Morgan
is advocate for staff, campus democracy
By Laurie
Mellas Ramirez
Since
taking the job of Staff Council president in May, Alan Morgan
has been seen wiping sweat from his brow as he dashes around
campus advocating for staff and serving as conduit between constituencies.
All that
frenetic activity is Morgans way of helping to ensure
that democracy is alive and well at UNM, he says.
Morgan
says his agenda is to bring more staff into the council process
and to make certain that no group or person is excluded.
The
hope is that people will recognize that democracy is a precious
gift for which our ancestors paid a price, he says.
He may
wax philosophic, but Morgan also walks the talk.
Im
willing to take some risks. Its easier for me to speak
up about issues than it is for the single mother who is trying
to get an education for her child, Morgan says.
Born in
the east and raised in the Washington, D.C., area, Morgan earned
his masters in education from George Washington University
after completing his undergraduate degree at Bridgewater College
in Virginia.
In graduate
school, he studied crisis resources and diagnostic, prescriptive
teaching, which he says, humanizes the teaching process
and helps teachers become more student-centered.
His eldest
son, Thane, led the move to Albuquerque. Morgans first
UNM post was as a temp for Maxwell Museum in 1996. He has worked
as an academic advisor on north and main campuses since 1998,
first with the College of Nursing, and since 2001, for the Office
of Graduate Studies.
His duties
include evaluating programs of study for masters students
and applications for candidacy for doctoral students, and helping
students and applicants understand procedures and how to process
petitions.
There
can be exceptions to policies. You have to use some human wisdom,
he says. The petition is another one of those humanizing
processes.
Im
willing to take some risks. Its easier for me to speak
up about issues than it is for the single mother who is trying
to get an education for her child, he says.
Staff
Council President Alan Morgan
During
his year as president, Morgan will address top concerns on a
list of more than 160 issues staff recently identified as important
for the council to address. Additional committees are being
chartered to take on three or four issues each. Morgan invites
staff to propose new committees and to serve (staff may be eligible
for time off from their regular duties to participate in committee
work).
Morgan
is quick to credit councilors for the many efforts underway.
All of us together, with the intelligence and talent the
full council represents, we can accomplish much, he says.
What
all staff look for is justice and respect, Morgan says.
Respect is evidenced in a number of ways, including salaries,
benefits and the work environment.
Staff
are stakeholders, not commodities, he adds. We should
be recognized as people who have a personal, heart-centered
investment in the institution.
Does Morgan
truly believe that the more than 4,400 UNM staff can exact change?
Id
have to give up if I didnt. Numbers of people can overcome
anything, he says.