October 15, 2012
Proposal to Strip University of Position Exemption Authority Moves Forward
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Is her job AP or Civil
Service? Right now, the University decides, but SUCCS is trying to get
the
State to change the rules. (Photo courtesy American Association of Dental
Editors.)
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LAST YEAR, the proposal
was in a bill passed by the Illinois State Senate, but it was tabled in the
House and did not take effect. The State Universities Civil Service System
(SUCSS) then took the proposal, which would move position exemption authority
from the University to SUCSS, to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules
(JCAR), a committee featuring Senate and House members that reviews
administrative rules of State agencies.
HERE ARE several serious negative implications
should this rule go into effect:
- If the University loses its
exemption authority, it would cause significant delays in hiring
processes. Any new AP position would have to be approved by SUCSS.
- UIC has a network of Human
Resources (HR) professionals who are able to efficiently and accurately
process these transactions. If the change is implemented, the process
would be managed by an external agency that is disconnected from the
University’s day-to-day HR operations and UIC’s campus-specific HR needs.
- SUCSS has only about 13 staff. If
this change is implemented, the work currently supported by dedicated UIC
HR staff will have to be absorbed by these 13 SUCSS staff members who
already have full-time job responsibilities. SUCSS does not have the
capacity to absorb the HR transactions from the entire UIC campus, much
less all 13 State Universities that they support.
IN THE Oct. 6 issue of the News-Gazette of Champaign-Urbana, Maureen
Parks, Executive Director and Associate Vice President of Human Resources
for the University, was quoted as saying losing the exemption authority would
be “very, very negative in terms of our ability to quickly hire the employees
we need to fill critical positions.”
THE PROPOSED rule was published in the Illinois Register, the rulebook for
Illinois governmental agencies, on March 9, and the public was given 45 days to
comment. A second comment period will be held at an unspecified time in the
future. SUCSS is considering revising the language in the proposed rule change
to include more specific guidelines on the review process.
TO CONTACT JCAR, e-mail jcar@ilga.gov or call (217) 785-2254.
New Education Modules Aim to Reduce Myths about Civil Service
By Monica M. Walk
AS ACADEMIC Professional positions are reviewed and some reclassified as Civil
Service, new education modules will help employees better understand the
purpose of the Civil Service system on the UIC campus.
“CIVIL SERVICE is a type of objective personnel management system. It is designed to
ensure fairness and equity,” said Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Robert Crouch. “Civil Service provides that the employment process is fair so that
individuals have an equal opportunity to compete for job openings.” Employees
in the Civil Service classification run the gamut from entry level to the most
professional, from clerical to managerial.
“THE MAJORITY of my career has been in a Civil Service environment, where people were
very professional and conscientious,” Crouch said. “My experience within a
Civil Service environment has been great. Everyone worked side-by-side and you
couldn’t tell the difference between Academic Professional and Civil Service:
work standards and benefits were the same. To me, Civil Service has always been
an honorable employment classification.”
THE CAMPUS has established a meaningful partnership with the State Universities
Civil Service System (SUCSS), to create awareness about what Civil Service
means as a personnel management system at UIC. “As part of a continuous
learning process, it is critically important to increase awareness of what
Civil Service is,” Crouch said.
A SERIES of educational
modules are being developed to help inform the campus about the structure and
guidelines within the Civil Service system. More than 50 employees in the UIC
HR unit were the first to experience a customer service module recently
presented jointly by UIC HR and SUCSS. A future module is targeted at college
and departmental level HR. Another module under development is geared toward
senior level managers.
“IN ACADEMIA we understand the importance
of education,” Crouch said. “We want to eliminate misunderstandings about Civil
Service. We are working collaboratively with the SUCSS office to provide
opportunities to better understand Civil Service on the UIC campus. The strong
partnership we have developed with SUCSS will help us to more effectively
acquire the best talent.”
Flexible System
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of the State Universities Civil Service System Tom Morelock has been working directly
with UIC HR staff, and is scheduled to present in the upcoming training
modules.
“FIRST AND foremost, it is
important to understand that every large organization needs a personnel
management system,” Morelock said. “In these modules, we want to demonstrate
how delivery of this comprehensive personnel plan incorporates state-of-the-art
management of personnel and human capital. Our end goal is to demonstrate there
is a lot of flexibility in this system.”
