In preparation for the return to campus, President Bendapudi and Provost Gonzalez stressed the importance of in-person work through a .

“This fall, we expect to offer a majority of in-person classes and highly engaging experiences on campus that support the whole student body. To do that, we must have a strong, welcoming presence in our classrooms and student-service areas. This means front-facing and student-service positions will need to have a consistent presence on campus,” the communication noted.��

Although many have eagerly awaited the return to pre-COVID conditions, the impending transition back to in-person work has left employees throughout the nation feeling anxious. Over the past year and a half, individuals rose to the occasion and adapted to the difficulties of isolation and remote working conditions. Just as employees have fully adjusted to these changes, employers are now requesting personnel to return to in-person operations. Several universities have proposed stringent policies that will make remote work difficult for employees, which has caused mounting tensions and high turnover rates among university workers nationwide.

While there is an emphasis on in-person work at UofL, leadership has been committed to providing flexible work options for employees when possible. The went into effect on July 1 and allows UofL employees to request remote work arrangements with their respective department leaders. To help supervisors and employees navigate the process, HR provided a series of training sessions during the month of May to review both the Remote Work Policy and Remote Work Agreement.

The flexibility offered through UofL’s Remote Work Policy intends to lessen the anxieties of both faculty and staff as they resume on-campus work. Employees like Kevin Ledford, enterprise systems programmer with Information Technology Services, see potential for lasting positive changes for employees at UofL.

“During COVID-19, our staff has been largely acting remotely and been doing a fantastic job in the face of challenges. We have proven that a number of our workers can work remotely and be as effective, if not more so, than they were before,” Ledford stated. “Allowing workers flexibility goes a long way towards making UofL a great place to work. Giving the worker the flexibility to request what works best for them and work with their department to come up with a plan is a good step forward.”

Despite the flexibility of working from home, many faculty and staff members have been yearning for in-person interactions with students and colleagues. Sherri Wallace, professor of Political Science, is among the employees eager to return to campus this August.

“I’m looking forward to the energy I get from my students during in-person instruction, the looks on students’ faces that indicate where they are and the dynamic discussions that emanate from being in the moment or in the room. I’m looking forward to the casual or vigorous intellectual exchanges that occur in the hallway or on the way to a meeting with colleagues and staff,” Wallace said. “I realize and appreciate virtual or electronic discussions are now part of the norm for communication; however, nothing can or will ever replace social interaction from working in-sync and in-person with those around you.”

Whether employees are returning to campus, continuing remote work or some hybrid fashion of the two, a cautious optimism is felt throughout as UofL begins transitioning back to pre-COVID operations. For more information on the Remote Work Policy and the return to campus, students and employees can refer to . All remote work requests should be submitted and finalized by Aug. 1, 2021.

He noted that the budget itself has not yet been created, and he wants to get as much input from as many people as possible to ensure the process is collaborative.

In addition to today’s forum – and Monday’s on the HSC campus – he will seek input from the faculty and staff senates, the SGA, CAO, academic leadership team and Board of Trustees, as well as use the comprehensive data culled from the recent budget survey. Out of more than 10,500 employees, 1,699 responded to the survey, which is a statistically significant sample.

The surveys also included “hundreds and hundreds” of comments, Postel said: “We feel very good about the data.”

Survey insight

Survey respondents listed their top budget priorities as having a strong revenue growth plan, a tuition increase, assigned unit budget reductions, a reduction in the number of administrators, a reduction in low-enrollment courses, and downsizing the athletics program.

A reduction in the number of administrators was the most common cost-saving solution advocated in the survey. Postel showed a graph illustrating the $1.4 million reduction in expense associated with the administrative staff, including the elimination of 34 positions.

“I agree with you. I think we were administratively heavy and we have been working on that. We’re not finished,” he said.

Personal priorities for employees, according to the survey, include position protection, performance-based compensation, unit budget restoration and salary increases. Postel said he is particularly concerned about the lack of salary increases at UofL.

“That’s not fair. The University of Kentucky has done a much better job with this. This is something that affects morale,” he said.

Another discussion that surfaced from the survey’s narratives is how to increase enrollment. Nearly 90 percent of employees believe we should grow our enrollment both at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Strategies on how to do so include the creation of new, high-demand programs (our degree program mix has not changed much, Postel said), online programs and completer degrees.

