The department didn’t have to look far to find someone to lead the effort.

Brian Buford, assistant provost for diversity and executive director of UofL’s LGBT Center, has been selected to serve as director of employee development and success. He will take the reins of the new program beginning Dec. 3.Ìę

“This is a remarkable opportunity for me to support Dr. Bendapudi’s vision for UofL as a great place to learn, a great place to work, and a great place to invest,” Buford said. “I’ve been focusing these last several years on the ‘great place to learn’ part of that vision, and now I can turn my attention to the ‘great place to work’ part.”

This won’t be Buford’s first foray into HR issues. A 30-year employee, he previously served as manager of organizational effectiveness.

Buford and John Elliott, interim associate vice president for human resources, already have begun planning for the new initiative. Focus areas will include:

• Leadership development and preparing managers to be great leaders
• Onboarding for new employees, both during their first day at UofL and ongoing to help ensure their successful integration at the department level as well
• Cultural competency skills that employees need to help foster and create a climate of belonging and inclusion
• Staff fellows, mentoring and succession planning strategies
• Fostering a climate that makes UofL a great place to work

“Leadership development, staff fellowships and development, and onboarding are key areas for us,” Elliott said. “We will work together with the campus community to ensure these are well-structured programs that address the needs and concerns raised across our campuses, and that will align very closely to Dr. Bendapudi’s vision. With Brian’s experience, credibility and leadership, I am confident the quality will be high and the results will be impressive.” 

Elliott said HR plans to build programs, curricula and infrastructure during the current fiscal year and expects to start deploying programs as soon as possible.Ìę

“The University is committed to developing its people through these various strategies, and we will be working very hard to launch as soon as administratively possible,” he said.Ìę      

Buford has led the LGBT Center since its creation in 2007, turning a one-person operation into a program that is consistently ranked among the nation’s best. Under his watch, UofL has earned a five-star rating on the Campus Pride Index, a key national ranking of inclusiveness; launched an LGBT-themed housing community, the first of its kind in the South; opened a satellite office at the Health Sciences Center; partnered with community leaders on strategic fundraising initiatives; and worked with UofL’s School of Medicine to develop a national model for improving care of LGBT patients.

Those efforts and others have led to numerous local and national honors including a UofL Outstanding Service Award and a seat on the American Red Cross National Diversity Advisory Council.

Mordean Taylor-Archer, vice provost for diversity and international affairs, stressed that Buford’s change of position will not diminish UofL’s commitment to the LGBT community.

“Much to the contrary, Brian has done such an extraordinary job in leading the way for UofL to become a five-star campus it benefits all of us for him to broaden the scope of his work,” she said.

Buford agreed.

“We have outstanding leadership in place, and this transition will enable the center to fill some additional roles that will take its efforts even farther,” he said. “I think I’m most proud of the fact that LGBT inclusion is now firmly part of the university’s fabric and that the center has incredible support across campus. Being inclusive and welcoming is who we are.”

Soon, though, his primary focus will shift to improving campus engagement and professional development across the university.

“I just can’t wait to get started,” he said.

Report: John Elliott

Elliott provided a number of updates from HR, including:

The number of RIFs as of last week is 113. That includes 57 grant positions and 19 retirements. The RIF pool is now active and HR has received four applications so far. No hires have been made through this channel yet.

The COO search is underway, and the committee will have recommendations to President Postel by the end of November. The director of total rewards search is also underway.

A reboot of performance evaluations is on the radar for HR, though no actions are likely until 2018. Elliott said the evaluation process is a common grievance he hears throughout campus.

The HR department continues to reorganize and includes the hiring of additional compensation analysts to make that a more streamlined and efficient process.

Elliott said HR is looking to add more leadership development opportunities for staff employees, including skills training.

Finally, the grant-funded hiring process has been refined. It used to take candidates months to onboard. It should now take about two to three weeks.

Report: Patricia Benson

Benson provided an update about Get Healthy Now’s new $15-per-month fee going into effect Jan. 1. The fee is being implemented to cover costs of the GHN Wellness Center and its operations/classes, and it includes the use of the gym equipment, fitness classes and additional wellness resources.

Benson encouraged employees to take tours of the wellness center and host meetings in the facility.

