A message from Administrative Council Chair, Millie Barry:
As we wrap up yet another year, I’d like to express my deep gratitude for the Administrative Council team and the entire Lafayette staff community for their active engagement with us this year. I am so proud of all that we have accomplished, much of it being several years in the making. This year has been a transformative one for us – at least it has in my eyes, and I hope in yours as well. It took several years of laying the groundwork to make Admin Council what it is today. In 2024, as we worked to rebuild our identity and determine where to invest Council energies, we developed a set of core values: Courageous Advocacy, Growth Mindset, Integrity in Action, Intentional Community, and Responsible Transparency. These values are our guiding principles and at the root of everything that Administrative Council does. Here’s what that looked like for 2025-2026:
Courageous Advocacy: We aim to improve every Lafayette employee’s experience by bringing topics of concern to senior leadership with resolve and honesty.
- The Council submitted significant advice to President Hurd regarding the future and structure of the College Budget Planning Committee (CBPC) in April 2026.
- Council members met with the Faculty’s Governance Committee Chair, the Faculty’s Advocacy & Coordination Council, and several individual faculty members throughout the year to discuss faculty-staff relations and potential impacts certain faculty votes may have on staff.
- Council leadership met monthly with Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Ali Dougherty, to discuss staff feedback and perspectives on various HR related topics.
- Council leadership met monthly with the President’s Chief of Staff, Scott Morse, to collaborate on Staff Breakfasts and discuss important topics related to the staff experience that may need to be elevated to the Senior Leadership Team.
- In September 2025, the Council partnered with Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration, Audra Kahr, to review the Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) FAQs for clarity and contribution prior to release.
Growth Mindset: We set and tackle our goals with optimism, assess challenges to our campus culture with curiosity, and imagine a future where all Lafayette community members experience both individual and collective growth during their time on campus.
- Council members completed a SWOT analysis at the 2025 Summer Retreat to identify key areas for growth and improvement
- The Council partnered with President Hurd to conduct an election in Fall 2025 for two staff seats on the Strategic Planning Implementation Advisory Committee. This was the first time staff have conducted an election for seats on a campuswide committee.
- The Council charged the Task Force on Staff Governance to evaluate the current staff governance structure in order to ensure that staff have a vehicle for meaningful participation and impactful opportunities to contribute to institutional decision-making. The task force completed its work in May 2025 with a final report and recommendations to be addressed in 2026-2027.
Integrity in Action: We take accountability for our actions, follow through on our promises, and bring attention to campus grievances with respectful candor.
- The Council received 32 contact form or email submissions that involved some sort of follow up or advocacy on behalf of staff. Updates on those submissions were shared regularly at Staff Breakfasts.
- Despite our best efforts, we were informed of a gap in our outreach with regard to the Task Force on Staff Governance survey in late May. We plan to remedy this oversight over the summer and provide a wider update to the community in the fall. A big thank you to the staff member who alerted us of this error.
Intentional Community: We recognize that each employee is more than their job title and we see value in investing our time and energy to build relationships and networks.
- The Council launched Pard-to-Pard Awards, recognizing 10 peer-nominated staff members across five divisions for going above and beyond in their job responsibilities, contributing significantly to a positive and collegial work environment, and promoting exceptional cross-divisional collaboration.
- The Council sponsored the use of conversation starter name tags at Friday Clubs to encourage networking and dialogue between and amongst faculty and staff.
- The Council hosted eight community lunches with guest speakers from a wide range of campus partners to cover community introductions, staff-focused initiatives, and the sharing of resources relevant to the staff experience. Here is the full list of 2025-26 Academic Year Activities. Have ideas for lunch speakers in 2026-2027? Submit them here!
- The Council partnered with the Landis Center for Community Engagement in April 2026 to coordinate the second Shop Local Event, handing out $15 Easton gift cards to 33 staff members to support Easton businesses.
Responsible Transparency: We are committed to creating open and secure channels for communication that allow for timely information-sharing.
- The Council launched the Administrative Council Spaces site as a primary means for secure document sharing, regularly posting Admin Council meeting minutes, Staff Breakfast slides, Breakfast Zoom recaps, and other specialized documentation.
- Council leadership shared information regarding various campus changes and updates and how they might impact Administrative Council or staff more generally, such as the sunsetting of the campuswide DEI Committee or various Faculty actions, as needed.
Again, a huge thank you to all of the 2025-2026 Admin Council members who helped us accomplish all of these goals this year – and I’ll add that they did so with grace and positivity as they met their regular job responsibilities and hit major milestones, such as accomplishing a record-breaking Bring the Roar and Reunion season, rolling out Zoom Phone implementation, smashing enrollment targets to admit the Class of 2030, supporting many Bicentennial event operations, participating in multiple search committees, facilitating the Emburse roll out, and much, much more.
A special thank you to Dysean Alexander (Admissions), Jake Bates (Student Life), Tabitha Klaus (Academics), Megan Pagats (Advancement), Carly Riepenhoff (Athletics), Jill Spotz (Communications), and Abbie Steinly (Advancement) whose terms on Admin Council are coming to an end as of June 30. Thank you for all that you continue to do to support the Lafayette staff community!
With that, I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our newly elected and reelected members of Administrative Council for 2026-2027: Kristina Carver (Enrollment), Chenoa Gillette (Academics), Kevin Hardy (Communications), Gabby Hochfeld (Inclusion), Nicole Matos (Advancement), Dawn Peterson (Union), Zach Rentschler (ITS), Mike Scott (Athletics), and Victoria Terascavage (Student Life). We look forward to working with you more in 2026-2027!
While the academic year may be over, work continues over the summer for many of us. If you find yourself with a few moments to spare, please consider this an open invitation to grab a cup of coffee with me or just check-in and chat about what being a part of the Lafayette staff community means to you. I’d love to hear from you!
Wishing you all a restorative summer and looking forward to an eventful 2026-2027!
Millie Barry
Administrative Council Chair, 2025-2027