MORELOCK STATED that while the law is built on regulations and statutes, these do not
govern every step in the Civil Service hiring process. “Only one or two rules
and regulations are involved, and the rest of the process revolves around local
policies and procedures,” he said. “You can get through [the hiring process]
more quickly if you manage these other steps. It simply takes too long to hire
someone now, but the vast majority of that timeframe is from local policies and
not statewide regulations. They can be changed or upgraded. These modules are intended to give a common
foundation about the system and local policy.”
HE NOTED that the
veterinary school is changing its job classification structure to assist the
delivery of their customer service module.
“The system allows for relatively quick changes like this,” Morelock
said. “It is reactive to operational
needs.”
CURRENTLY, MISPERCEPTIONS about Civil Service hiring do exist, acknowledged
Director of Organizational Effectiveness for UIC HR Kim Morris-Lee. “Hiring
managers have a sense that hiring Civil Service takes forever,” she said. “And, if they don’t work out, it takes
forever to remove them.”
THREE MORE planned education
modules will show how this isn’t the case.
“THERE ARE lots of positives
of Civil Service,” Morris-Lee said.
Additional Modules Slated
THE MODULE planned for
November roll-out is aimed at campus employees who function as conduits between
a unit or college and the university Human Resources office, such as the human
resources coordinator in an administrative unit or college who processes hiring
forms and related tasks.
“THIS MODULE explains the kinds of things they need to know to get talent in their
unit or college, what actions they need to take,” Morris-Lee said. “Things that
allow them to be flexible, but guided by certain policies and procedures to
move the process forward. We want our customers to understand that the actions
for the requisition process work well and get talent in place quickly.”
A THIRD module created
for Vice Presidents, Deans, and Directors is slated for late January 2013 and
will explain how Civil Service gets needed talent efficiently and without
service gaps.
A FOURTH module, planned
for March 2013, will be for individuals functioning in Civil Service roles on
campus. Content will include how to move a career forward at UIC. It will be scheduled on a monthly basis.
FOR MORE information, call
(312) 355-5230.
Learn About Constitutional Amendment That Could Strip Away Pension Protection
IF PASSED, Constitutional Amendment #49 would
require three-fifths votes in the House and Senate to enhance retirement
benefits for public employees—but only a simple majority to reduce benefits. Coming in at over
700 words, the amendment is longer than the entire first ten Amendments to the
U.S. Constitution (the Bill of Rights). Please join our presenters, who
will help you untangle the complicated language and share their perspectives on
the potential implications if passed. You will have an opportunity to
submit questions during your registration, which will be addressed at the close
of the presentation.
PRESENTERS
ARE John Kindt,
Professor Emeritus of Business and Legal Policy, UIUC, and Dick Lockhart,
Lobbyist for the State University Annuitants Association (SUAA).
ACCORDING TO Kindt, “The Constitutional Amendment
question on the November ballot, if passed, would probably eliminate the
current Illinois Constitutional clause protecting benefits from being
diminished or impaired.”
LOCKHART ADDED, “Constitutional Amendment #49 creates
very special problems for State Universities, and for those who are committed
to their improvement. As we know, a Constitutional Amendment would last beyond
our lifetime.”
REGISTRATION IS required. You can register at:
Employee Recognition Awards Program Set
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Onintze Zenarutzabeitia
Pikatza (left), of Latin American Recruitment and Educational Services, pictured
with chancellor Paula Allen-Meares, Latin American Recruitment and Educational
Services, was a previous UIC Award of Merit recipient recognized for sustained
excellence
in performance and commitment to her job.
|
CEREMONY
BEGINS at 11 a.m., with formal reception immediately following. For
questions, contact Rebecca Fortier
at rfortier@uic.edu.
Dr. Marilyn Marshall New Assistant VP for Academic Affairs; Has Worked for AP Interests
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Dr. Marilyn Marshall.
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DR. MARSHALL has an accomplished record of achievement in her tenure at the University of Illinois as Director of University Academic Programs and Services and as Director of University-wide Student Programs. In her new position, she will be responsible for all University-level academic programs and student affairs. As such she will work in close partnership with the three campuses.