“You will be able to see how dedicated we are to the health and wellbeing of the Cardinal family,” she said. “We want to keep you healthy and strong so you can achieve your goals.”

Benson answered a few questions about the new fee, and outlined the number of resources offered compared to a Planet Fitness-type of gym. For example, GHN recently partnered with UofL Health Management Services and now has a nurse and nurse practitioner on site to work with employees who have diabetes, COPD and hypertension. This service is done at no additional cost.

Report: Lee Smith

Smith said the search for a new permanent chief of police has kicked off. Also, the inaugural Veterans Day event for employees was a success, with about 60 to 70 people in attendance, and he hopes this becomes an annual celebration.

He also provided updates on the operations and procurement savings his department has been tasked with achieving. For the $10 million goal in operational savings, the university has identified about $5 million in savings through the first quarter, well ahead of schedule.

For the $10 million goal in procurement savings, the university has identified about $3.4 million since the end of Q1.

“Looking through October, however, the data suggests we may have lost some of that progress, so we’re asking that purchases be put on hold unless absolutely necessary. We also have new tools available to help you make sure you’re getting the best prices on procured items. These tools will provide quotes within 24 hours,” Smith said.

If an employee is making a purchase item of $25,000 or more, they’re asked to go through the bidding process.

Smith said his department has received a number of emails from SGA and other organizations requesting the availability of personal hygiene products on campus. He said tampon and maxi pad dispensers will be added to some buildings around campus soon.

Finally, Lee provided an update on safety initiatives that are underway. The blue light phones placed sporadically throughout campus were installed pre-mobile phone and are outdated. They also cost about $70,000 a year to maintain.

“Other than pranks, they are never used. The SGA has approached us about removing these and we will look at ways to reinvest that money for better lighting and more and better cameras. This is not a cost-saving initiative, but a reinvestment,” Smith said.

Also, a federal grant has been secured to further enhance the lighting on the L Trail. Pedestrian safety is also being looked at along Cardinal Boulevard, especially by First Street, and a traffic study has been requested by the university.

Finally, as the usage of the escort services increases, UofL is looking at ways to make this more efficient during peak hours and reduce wait times. Some ideas include looking at shuttles.

“These four safety initiatives add up to a $750,000 investment. Our campus safety statistics are good, especially compared to other campuses. The effort for us is to try and keep improving,” Smith said.

Other reports

Valerie Casey, director of the Women’s Center, announced a new UofL Women’s Network for personal and professional development and advancement. The group includes representation from all over campus and will host a meet and greet in December, along with events in the spring.

Avery Kolers provided a Faculty Senate report, which is .Ìę

Will Armstrong’s Chair’s report is also .Ìę

Senator Bonnie Dean proposed a statement from the Staff Senate requesting that the presidential search be open, or at least an open forum for the final candidates. She will draft that language and send it to the executive committee next week.

Vickie Tencer’s Vice Chair’s .Ìę

The Credentials and Nominations Committee reported two openings. If they are not filled, the at-large lists will be used.

Staff Grievance reported two grievances this month.

The Treasurer’s Committee reported that there is $17,605.09 in the general fund; $16,122.97 in the SHARE fund; and $1,674 in the technology fund.

The next Staff Senate meeting is Dec. 11 in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.

The first quarter report will be presented to the Board of Trustees in October and Billingsley said we have experienced about $4 million per month of growth since the budget process began earlier this year. Positions will remain unfilled until more goals are met, however some exceptions have been made for positions that pertain to patient care and other needs.

“The objective is to reduce spending,” he said.

There have been 89 RIFs reported at UofL since the budget crisis was announced and this includes all positions – full-time, part-time, people on grants, etc. Billingsley said this number is not different than “normal” (non-budget crisis) years. He said many of those jobs won’t come back.

“One of the issues our university has had for a long time is the management of our funds hasn’t been great. This experience should teach us how to better manage our expense and revenue,” he said. “We want to be more strategic and focused. How we do fiscally has to do with what SACS thinks of our university.”

SACS will visit UofL next week to determine our current probation status. A decision will be made in December. Billingsley said President Greg Postel is confident we’re in a good position before next week’s visit.

