Jervis to serve as second CBSHS staff senator

Donna Jervis, an administrative coordinator in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS), has been elected staff senator for the College. She will serve a three-year term beginning in May.

Jervis has been employed by Clemson University for eight years – first in the CBSHS dean’s office and then in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice where she will have worked for two years in August.

Jervis credits her time in the CU Grow program – a rigorous one-year program that aims to support the personal and professional growth of University staff – for giving her the confidence she needed to step out of her comfort zone and pursue the position of staff senator.

As a result of its continued growth, the College received an additional staff senator position this year. Jervis will serve alongside Wendi Mattson, administrative coordinator in the CBSHS associate dean’s office, who was appointed last year.

Our College is growing – and with that comes the need for more hands-on support, said Jervis. Our staff senators have always done a wonderful job advocating for staff members, and I look forward to continuing that important work and serving as a resource to both the College and my peers.

While CU Grow led Jervis to discover more about herself, she said her time working in the dean’s office sparked her interest in staff relations. It allowed her to connect with staff in each of the College’s seven departments and helped her gain a deeper understanding of their shared goals and experiences.

Leslie Hossfeld, dean of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences said Jervis’ years of service and broad knowledge of the College make her an excellent choice for staff senator.

As we grow, we want to ensure our staff are adequately supported and feel they have a voice in important College matters, said Hossfeld. They are an integral part of accomplishing our mission to build people and communities, and I look forward to working with Donna and Wendi as staff leaders for our College.

The College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences (CBSHS) was established in July 2016, CBSHS is a 21st-century, land-grant college that combines work in seven disciplines – communication; nursing; parks, recreation and tourism management; political science; psychology; public health sciences; sociology, anthropology and criminal justice – to further its mission of “building people and communities” in South Carolina and beyond.