University Staff Advisory Council shares strategic plan, expands advocacy

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The University Staff Advisory Council (USAC) is continuing to advance its staff advocacy and engagement efforts with the unveiling of a refreshed strategic plan, an expanded membership model and a new standalone website designed to better serve the University's nearly 11,000 full-time, non-union staff.

Through outreach and engagement with staff across the institution, USAC has identified five overarching strategic goals as part of Phase 3 of the University's 2025-2028 strategic planning process:

• Foster inclusive and collaborative leadership,
• Cultivate a culture that recognizes and promotes employee contributions,
• Promote work-life balance and employee well-being,
• Recommend equitable resource distribution and support, and
• Advocate for staff affected by campus closures. 

“As Penn State continues to move through this profound transition, this strategic plan becomes more than a roadmap; it becomes our anchor,” said Matthew Heller, 2025-26 USAC chair. “By grounding our work in these goals, we ensure that USAC’s efforts to support staff from across the commonwealth remain focused, consistent, and impactful, not just today, but for the long road ahead.”

Putting the plan into action

To facilitate ongoing USAC efforts toward the new strategic plan, Chair Matthew Heller announced three key priorities for the 2025 – 2026 membership cycle:

1. Broaden representation and engagement across the University
2. Strengthen two-way communication with leadership, local staff advisory councils, and staff
3. Empower members through shared leadership, growth mindset, and committee-driven action

These priorities will help guide USAC's General Council toward the implementation of its strategic plan, ensuring continued emphasis on staff voice and experience, shared leadership, and communication.

Expanded representation

As of July 1, 2025, USAC is operating under its new membership model that more than doubled the number of General Council members. This expansion aims to foster stronger connections between local staff groups and University leadership, amplifying the collective staff voice, and increasing representation from across the institution. As part of its work, including enhanced communications and tailored resources, USAC has supported units to launch their own local staff advisory councils (SACs). Today, there are 43 established Local SACs from elective units.

Engage with USAC this year

There are several upcoming USAC-led initiatives which are critical to the council’s mission to advocate for staff.

Staff can share thoughts and feedback with USAC during listening sessions. These sessions are designed to gather feedback from the community and provide an opportunity for staff employees to communicate directly with USAC representatives about their experiences working at Penn State. Feedback from listening sessions is compiled and shared with the University’s President’s Council, the Office of Human Resources, University Faculty Senate and others. Dates and locations for the spring 2026 USAC listening sessions will be announced soon.

Nominations will be accepted through February 25 for the USAC Staff Awards, recognizing University staff members who go above and beyond their normally assigned job responsibilities, perhaps by resolving a particularly difficult dilemma, being exceptionally creative, or being responsive to the needs of others regardless of status.

Interested full-time, non-union staff can apply for at-large membership for the 2026-27 membership cycle starting in early February. Application form and details will be available soon.

Staff interested in learning more or joining USAC can visit usac.psu.edu or email askUSAC@psu.edu.