John Elliott, interim AVP of HR

Elliott introduced himself and provided some of his background information to the Staff Senate. He has been in the interim AVP for HR role for six weeks, replacing Jeanell Hughes who left for another opportunity. Elliott outlined his observations and objectives so far, including:

• Trying to get to know the HR team and making the department more efficient and service-oriented.
• Reviewing and revising the HR policies by Nov. 1. Elliott said many of these haven’t been updated since 1992.
• Elliott said they are looking at the RIF policy/procedures and he is looking at changing some of the content; for example increasing the minimum time an employee was informed of a RIF to their last day from 30 to 60 days.
• Open enrollment is Oct. 16-27 and employees should be looking for more information via UofL Today soon.
• There have been four RFP processes recently, for COBRA, Life, LTD and flex spending and those will be announced soon.
• Elliott said about 750 employees are affected by the one-year transition for waiver credit and that amount will be rolled into their paychecks throughout the course of 2018.
• Regarding the FSLA policy that was put into place earlier this year, Elliott said right now he can’t say if this work will be reversed to coincide with the Trump Administration’s reversal of the policy. “Until there are new federal guidelines, we have to be in a holding pattern,” he said.
• HR is currently undergoing a search for director of Benefits and is down to a few finalists.
• Elliott said he can’t answer whether or not the hiring freeze will be lifted in October, as has been a rumor.

Elliott ended his report by outlining his short-term goals, which include preparing for the SACS HR interview, finalizing policies and hiring a director of Benefits. He also took some questions, many of which addressed low morale among employees who are working to fill holes left from recent RIFS. He thanked senators for providing that feedback and said he will be mindful of this environment.

Lee Smith, interim COO

Smith discussed a recent change that was made in the HR self-service direct deposit feature. He said because there have been so many issues around phishing, UofL had to adopt a more sophisticated system and has taken direct deposit offline for now. HR self-service will either by done by mobile app, text or call until IT can implement a multifactor authentication process.

Smith also suggested that all senators visit the SAC to see the construction progress and updated dining options.

The university is required to submit a 6-year capital plan to the state covering what projects we plan to pursue. Smith said UofL has identified 87 projects worth more than $1 billion of work. His team is working on finalizing this plan now.

They are also working on an updated safety report. Smith said crime numbers are steady from years past, but there have been more vehicle thefts, which reflects a broader, citywide trend.

Smith provided an update on where we are with our savings goals. The $10 million operations savings goal is now around $4.5 million, and the $10 million procurement savings goal is now around “several million,” though some of these savings intersect.

Finally, Smith encouraged senators to acknowledge Physical Plant employees for their work beautifying campus in preparation for Saturday’s ESPN GameDay set.

Faculty Senate report

Avery Kolers provided a Faculty Senate report, including work on a statement in support of DACA. He said UofL has 80 DACA students enrolled. He also said there is concern about our nepotism and tenure policies, both of which are currently being analyzed.

President Postel spoke to the Faculty Senate and said he was optimistic about the SACS visit next week. He also provided updates on our donor community and our budget, stating that UofL finished the fiscal year more than $20 million ahead this year and the donor community is “starting to warm up to us again.”

Postel will host panel forums in October to provide the university community with more updates.

Other items/reports

Vice Chair Tencer said that the two Staff Senate listening sessions held in August were well attended.

The Credentials and Nominations committee named new senators and committee members and also held one at-large election for a VPHA seat, which went to Donna Hardesty.

The Policies and Economic Development committee presented its finalized hiring policy to the executive committee and it has now moved onto HR for review.

The Services and Facilities committee announced that its list of objectives has been completed.

The Staff Grievance committee has scheduled training sessions and announced the new ombudsman, Mindy Eaves, named earlier this month.

SHARE introduced new committee members and acknowledged the EVPRI office for donating $500 to its account.

The Staff Morale and Community Outreach committee introduced a new webpage, with more and updated content. It also includes a senator profile template. The Staff Senate is also working to increase employee profiles with the Office of Communication and Marketing to help improve engagement and morale, and has added Facebook and Twitter accounts. .Ìę

The Staff Senate is partnering with the Alumni Association to host the Cardinal Day of Service Oct. 6 and 7 and more information about this is .Ìę

According to the Treasurer’s Report, the Staff Senate has $23,543 in its general account for the fiscal year, as well as just over $15,000 in the SHARE account and $1,674 in the technology account.

The next Staff Senate meeting is Oct. 9 in CTRB Room 100 on the HSC campus.