Charter Committee Annual Report to the Shared Governance Council

Committee: Family Issues Charter Committee
Report Year: 2024-2025

Committee Chair(s)Hans Hoerschelman
Committee Members

Skylar Stafford, Emma Kirk-Alvarez, Kay Ramey, Lisa Schumacher, Ava Russ, Alexia Solis, Kelly Messingham, Jacinda Bunch, Autumn Williams

Liaison/Ex-officio Members: Erin Litton, Diana Kremzar, Michelle Kongable

Committee Charge

Review and make recommendations about the development and implementation of programs, plans, and policies that promote a positive climate for families of faculty, staff, and students through the life span.

Review and make recommendations about the implementation of university child or dependent care programs and plans.

Current Year Meeting Dates10/2/2024, 12/20/2024, 2/3/2025, 4/16/2025
Please indicate the typical frequency of meetings (e.g., first Tuesday of month at 4 pm). If there are subcommittees, please indicate the frequency of those meetings, too.At least once per quarter, more if deemed necessary. Time is irregular due to diversity of individual schedules.
Current Year Activities
  • Reviewed 'to-do’ list from prior years, assessed for future action
  • Discussed Family Caregiving leave rules and implications in modern family constructs
  • Reviewed state of surrogacy leave and definitions, seeking clarifications from subject matter experts
  • Reviewed data insights from the PHA and provided feedback regarding connecting people to campus resources
Topics your committee will address during the coming year
  • Focusing on the future of the committee and its charge
  • Examining previous efforts of the committee and their outcomes to focus future resources effectively
  • Reflection on adoption of new parental leave process
Other issues of concern
  • Continuing exploration of opportunities for Just-In-Time childcare options, along with summer, spring, and winter break options
  • Improving connection of employees and students with campus resources
What should we tell applicants for this committee regarding expectations of members (anticipated workload, existence of subcommittees, etc.)?The workload is typically no more than one-two hours per month outside of meetings.
Does your committee have a website? If so, what is the URL?https://president.uiowa.edu/family-issues-committee 
What is your process for passing on previous agendas and minutes to the new committee chair(s)?Teams channel: General | Family Issues Charter Committee | Microsoft Teams
Recommendations, if any, to the shared governance groups.None