ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL representatives from Chicago, Urbana, and Springfield met with President Michael Hogan at his home on Sept. 26 to discuss timely issues and concerns shared by all three campuses. The meeting primarily focused on AP/Civil Service conversions and University of Illinois hiring authority (“exemption authority”); pensions and health care concerns; the budget outlook; concerns related to the upcoming legislative session; and Administrative Review and Restructuring (ARR) and the human capital strategy for APs.
THE PRESIDENT was joined by other campus leaders, including Maureen Parks (UIC and University Administration [UA]), Executive Director and Associate Vice President of Human Resources; Jami Painter (UA), Assistant Vice President of Human Resources (HR); Eric Smith (UA), Assistant Vice President of Equal Employment Opportunity and HR; Elyne Cole (UIUC), Associate Provost for Human Resources; Bob Lael (UIS), Acting Director of Human Resources; Wayne Stahl (UA), Visiting Director of Organizational Development; and Marilyn Marshall, Director, University Wide Student Programs and Academic Programs and Services; among others.
DURING THE meeting, representatives from all three campuses voiced the concerns of their constituents. Rather than restating these concerns, we have provided several salient updates below.
Why did APAC Members Meet with President Hogan?
PRESIDENT HOGAN meets twice per year with the University Professional Personnel Advisory Committee (UPPAC), with membership elected from each campus’s advisory committee of academic professionals. In 1977, University of Illinois President John E. Corbally created UPPAC to serve the Academic Professionals working at the University, and provide advice to the University of Illinois President on behalf of all Academic Professionals. UIC UPPAC members are Michael Moss, APAC Chair; Jennifer Rowan, APAC Vice Chair; Jacquie Berger, APAC Secretary; and Leticia Sanchez, APAC Representation Subcommittee Chair.
Fall Legislative Session
THE FALL veto session begins Tuesday, Oct. 25. Senate Bill 512, which addresses pension reform, is expected to be revisited at that time, but may be losing steam. Senate Bill 175, which addresses retiree health insurance, may also be revisited. The University will also continue its efforts to reduce the administrative burden of recent purchasing legislation. For more about these bills, see the article “UIC United Credits APAC for Stopping Bad Legislation,” below.
LAST YEAR, legislation was introduced that would have eliminated the University’s ability to autonomously create Academic Professional positions. If this occurred, the State University Civil Service System (SUCSS) would have to approve each new Academic Professional employee for all State universities – UIC could not hire someone into an Academic Professional position until after the SUCSS had approved the position.
THE LEGISLATION did not pass, and we have retained our “exemption authority.” Tom Morelock, the Executive Director of SUCSS, had previously indicated that he would continue to pursue the change this year in the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). However, he has recently communicated that this may no longer be the case.
State Universities Retirement System (SURS)
THERE WILL be no-cost SURS seminars in Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 27, and Monday, Nov. 21, that will cover:
- Retirement calculations (general formula and money purchase formula)
- Qualifying to purchase additional service
- Service for sick leave
- Salary averages
- Qualifying for insurance
- Returning to employment
REGISTRATION BEGINS soon for the SURS Seminars – keep an eye out for additional communications.
HR HAS also posted a news release on the SURS money purchase factors change effective July 2, 2012, available here.
Health Plans
CONTRACTS FOR all current health plan vendors have been extended through June 30, 2012, and rates will remain the same. There will be a special enrollment period from Monday, Oct. 10, to Friday, Oct. 28, with changes effective Thursday, Dec. 1. Changes are limited to health plan vendor changes only – no other changes will be permitted during the special enrollment period.
AP/Civil Service Conversions
ANNIESE LEMOND, the former Director of Compensation and the former UIC HR representative to APAC, has left the University to pursue other opportunities. Lemond oversaw the job analysis process at UIC. As part of a temporary staffing plan, Joe Fowler, Visiting Compensation Consultant, will oversee the job analysis process and Debbie Lewis, Compensation Consultant, will be responsible for the day to day operations of the Compensation department.
Administrative Review and Restructuring HR Update
THE Administrative Review and Restructuring (ARR) working group Human Resource Management Subcommittee presented several recommendations to campus leadership in June of 2010, which include creating a University human capital strategy, establishing shared service centers for HR work, and streamlining internal HR processes. UPPAC has been engaged to participate in the process of implementation, and has been asked to identify five academic professionals to participate on an advisory committee for the development of a human capital strategy.
Budget Outlook
ALTHOUGH THE University provided raises for the first time in years, the local and national budget outlook still is grim – at least for several years to come. The University has been in the process of preparing for reduced State funding and is in a position to weather budget cuts if necessary. The University is focusing on initiatives to reduce costs (Administrative Review and Restructuring efforts) and increase other sources of revenues (Research and Hospital).
More on President Hogan
THE FOLLOWING excerpt is taken from a recent interview with President Hogan published by the Daily Illini, available here.
“A year ago, we were planning for somewhere between a 5% to 10% reduction in our State appropriations that was on top of everything else we’ve been through. That would’ve been a very big hit at the University. We did take a reduction, but only basically a 1% reduction, and I’ve said over and over again, in this kind of a budget environment, that’s about as close to total victory as you’re going to get.”
YOU CAN also read the President’s blog, available here.
No comments:
Post a Comment