Administrative Restructuring and Reviewis Separate from Civil Service Compliance

By Monica M. Walk

A UNIVERSITY-wide initiative kicked off in Winter 2010 to save money and create efficiencies is not linked to the process of Academic Professional to Civil Service position compliance, as some members of the campus community have mistakenly come to believe.

THE ADMINISTRATIVE Restructuring and Review (ARR) initiative began in Winter 2010 as a response to the State’s financial crisis and the need to examine administrative processes to determine ways to save money and create efficiencies, reported Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Maureen Parks, a member of the ARR Human Resources (HR) subcommittee. ARR looked at several different administrative areas including Information Technology (IT), Purchasing, and HR. 

ARR IS not the group overseeing the Civil Service compliance process, which is an HR function. Human Resources is just one of several subcommittees making recommendations for the Administrative Restructuring and Review Steering Committee.  After the original HR subcommittee made recommendations last summer, an HR Implementation team was formed. That committee first convened around Thanksgiving 2010 and has met approximately five times. The HR recommendations  are categorized in three “buckets:” internal process change; external regulatory relief; and HR governance and organization.

FIRST, THE HR Implementation  is grappling with HR organization and governance, Parks reported. “We need to get to a place where we know the structure and then can continue,” she said, noting that Human Resource functions currently are decentralized on individual campuses and need to become a more integrated organization to leverage efficiencies and best practices. “We have to look at the same or similar practices globally where it makes sense, and take advantage of best practices.”

THE HR Implementation group will consider creating a human capital strategy for APs as was recommended in the  ARR HR subcommittee report, which will use  the job descriptions newly created through the Job Analysis process that is also being used to address Civil Service System compliance issues.

“WE NEED to know specifically what APs do in order to create a human capital strategy,” Parks said.  “Through the job analysis, we will be able to do this.”

THE GROUP also will examine the kinds of systems needed to support professional growth and how they are deployed and supported across the organization.

“WE WILL also look at efficiencies we can leverage and how best to meet the needs for our stakeholders,” Parks said. “The ARR project and process has to do with addressing financial challenges.”

 

FOR INFORMATION about UIC Academic and Administrative Task Forces see http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/taskforces.html.