“In my belief, improving retention also needs to be on this list,” Postel said. “Enrollment is an important conversation and it has to include the preservation of quality (not lowering admissions standards).”

Sixty percent of employees believe we should increase tuition, but Postel cautioned against accomplishing our goals on the backs of students.

Other cost-savings suggestions included creative class scheduling so buildings don’t sit idle, and energy conservation efforts. Fundraising efforts should be focused on scholarships, capital/deferred maintenance projects and research, according to the survey.

Discussion

An audience member asked Postel to explain his understanding about performance-based compensation, noting that it is a problem in Arts & Sciences.

“Don’t assume the status quo next year. We’re doing research and looking at various performance-based compensation mechanisms,” he said.

A few students asked Postel about the status of the Cultural Center and how UofL is prioritizing diversity.

Postel said a job posting is now live to recruit a dedicated fundraiser for diversity initiatives. UofL has a $6.7 million budget for diversity and community engagement programs and that is not going to take any cuts, he said.

“But it’s not enough. This is an area that needs a dedicated fundraiser and we are going to get that done,” he said.

He also noted that the Cultural Center does need to be torn down, but his preference is for the money to be in place for a replacement first.

“The building needs to be razed. This plan has been in place for 8 years. Why didn’t anybody raise money for it? I don’t know. But we’re going to do it now. We can’t change the past, but we can work on this now,” Postel said.

Professor Avery Kolers asked Postel for assurance that the $600,000 NCAA penalty won’t come out of academics and questioned whether a firewall still exists between the academic and athletics budgets.

“Nobody needs to worry about the penalty coming from the academic budget. There is not a firewall between the university and athletics; athletics is a part of the university and the budget is the budget. Now, if something bad happened with athletics, we could get hit with it,” Postel said. “So there has to be a real cooperative relationship between the leadership of athletics and the rest of the university. I’m happy to say that today there is. That has not always been the case. Everyone has to have the same objectives and that is for the university to do well.”

A student asked how recent scandals have affected enrollment numbers and what is being done to rebrand UofL.

Postel said he hasn’t seen much, if any, effect on enrollment, noting that applications are actually up 3,000 this year.

“I think it’s hurt morale more than recruitment,” he said, adding that UofL has contracted a new agency to help with a campaign to “drown out the noise.”

“This university seems to be pretty resilient.”

As the budget process continues, there remain some unanswered questions:

1. State appropriations: Governor Matt Bevin has recommended a 6.25 percent cut. The final decision will be made in mid-April. “What I can tell you is that all state universities in Kentucky are actively inserting ourselves into this conversation and we are vigorously contesting the governor’s proposals,” Postel said.
2. Raises: This, Postel said, is a decision that’s in our control.
3. “We have the ability to decide within limits how we will set our tuition,” he said.
4. Asset preservation or deferred maintenance. State universities have a staggering number of buildings in various states of disrepair. This year, the governor has proposed a $300 million fund for the bonding capacity to service the debt to use toward deferred maintenance. UofL’s share is about $51 million. But, Postel said, there’s a catch: “In order for us to be eligible to receive the bonding capacity, we have to raise or put up $63 million of our own. So we will have $114 million to address about 20 to 25 percent of deferred maintenance, which would make a real dent on this campus,” he said. “But if we don’t come up with the match, we lose it. This is both an opportunity and a challenge. We have to figure out how to do this.”

‘A multi-year exercise’

There are a number of steps involved in the budget process and that will include the appointment of a new budgeting concept steering committee, work on refining unit-based revenue targets, decisions on salary adjustments and more.

Postel said it is important to view the budget as a multi-year exercise.

“It makes no sense to create budgets annually in a vacuum. If that’s all an institution does, it’s purely being reactive and that is no way to run a university,” he said. “A plan is how faculty, staff and students engage and making plans come to fruition make take longer than a year. One of the things that can erode morale is not feeling as though the organization has a direction. People want to come to work and say ‘we have a strategy and I’m part of that.’”

Postel will host another budget forum on Monday, Feb. 26 at 11:30 a.m. in the HSC auditorium.

