Employee Resource Communities
Employee Resource Communities
Find Your Community @ Rowan
Whether you are new to Rowan University, or you have spent a few decades here, we want you to be welcomed and represented! Employee Resource Communities are one component of the work we do to establish a sense of belonging for all Rowan employees. ERCs provide opportunities for employees with similar identities to connect, provide feedback and recommendations to areas of the University, and work together to collaborate and lead initiatives and events.
Look below to find the Communities that are already established. Click on a Community to visit their webpage and find contact details and information for joining.
Interested in forming an ERC of your own? Click the link below to fill out the application.
Black@Rowan
Black@Rowan is an ERC established for Black Faculty and Staff to help Rowan University meet its mission of providng an inclusive community and diverse perspectives for students.
Neurodivergent ERC
The Neurodivergent ERC welcomes Rowan employees who are neurodivergent. All are welcome to join the community. Click here to learn more!
Employee Parents Resource Community
Click here to learn more about the Employee Parents Resource Community!
ERC Best Practices
- A community of a minimum of 5 members will help maintain active interaction and will increase the likelihood of developing innovative programs and robust discussions.
- Each ERC should identify 2 co-chairs to lead developments. This will ensure continuity of your community should one of the co-chairs need to step down, even if only temporarily.
- Please select an Executive Sponsor, a member of leadership who will serve as a liaison, provide support, and be a contact for issues that may arise. This individual can be any current Rowan employee at the Manager (or higher) level or an upper-level AFT employee.
ERC Roles
- Upon formation, each group will identify their mission and objectives.
- We recommend that ERCs meet a minimum of once per month during the academic year to maintain momentum. We encourage more frequent meetings as well as virtual, in-person, or hybrid formats to make meetings accessible to all.
- We request that brief meeting minutes/notes be shared with the Office of Human Resources within one week after each meeting takes place. This will allow us to assist with tracking your progress and keep records of the work you are doing.
- ERC activities should reflect at least one of the following dimensions:
- External Engagement - community service and/or volunteering
- Allyship - educating employees about allyship, leveraging allies to help ERG members and to further the ERG’s mission
- Leadership Connection - providing a channel to engage with Rowan leadership
- Employee Community Building - broadening social and professional networks and meeting others across all of Rowan’s campuses
- Career Advancement - offering advice and support to advance the careers of ERC members
- All ERC work, including events, programs, and recommendations, should align with the Mission of Rowan University.
- ERCs will have the opportunity to showcase their work and contributions to Rowan University in an Annual Report. These Reports should be kept on file by your ERC and HR. Keeping these records will simplify the process of analyzing multi-year progress and growth. Annual reports should include the following information:
- Membership numbers
- A list of programs and events offered with participation numbers
- A brief description of how their work addressed one or more of the 5 dimensions as well as how the work aligns with Rowan’s Mission
- Any additional information the ERC determines to be relevant.
Responsibilities and Assistance from HR
- Outreach related to ERC formation, specifically reaching out on behalf of groups to gauge interest and to provide information, including contact information to get involved with an ERC.
- Maintaining up-to-date information about current active ERCs on the Human Resources website.
- Providing and sharing information about ERCs to Rowan employees in order to clarify the role of ERCs at Rowan and to confirm their legitimacy
- Supporting ERC co-chairs and members with event/program brainstorming, marketing, and developing plans for increasing employee participation and engagement
- Managing data for evaluations, including ERC timelines and reporting
Questions regarding ERCs can be directed to hr@rowan.edu.