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Staff Council

June 11, 2025 Update

| by Caroline Crawford

Staff, Updates

Staff Council elections: deadline to vote is Monday, June 16 

If your district representative is on the ballot this year and you have not yet voted in this year’s Staff Council elections, please do so! Check your email for the link to your district ballot.  

 HR/Health Benefits Working Group Update  

Vice President of Human Resources Caitlin Goss has organized an advisory group to review options for 2026 health insurance plan changes. This group includes members of both the faculty and the Staff Resources Committees and the staff Compensation and Benefits Committee. The group’s goal is to identify $1.8 million in savings that can be implemented when the coming year’s plan decisions are made in August. 

Staff Council priorities for these sessions include: 

  • Employee health and well-being
  • Ensuring employee access to convenient and affordable care. 
  • Offering competitive health insurance benefits to attract and retain staff.
  • Encouraging employees to utilize preventative care and make healthy choices to improve health and wellness and reduce healthcare expenses.   
  • Financial Sustainability
  • Managing the overall cost for employees, including premiums and direct costs.
  • Implementing strategies to control institutional costs, such as negotiating with plan administrators, reviewing plan design and options, identifying discounted services, or offering incentives for desired outcomes.   
  • If you have thoughts about our current and future health insurance benefits, please reach out to your Staff Council district representative.  

A Middlebury Institute Perspective  

In case you missed it, in response to articles by students and College faculty in Middlebury Campus and the Local Noodle, several faculty members from the Middlebury Institute wrote a letter to the editor that just missed the deadline for the final issue of the Campus but is published in the online edition that is available this summer.  

Faculty and Staff Summer Kick Off Picnic: RSVP June 12 (CA): The Staff Advisory Team invites all staff and faculty to join our annual Summer Kick Off Picnic at the Pierce Street Promenade. Enjoy tacos, games, raffles and good company! RSVP by June 12. 

Staff Council Vermont Events Raffle Winners 

Thank you to everyone who attended Staff Council events this spring and congratulations to our Vermont events raffle winners Liz Ross (International Programs), Kevin Breault (Facilities), Agnes Roche (Admissions), Kas Singh (ISSS), and Mimi Clark (Language Schools). We’re already looking forward to planning events for the fall and remember, your suggestions are always welcome!