Significant campus-wide volunteers and community sponsors came together to send supplies to our military overseas, collected school supplies and backpacks for children, donated and delivered much needed aid to tornado and flood victims, just to name a few of the initial efforts.�� Former chair of the Staff Senate’s Assistance, Morale and Outreach Committee, Tammy Lawson, worked tirelessly to organize volunteers to provide holiday baskets and gift cards to needy UofL families, as well as lead the effort to raise funds for S.H.A.R.E. which was overseen by the A.M.O. Committee.��

In 2012, the S.H.A.R.E. program separated from the A.M.O. Committee and was designated a stand-alone program with the sole purpose of serving UofL staff as an employee emergency financial assistance fund. Today, S.H.A.R.E. is a valuable resource for staff facing financial difficulty as a result of a natural disaster or an unforeseen, personal hardship.

The Staff Senate’s A.M.O. Committee is now known as the Staff Morale and Community Outreach Committee. The S.M.C.O. is committed to employee morale and community outreach and most recently gathered volunteers under the leadership of chair, Ellie Fridell, to provide dinner for families at the Ronald McDonald House.��

The S.H.A.R.E. Program Rules and Guidelines and application process was updated and greatly improved under the leadership of former chair, Carol Norton, and committee members.�� As current chair, Bonnie Dean has continued to drive the mission of former and current volunteers, Staff Senate members and leadership, to sustain the S.H.A.R.E. Program and assure its good standing.��

“Many hours of volunteer effort has kept the S.H.A.RE. Program alive, and it’s inspiring to see support from a wide cross-section of the UofL community.�� We are very grateful for this past year’s contributions from the employees at the School of Dentistry and in the offices of the Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation who have collected funds from dress-down/wear jeans day events, resulting in much needed donations to the S.H.A.R.E. Program,” she said.��

Although the S.H.A.R.E. Program is solely for the benefit of part-time and full-time staff, it has thrived by generous donations and support of UofL faculty and administrators who value the wellbeing of staff.

Every contribution counts, no matter how small.�� There are three simple ways to donate to S.H.A.R.E.: ; ; and .�� Anyone in need of assistance should review the  to find out if they meet all criteria, then submit an , along with any pertinent back-up materials, to the Staff Senate Office Coordinator.�� Privacy is of the utmost importance. No identifying information is provided to the S.H.A.R.E. Committee charged with reviewing applications.�� The maximum award of financial assistance per application is $500.��

Testimonials from prior recipients tell the whole story:

The SHARE program was incredibly helpful to me and my family.�� When my wife was in a freak accident that left her unable to work, we were lost.�� The loss of income combined with the mounting medical bills for specialists, physical therapy, testing, etc., was becoming overwhelming.�� The SHARE funds we were given allowed us to get caught up and move forward. –Anonymous-

I just want to say that the Share Program is such a help.�� I’ve been with UofL since 2004, donated time, and yes never dreamed that I would need the program.�� The Share Program gave me a sense that all will be okay. When bills start to pile up, monthly and medical, and I had no time left, Share was there!  When there is no more money in retirement, bank or can be borrowed, I had the Share Program.�� As an employee of UofL, thank God they got our backs when we need help!  -Anonymous-

For more information, contact the Staff Senate Office by or call the Senate Coordinator, Gretchen Henry, at 852-6713, or via .����

The happy hours are scheduled every Friday from 4-7 p.m. in the Pub.��

The idea to start hosting happy hours came in direct response to guest feedback.

“We recently surveyed our membership and in response to those who felt that the club was limited with evening hours, we are developing fun programs and events that we hope address some of those concerns,” said Linda Johnson, director of membership and marketing. “This will be one of other new offerings.”

Other new features include Sunday brunches on the second Sunday of the month. These were the most popular request in the surveys, according to Johnson.

“All of these things are what are members asked for and we hit the ground running with trying to deliver them. We will take a pulse on how it goes for the year and on the participation before we decide to add more,” she said.

This is the first time the U Club has held these types of special occasions. Johnson said that in addition to responding to membership feedback, the U Club is also trying to raise more awareness.