IN ADDITION, Dr. Marshall will lead efforts with external constituents of the University of Illinois, such as the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Community College Board, on curricular alignment and articulation matters. She will serve as the University liaison with the Illinois Board of Higher Education, providing leadership regarding statewide policy for academic affairs. Additionally her office will seek to promote the innovation and impact of the University’s expanding activities in areas such as online education.
“MARILYN WAS of immense assistance to me during my
two terms as chair of UPPAC,” said Gerald
Burkhart, Director, Office of Electronic Media, University of
Illinois-Springfield. “Her office provided staff support and Marilyn always saw
that UPPAC received whatever was needed to carry out our mission. Her
support for Academic Professionals through UPPAC has been outstanding and I
congratulate her on this important appointment.”
“I HAVE enjoyed working with Marilyn within
the context of UPPAC,” said Konstantinos
Yfantis of Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “I believe that her extensive
knowledge about our University and the positive attitude that she has been
bringing to our meetings have helped generate an atmosphere conducive to
collaboration among Academic Professionals of the University of Illinois
system.”
“MARILYN HAS contributed to APs across all three
of the UI campuses, but I would like to focus on how her contributions have
benefitted UIC,” said Michael Moss,
APAC Chair. “She has facilitated meetings with former President Michael Hogan and President Robert Easter, and helped provide a
conduit for UIC APs to express our concerns to senior administration. She
was actively engaged in developing the agenda and materials for these meetings,
and helped us frame complex and sensitive issues into a format conducive to
productive discussions. Marilyn has also been our point of contact for
the AP representatives to the UI Board of Trustees meetings. She has
helped ensure that each AP in attendance knows what to expect, and in many
cases has personally met with them at the Trustees meetings to help answer any
questions. I don’t think the work that Marilyn has done has always been
visible to the APs on our campus, but I am hopeful they can appreciate her efforts
the scenes.”
Successful Peer-to-Peer Learning Event Held
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Managing Multiple Awards
for a Principal Investigator (researcher) was the
subject of a recent joint
APAC/Office of Grants and Contracts event.
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PEER
MODERATORS were Colleen Piersen of the College of Pharmacy and Ahlam Al-Kodmany of the Institute for
Health Research & Policy. Both are APAC members. Grants & Contracts Representatives were Colleen Kehoe, Assistant
Director; Ed Seighman,
Assistant Director; and Mee Mee
Lee-Choi, Associate Director.
MORE THAN 40 people attended—so many that the
session was split into two groups.
“Ahlam and Colleen each ran one,” said Michael Moss, APAC Chair. “Both did outstanding. The
feedback we got from people after the event was very positive. They both
did a great job and deserve lots of thanks.”
OTHER PEER learning events will be held in the
near future.
APAC Meetings Scheduled; All Invited
ALL
APs are invited to
the monthly APAC meeting at 12:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month.
Meetings are held either in Room 5175 of the College of Medicine Research
Building, 909 S. Wolcott, or Room 2750 of University Hall on the East Campus.
SCHEDULED
MEETINGS are Nov. 14
in Room 2750 UH, Dec. 12 in Room 5175 CMRB. For information, call (312)
996-0306.
MEET THE CHANCELLOR’S COMMITTEES
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Those interested in
becoming a member of the CCSL should
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By Lucia Gonzalez
THE CHANCELLOR’S Committee on the Status of Latinos
(CCSL) was established to aid the UIC community by promoting educational,
professional, and career opportunities among Latinos. The committee addresses
issues and concerns that are specific to Latinos at UIC through the Office of
the Chancellor. The goal is to advise the Chancellor on these issues and to
develop, initiate, and manage programs that address the concerns of the Latino
community.
THE CCSL has many programs that help UIC
employees. For example, the Latina Network Subcommittee and Employment
Subcommittee serve as resources in professional and leadership development. One
can go to the network and find opportunities to meet with other professionals
and even find ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle while at work.
THIS ACADEMIC YEAR, the CCSL would like to develop and
implement a Latino Graduate Student Organization and a Latino Alumni
Association. The CCSL also decided to focus on Latino faculty representation
and on Academic Professionals who have administrative leadership positions on
campus by engaging them and seeing what their needs are. The CCSL also created
a survey to see what the current needs are of the Latino employees at UIC.
