year, the president-elect continues in their regular campus role while also working closely with the president, who helps prepare them to step into the role of president. This preparation may include recommending training to bridge any gaps in knowledge, skills, or abilities.
  2. In the second year, the president position is a full-time one-year secondment to the UWSA during which the president receives their regular UW salary plus a stipend equivalent to 10% of USG 13.
  3. In the third year, the past president supports the president and provides continuity, while returning to their regular campus role.

The University grants the equivalent of three days each month of release time from regular duties for the president-elect and past president. Some of the benefits of serving in this role include better understanding how the University works, building cross-campus relationships, and developing leadership capacity.

How to run

  1. Get support for your nomination from three UWSA members (make sure they are members; not all staff are!). They will need to fill out the Nominator Support Form by 4:30 p.m. on September 26, 2023.
  2. Fill out the Candidate Nomination Form to submit your nomination by 4:30 p.m. on September 26.
  3. Once you submit the nomination form, you’ll receive a link to fill out a candidate profile to be posted on the UWSA website. You'll have until noon on September 27 to complete this. The form will ask you for a statement up to 300 words describing why you're running, the skills or experience you have that would enable you to make valuable contributions, and, for presidential candidates, your approach to leadership and collaboration and how you'll apply it to representing all UWSA members.