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KULSS Fall General Meeting
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
10:30-12
Watson Conference Room A&B

Announcements/Mentoring Program (Dean Haricombe)
OCDA results are in and can be viewed at http://www.lib.ku.edu/staff/docs/HumanResources/KansasReportFinal.doc. We will have professional help for interpreting data.  May involved facilitated focus groups.  Plan to develop a roadmap to address (over time) issues toward making this a healthier organization. 

Mentoring program (see All staff meeting with Katherine Dice). Goal is to give an insight about Mentoring in terms of what you can expect from a Mentor and if you wanted to be a mentor.  Hope to make sure all of us understand there is a support structure in KU Libraries for this and that it is not just for KU Librarians.

Mentoring committee expanded to included USS representative, Nancy Hawkins.  Nikhat Ghouse is former chair. Dean will appoint a new chair and announce committee soon.
Will be holding a special meeting to get a sense of specific needs, especially of those who are not faculty. 

  1. how do I approach someone to be my mentor
  2. what can committee offer to break down barriers
  3. how to be a mentor
  4. Administration will support mentor pairs (fund lunches, etc.).
  5. Group mentoring (similar interests (i.e. MLS students, etc)

Mgmt council discussed ways supervisors can support these mentoring relationships. Aim to be supportive and flexible with work time to foster these relationships. Ensure that the staff feel that the committee and administration and environment support it.

USS eligibility for Staff Development Travel Funds (Shannon Royer)
As announced in 8/10/07 email, University Support Staff (USS) who wish to participate in professional development activities may continue to request administrative funding for this purpose (requests are to be submitted through administrative channels).

Criteria: Job related (opportunity to engage and learn with relevance to your current job).  
Process:

  1. Go to supervisor, discuss potential activity, its job relevance and agree.
  2. Then submit an application http://www.lib.ku.edu/staff/docs/Procurement/Travel_Request_Blue.dot  for funding. Has been amended slightly.
    1. mark what type of employee you are
    2. box under signature to provide explanation of job related purpose. 
  3. Goes through the AD level and some go to the Dean.

Changes to Open Enrollment
Initially the KS Public Health Authority (KSPHA) wasn’t going to do an Open Meeting at KU.  Board of Regents pushed for it.   Basic changes are that more health insurance money put into the wellness/preventative care areas.  Getting away from HMO/PPO verbiage.  Same providers (with expanded network coverage). The premium/coinsurance/co-insurance maximum costs and Lab card are four differences between the plan A and plan B.  Prediction: Most employees will want the Plan A.  Ola thinks there will be a transitional step with these 2 plans this year and a move to a single plan in future with provider options.
Other changes for the better: Employer cost increased results in lower employee cost for dependents coverage. Flexible spending allowance increase.  (Note: must enroll each year to flexible spending accounts)

Call to State to get a new password.  Place on the web to go get the information you’ll need to call if the web doesn’t work.  New employees (hired after Sep 1) must fill out paper. 

Email Ola about Open Enrollment presentation comments, health insurance dissatisfaction in general, Flexible Spending account feedback, etc and HR will forward it on to the KSHPA contact. HR can also have a strategic impact to Regents to give feedback. (as they did for getting KSHPA to visit to campus).

SAVE THE DATE:  November 14th 10:30 am Open Meeting with Sandy Praeger, KS Health Commissioner.

HREO Self Study
Provost interested in having Administrative Units review their processes. Prototype for this type of review has occurred in Academic sector for years.  So far, not really a systematic approach for units within a University.  Design and Construction Management was the first effort at KU.  Two areas anticipated for this year:  HREO (easier, smaller department) and Advising (very large and diverse).

Approach:

1) Using web surveys: 2 identical contact surveys to 2 different audiences.  1, to Dean, Director, Chairs, HR staff, (appx. 400)) – asked to answer with Administrative hat, and then answer as a faculty or staff.  2nd will go to all faculty and staff (appx. 4500).

Questions will focus on how we doing in these areas and ask for comments.  . Office of Institutional Research and Planning (OIRP) helps with surveys on campus.  Will be authenticated through KU You portal to be aware of the demographic.  OIRP can identify individuals, but KU will only know by units for the purposes of this survey.

2) Then focus groups based on the results and asking campus departments to facilitate these groups (HR won’t be a part of the group)

Timeline:

Hope to have this out first of November and completed by Thanksgiving and done for Spring consultants before Christmas.  Then external consultants from other HR University in the Spring.  Agenda built upon the surveys.  Best practices, etc.

MERIT WORKSHOPS
Those who supervise USS, workshops on Merit Increases available from HR in Oct, Nov, Dec.  Email was sent to Shannon regarding this.  More details on HR site: http://www.hreo.ku.edu/training/info/course_details/84