“THE EMPLOYMENT committee has addressed the lack of
Latino employees at UIC at the faculty, civil service, and academic
professional levels,” explained Melissa
Hernandez, Co-Chair of the CCSL. “We want to bridge the employment gap
concerning our current employed Latinos on campus, and how this relates to our
Latino students and community.”
TO CONTACT the CCSL you can go to http://www.uic.edu/depts/lcc/CCSL. This site lists the current executive board
members, whom anyone can contact at any time. There also will be an Open House
on Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Latino Cultural Center,
Lecture Center B2 on the East Campus, 803 S. Morgan St., which will focus on
unity, pride, and empowerment of Latinos on campus.
MEMBERSHIP IS voluntary and open to all employee
sectors at UIC.
FOR MORE information, contact Hernandez at
pmhern@uic.edu.
BENEFIT BEAT
THE UIC Campus Advocacy
Network (CAN) is a free and confidential program that serves students, staff
and faculty who are dealing with the aftermath of rape, stalking, or abusive
relationships with family members, intimate partners, acquaintances, or
roommates. You have a right to be heard; CAN is there to listen.
CAN WANTS you to know that:
- They will believe you
- It's not your fault; no one deserves to be a victim of these crimes
- You have options. They are here to help you explore all of the options available to you both on and off campus.
CAN SERVICES are designed for
people of all gender orientations, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities,
religious beliefs, and abilities. CAN is dedicated to ensuring that all members
of the community feel safe, listened to, and valued. CAN is committed to
working together with survivors of violence to explore options open to them and
support their attempts to access resources both on and off campus. CAN also is a place you can anonymously
report a crime that has occurred on campus.
FOR A fuller listing of
the services CAN provides, as well as more information about sexual assault,
stalking, and abusive relationships, visit:
ALL CAN services are free
and confidential.
CAN STAFF are available for
appointment Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 802 of
University Hall.
CALL (312) 413-8206 to
schedule an appointment, or email can@uic.edu.
WALK-INS BETWEEN the hours of 10 a.m.
and 5 p.m. are welcome.
AP RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
State Resources Include Mortgage
Assistance, Data
THE
ILLINOIS Housing
Development Authority (IHDA) is currently taking applications from homeowners
who have been hit by the economy. The initiative, named Illinois Hardest Hit
Program began last year. The program offers mortgage assistance to those who
are struggling with income loss due to unemployment or underemployment. Visit www.illinoishardesthit.org for more
information.
GOVERNOR PATRICK Quinn recently signed a new executive order to further increase transparency and accountability in government by establishing a new state Open Operating Standard. The order encourages State agencies and local governments across Illinois to increase the amount of raw data they share with each other, businesses, academic institutions, and the general public. The State of Illinois' Open Data site, Data.Illinois.Gov, is a searchable clearinghouse of information from State agencies that is helping inform residents about the operation of State government and encouraging the creative use of State information. The site now contains more than 6,400 data sets.
GOVERNOR PATRICK Quinn recently signed a new executive order to further increase transparency and accountability in government by establishing a new state Open Operating Standard. The order encourages State agencies and local governments across Illinois to increase the amount of raw data they share with each other, businesses, academic institutions, and the general public. The State of Illinois' Open Data site, Data.Illinois.Gov, is a searchable clearinghouse of information from State agencies that is helping inform residents about the operation of State government and encouraging the creative use of State information. The site now contains more than 6,400 data sets.
THE CONTINUING CRISIS
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The Gazette, a newspaper
in the UIC area, editorialized against
Constitutional Amendment #49 in its Oct.
5 issue.
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LEARN MORE about Constitutional Amendment #49
/HJRCA49 at http://uicretirement.blogspot.com/.
Vol. 5, No. 9, October 2012
ISSN 1946-1860
Editor: William S. Bike
Staff: Ivone De Jesus, Lucia Gonzalez, Monica M. Walk
Vice Chair: Ahlam Al-Kodmany
Chair: Michael Moss
Secretary: Kathleen Engstrom
Treasurer: Virginia Buglio
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
Web Chair: Jeff Alcantar
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