- Twenty Years of Making A Difference
- Hear from Voices of the Staff Team Members
- Current Teams and 2025 Project Posters
- Watch the Team Presentations
- A Consistent Framework
- Five Drivers for Engaged Staff
- A Microcosm of Staff
- Reflecting the Staff Community
- A Growing Network
- Putting People First - From Branding to Action
- What’s New?
- Voices Alumni in Action
- Looking Ahead: Our Next Chapter
Voices of the Staff
Twenty Years of Making A Difference
For more than two decades, Voices of the Staff has engaged, inspired, and improved our workplace. Referred to simply as "Voices," it is a volunteer program with about 130 participants composed of staff from all academic campuses and Michigan Medicine. Voices members meet monthly in 20-person Network Teams to help make the university a better place to work. It brings people from different jobs together to share ideas directly with university leaders and serve as a catalyst for change. The program has been much more than just a series of meetings—it has been a bridge connecting staff from every corner of the university. It is a platform that reminds every staff member of the value of their voice and their role in U-M’s mission.
Our Foundation
- Voices Mission: To provide a platform where staff perspectives drive positive change and foster a vibrant campus culture.
- Voices Vision: A university where every staff member feels heard, valued, and empowered to contribute to our shared success.
Our Impact
- For Leadership: Voices offers direct access to staff input, informing policies and campus climate.
- For Supervisors: Participants are more engaged, positive, and productive—with turnover rates half that of staff as a whole.
- For Faculty: Voices serves as a dynamic focus group and sounding board for research and new ideas.
- For Staff: It’s a gateway to networking, growth, and new opportunities for individual transformation and institutional innovation.
Hear from Voices of the Staff Team Members
20th Anniversary Annual Meeting
On June 20, 2025, more than 350 current and alumni Voices members, along with university leaders, gathered at Michigan Stadium’s Jack Roth Stadium Club. This milestone event celebrated two decades of input and impact through keynote reflections from those who created the program, former president Mary Sue Coleman and former AVP for HR Laurita Thomas. Speakers also included professor Jeff DeGraff, Provost Laurie McCauley, and AVP for HR Rich Holcomb.
Attendees interacted with a 20-foot long table-top timeline including physical artifacts (like awards, original program documents, and more). Attendees also enjoyed a digital timeline, creative activities, and poster presentations from all Network Teams.
Driving Impact Every Day
Current Teams and 2025 Project Posters
Today, Voices empowers staff across all campuses and Michigan Medicine to elevate workplace opportunities that matter most—embracing change, fostering inclusivity, supporting career development, and enhancing flexible work. At its core, Voices is about making the workplace better. This leads not only to higher job satisfaction, but also to lower turnover and a stronger, more engaged community.
Team Project Summaries and Posters
Alumni Engagement: Orchestrated the 20th Anniversary Celebration, hosted a day of service at North Star Reach, and created a seamless transition pathway for outgoing members. Embrace Change: Deployed a campus-wide Change Management Toolkit and piloted the GPT Innovation Shortcode, empowering staff to experiment with AI and develop leadership resources. Enhance the Employee Experience : Advanced proposals for a university-wide Recognition platform and a campus-wide Mentorship proposal. Developed the EPIC benchmarking process and a customizable internal Toolkit for culture improvement.
Facilitate Flexible Work: Addressed equity in remote/hybrid work by streamlining resources, partnering with the Go Blue app, and optimizing strategies for remote/hybrid staff. Promote Career Growth: Launched a Manager Support repository and piloted a cross-training “exchange student” program, creating stronger pathways for skill-building and career advancement. Strive for Well-being: Developed programs focusing on reducing barriers for on-site workers, promoted a “human-first” work philosophy, and explored AI-powered wellness initiatives. New - Advance Community and Connection: This Voices team was newly developed in 2025. It is focusing on developing ways to promote respect and connection for the future. This team focus evolved from a previous focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure the program remains aligned with new federal guidelines while continuing to foster a welcoming environment for all.
Watch the Team Presentations
A Microcosm of Staff
By Staff, for Staff
From day one, Voices was designed to be a microcosm of the university. Whether staff work in Michigan Medicine, Athletics, UM-Dearborn, UM -Flint, or in Academic Affairs in Ann Arbor, their voice has a seat at the table.
Reflecting the Staff Community
We bring together staff from different roles, years of service, and VP area to closely create a microcosm of the staff as a whole.
A Growing Network
What started as a small idea has grown into a massive alumni network of 600 current staff across the institution. In total, more than 1,400 staff have participated in Voices over two decades.
Putting People First - From Branding to Action
To prepare for our 20th program anniversary, Voices of the Staff updated our communications strategy and refreshed our brand. We re-emphasized the core of the program by highlighting the individual people who drive our mission.
What’s New?
- The Human Connection: Our new visuals focus on diverse faces and real stories. We believe that when you see a colleague’s success, you see your own potential.
- Testimonial-Driven: We are leaning into video and "pull quotes" to let our members speak for themselves.
- Inclusive Design: Our updated colors and graphics represent a modern, inclusive, and welcoming university environment.
Voices Alumni in Action
Going Back to Give Back
In addition to helping to develop the 2025 annual meeting, Voices Alumni members celebrated our 20th anniversary by giving back at Camp North Star Reach. Voices and UHR have a history of helping out It was a heartfelt day of reconnecting while supporting the camp’s mission for children with medical needs. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves to wash windows, clean tables, and clear spiderwebs, ensuring the camp was ready and welcoming for its upcoming community service weekend.
Looking Ahead: Our Next Chapter
Strategic Outlook and Growth
As we enter our third decade, our focus is clearer than ever. We are a vital tool for recruitment and retention. When people feel their voice matters, they don’t just take a job—they build a career.
- Empowering the Individual: Providing more tools for staff to share their unique perspectives.
- Strengthening Community: Expanding our alumni and current team events to keep the "Voices" spirit strong for staff's entire careers.
- Sustaining Excellence: Working with university leadership to ensure that staff engagement remains a top priority because it will always be essential.
Thank you for being part of this story. Here’s to the next 20!
Credits:
Copyrighted by the Regents of the University of Michigan.