“We want people to know the club is part of the university where they can feel comfortable having fun and connecting with friends and colleagues and perhaps decide to become members. I think a lot of people think this is either just for alumni or it’s too expensive, but it’s not. It’s for the university community and there are so many categories of membership,” she said. “Faculty and staff may also consider this to be an excellent opportunity for team and morale building.”

More information is available by contacting Johnson via email or at 852-3499.��

Susan Howarth discussed the 2017-18 operating budget, noting that it “became clear the university had financial issues” in January. UofL ended FY16 with a deficit and therefore developed a pro forma approach for the first time to ensure a “more positive situation” at the end of this year and next year.

She said administrators are optimistic about ending this year with a surplus because of “significant” accounts receivables from KentuckyOne.

The budget that was presented to the Board of Trustees in May showed a $40 million deficit, $5 million coming from the general fund side and the rest from the clinical side, Howarth said. A budget re-set was done in March that “took care of most of the general fund problem.”

“The HSC problem didn’t get there overnight and it won’t be solved overnight. But we’ve got a plan and we need to execute it in the next year,” she said.

UofL’s initial enrollment projections fell short and enrollment numbers are down 200 from last fall. These are not incoming freshmen, however, but rather students that are not returning after their first or second years. Retention will be a priority in the coming fiscal year. (Note: The budget has since been presented and approved by the .)

“The 2018-19 budget will be committed to a strategic plan and going forward,” she said. “It’s been tough it’s tough to understand how and why this could happen, but we will eventually be in a much better place.”

Jeanell Hughes said the HR effectiveness survey generated a great response rate, including thousands of comments. Most of these comments focused on training, development and career opportunities. Survey results will be added to the HR website.

A modified computer loan program will be announced soon, Hughes said.�� HR is working through the details on a recently announced hiring freeze. Some senators asked if RIFs will continue from the budget crisis and Hughes noted that RIFs are a continuing process at this institution at any time.

Lee Smith said the employee migration to the Office365 email system is ongoing. He added that four major construction projects continue on campus and are on time and budget.

Money saving efforts continue, especially in the area of procurement. Smith notes that software purchases is an example of where we can save money, by reviewing and combining individual licenses to enterprise licenses for example.

“We are close to having our initial recommendations around procurement and will roll them out next fiscal year,” Smith said.

A printer/copier RFP is out, and a wired/wireless RFP will be issued soon.

A senator raised concerns about the cost of parking going up and Smith noted that UofL is below the benchmark for parking. UofL has also not raised its parking prices in six years.

A handful of senators challenged the increase in parking prices, noting that salaries are also below benchmark. Smith said the increase averages about $1.40 a month and that they were sensitive to increasing the cost too much, particularly for staff and students.

For “other business,” general discussion was held with several senators expressing disappointment over the recently released UofL Foundation audit results.��

Dr. Bob Staat provided the Faculty Senate report. More information is .��

Vickie Tencer provided the vice chair annual report, which is available in full online. She also noted that the search for a CFO is ongoing and the first review of applicants .

Parliamentarian Melissa Long Shuter opened the officer elections for the 2017-18, including introductions from senators Wendy Metcalf and Sabrina Haug, who were both running for secretary/treasurer.

After a vote, Haug was named to the position of Secretary/Treasurer again. Will Armstrong and Vickie Tencer remain chair and vice chair, respectively, running with no opposition.

Other committee reports include:

Credentials and Nominations proposed seating of newly elected senators.

The Policy, Economics and Development report is .��The focus this year has been on the university’s RIF policy to ensure it is in line with other schools and it favors training, development and hiring opportunities for internal candidates.

The Staff Grievances committee reported no grievances have been filed since the last meeting, and three total were filed during the year.

The SHARE committee report is . Chair Bonnie Dean said the committee’s main focus is to raise awareness and money. SHARE has signed on to join internal campaigns, such as Cards All In. SHARE has received revenue of more than $3,400 during the past year and the fund stands at just more than $14,700. One application was received and approved for $265.

The Staff Morale and Community Outreach committee report is .��An updated Staff Senate website is in the works, and a Facebook page and Twitter account have been launched. Nineteen senators were recognized for perfect attendance in the past year.

The annual treasurer’s report is . The technology fund stands at $1,674. The Staff Senate general fund balance at the end of May was $3,805.87.

The next Staff Senate meeting is July 13 at 2:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium.