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 .��

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

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 .��

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.

Sherman, who has been in the role for less than a year, provided an update about the foundation since the state and forensic audits were completed.

“Our problems were simple – the foundation spent more than it made. That is a bad equation for sustainability,” he said. “Our sole purpose is to fund scholarships and endowments for faculty and staff. The goal is to do this in perpetuity, but we weren’t doing that.”

The ULF has been under an audit for nearly 900 straight days.

“I assure you there is no granular of sand that hasn’t been looked at and we have a clean bill of health,” Sherman said.

Changes that have been made to clear the investigations and restore donor and stakeholder confidence include:

• New leadership from top to bottom
• Revised bylaws
• A separation of the UofL president and the president of the foundation
• Transparency and compliance with open records requests
• New independent executive
• Specific board resolutions
• Established compliance process to ensure funding to the university is consistent with donor intent
• A more robust conflict of interest policy
• Changed auditors and law firms

“I know this has been painful for a lot of areas on campus. But if we didn’t reign in our spending, it would have further unintended consequences,” Sherman said. “We are looking at the next 200 years, not the next 24 months.”

In addition to reigning in spending, Sherman added that the foundation is looking at other ways to grow the endowment. This includes an end to the deferred compensation plan, an end to “tax gross up” payments to staff, the development of the first ever line-item budget, a review of all real estate holdings to determine their value, and more.

Sherman said the changes have been noticed and September marked the best month for donations in a year.

“Donors are starting to come back because they see the reforms,” he said.

Sherman’s presentation is .��

Lee Smith, interim COO, provided an update from his area, which includes about 800 employees across campus in facilities management, business services, public safety, IT, performance improvement and business analytics.

When the $48 million budget shortfall was announced, Smith’s area was tasked with saving $20 million in operations and procurement.

As of today, savings of $4.5 million in operations has been identified, and $3.4 million in procurement. These savings have come from energy, software/hardware licensing changes, reduction of off campus leases, improved contract negotiations and more.

“For example, for software, we found that products across campus in aggregate cost more than an enterprise system, so we’re continuing to look at these types of cost reductions,” Smith said.

Smith’s team has identified five goals to achieve across the unit:

1. Optimize resources by maximizing cost efficiencies and strengthening fiscal controls. This means moving some systems online, for example, to save both time and paper.
2. Increase revenue streams. There are three major RFPs underway to help: banking, managed print and wireless services.
3. Improved customer service. More training and surveys will be put into place to achieve this goal.
4. Protecting the university’s infrastructure. IT, for example, launched a new Phishbowl resource to identify phishing scams. This also includes improved disaster recovery capabilities and prioritizing deferred maintenance.
5. Focus on data-driven decision making and, as a result, producing user-friedly reports.

Senate votes to suspend Paralegal program

In other Faculty Senate business, the Academic Programs committee put forth a proposal to suspend the university’s paralegal program, which is an associate’s degree program. The program is housed in the Political Science department, which has been affected by the budget crisis. The Paralegal program is the only associate’s degree program at UofL and it requires American Bar Association accreditation. This accreditation will be lost the program does not have a devoted director, which the department is unable to hire at this time because of the budget.

In consultation with the A&S Dean’s office and the Provost’s office, a 5-year suspension of the program was recommended. This was done to provide more time to see if any other departments want to pick up the paralegal program, such as Law or Criminal Justice. It is rare for this type of program to fall in the Political Science department.

Department Chair Rodger Payne said the impetus behind this proposal is completely driven by budgetary issues. There is a teach out plan that runs for the current students through 2018. The program averages anywhere between 11 and 28 students a year.

Joe Gutmann, who teaches courses in the program, provided a gentle rebuttal on why UofL should keep the paralegal degree. The program began in the 1980s, so UofL has a nearly 40-year investment, and there is strong job growth in this field, especially for women and minorities. The biggest competitor in the city is Sullivan and “their program is thriving,” according to Gutmann.

A motion was brought forward to suspend the program and that motion was passed.

Other reports

The Student Government Association report is . The group suggested that course fee evaluations be placed on syllabi or online so students know where their fees are going.��

Also, the SGA is looking at ways to centralize the advising system so it’s more consistent across campus.

Faculty Senate Chair Enid Trucios-Haynes provided the Chair’s report, noting that the presidential search discussion will continue in the next Board of Trustees meeting later this month. The presidential search process is expected to include listening tours at some point, and Trucios-Haynes said she has been ensured that the senate will be involved in that planning process.

She also released a general statement to some media outlets disagreeing with the lack of transparency involved in the presidential search.

“The concern for me is we are a community, not a business. But we have to let the process move forward and the process of doing this work is important,” she said.

The Provost report from Dale Billingsley is .

The President’s report from Greg Postel is .��

The Redbook committee held a first reading of new bylaws that included “cleaned up” language and clarifications. A second reading and vote will be held during the December meeting.

Additionally, the discussion item on the presidential forum and suggested priorities has been delayed until the December meeting, which is scheduled for Dec. 6, 3-5 p.m., Chao Auditorium.

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. .��

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 .��

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.

Trucios-Haynes presented a statement of the executive committee for endorsement. It reads:

“The forensic audit of the University revealed significant issues regarding administrative transparency. The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate continues to strongly encourage the University of Louisville Foundation to enhance faculty involvement in board governance by creating a permanent, ex-officio voting Faculty Representative on the Board of Directors. This increased faculty participation will strengthen the commitment to transparency and accountability of the Foundation’s business. We believe that robust shared governance at the University of Louisville Foundation might have led to greater oversight because of the unique perspective and investment faculty have in University matters.”

Trucios-Haynes put the endorsement of this statement up for a vote and it was passed unanimously.

She also said there are a number of RFP committees underway, including banking, print services and employee assistance program, and the faculty consultation committee to the presidential search held its second meeting last month.

The ad hoc budget committee also recently met for a second time to discuss strategic initiatives and the widespread impacts of the hiring freeze/frost. Trucios-Haynes said a major concern is the role faculty members play when there are less faculty available to teach, and the committee’s priority is to ensure this does not become the “new normal.”

Report, Dr. Dale Billingsley, interim EVP and Provost

Billingsley reported that the ombudsman search will conclude soon, and Dr. Bob Staat will continue in that role until Aug. 1 to ensure a smooth transition.

The Law School dean search has concluded and Colin Crawford will start Dec. 31. Professor Lars Smith will fill in until Crawford is on campus. Billingsley also reported that the Law School is expecting 150 students for the fall semester, about 60 more than last year.

The nursing and Speed dean positions have been posted and the goal is to have those searches underway in the fall.

SIGS Dean Beth Boehm and School of Music Dean Christopher Doan are up for the 5-year reviews.

Billingsley also reported that the Board of Trustees approved Redbook changes in its June meeting to bring it into compliance with SACS’ expectations. The scope of SACS’ September visit to campus has been expanded to address “financial stability issues,” in light of the Foundation audit.

The budget advisory committee continues to review requests for general funds and is tracking all open positions to ensure UofL hits a $10M savings target. There are five areas exempt from the hiring freeze/frost:

• Instructional impact
• External compliance and internal policy
• Safety and Security
• Essential patient care
• Contractual obligations

Billingsley noted there has been some confusion about funding sources, adding that general funds represent about 40 percent of the captures from attrition.

Enrollment is about 300 students behind this time last year – equating to about $3 million in revenue – though professional and graduate schools are doing well. Other institutions are reporting lower enrollment, too, with the University of Kentucky down about 7 to 8 percent.

“All of the incoming freshmen are excited and eager to be here. I’m hopeful that positive energy will be enough to overpower some of the negative stuff the staff and faculty are feeling,” Billingsley said, noting that those feelings are justified given the current situation. “The enthusiasm is there, but people are perplexed. Hopefully the positive energy from the incoming freshmen will help sustain us through the hard times. The bad times will end.”

Billingsley concluded his report by discussing his concern for the Trump administration’s federal aid plan, which primarily targets PELL and SGO grants.

“This is the financial aid these students use to get out of the poverty cycle,” he said. “If the budget does not change, we will have to adjust to reinforce the closing of that socio-economic gap.”

Report, Lee Smith, interim COO, and Mark Watkins, AVP for Business Services

Smith reported that his department is tasked with helping to find $20 million in savings – $10 million of that from the operational budget and $10 million from procurement.

From the operational budget, Smith said a variety of opportunities have been identified, such as IT costs (for example, paying for licenses that were not being used), energy management and supply costs. There are a handful of RFPs in progress, including managed print and wired and wireless internet that should also trim costs.

For procurement, Smith said we spend about $320 million to external companies. He said we will recoup some savings en route to that $10 million goal in the next year by applying a 6-percent surcharge to procurement activity at units.

Watkins added that there are 10 prioritized areas to find procurement savings, including computers, software, furniture, catering services and more.

“Our $3.2 million catering services bill is dispersed through many providers. The goal is to get that down to six preferred caterers,” he said, as an example.

A task force has been created to help with this initiative.

An extensive Q&A followed their report, with many expressing concern over the “procurement tax.” Smith said, “Our judgement is this is the best path forward for us right now.”

Dr. Greg Postel, interim president

Postel opened his PowerPoint presentation by stating that there is so much going on right now, “I don’t think it’s a time when over communication is possible.”

His first slide provided an overview of the UofL Hospital/James Graham Brown Cancer Center management transition, which was completed without incident July 1. Postel said 2,500 employees now work for UMC, which has a “strong” balance sheet and a balanced budget. Also, employee enthusiasm and engagement over the transition is “profound.”

“There were a number of people outside cheering when they were changing the signs. They’re excited about the opportunity to manage their hospital,” he said. “This is a real economic engine for the University of Louisville. This is one example of how to bring into our control and asset and a growth opportunity versus a cut.”

Postel provided a quick overview of the four construction projects underway – Belknap Academic Building, Swain Center renovation/expansion; Pediatric Medical Office Building; and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.

“I’m most excited about the academic building. It will include all of the things that go into making sure our students excel,” he said.

All projects remain on track for completion about a year from now.

There are a number of appointments and searches underway:

• CFO, national search underway
• CAO, position will not be refilled
• COO, proposed internal search
• AVP HR, an interim appointment will be followed by a search
• VP for advancement, an interim appointment will be followed by a search
• VP for community engagement, an interim appointment will be followed by a search
• HSC CFO, complete
• Director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, complete
• Brandeis School of Law dean, complete
• School of Nursing dean, national search to start in the fall
• Speed School dean, national search to start in the fall
• Ombudsman, search concluding

Postel provided an update to UofL’s SACS accreditation status, noting the leadership had an “excellent” meeting in June with SACS. Postel and a few other administrators are going to visit SACS in Georgia to talk about anything extra the university can do to ensure the September site visit is successful.

“It is a way for us to be proactive and for us to get our faces out there,” he said.

One of his biggest concerns is the financial stability of the university.

“SACS will want to see that we have a balanced budget. This institution has not had a balanced budget in years and they’re going to make sure we’re sticking to this. I’m very focused on this. “Now is not the time to be lax on expenses and revenue,” Postel said.

Postel said he has received a lot of feedback from donors and members of the public about the recent NCAA ruling about the men’s basketball team.

“There were four sets of findings and they were not appealing. This is a bad story and we’re not making excuses,” he said.

UofL is appealing two of the penalties: vacation of wins/titles and financial claw back from conference proceeds.

“It’s hard to find precedent with these penalties. We are appealing these two with a ‘non-emotional’ justification. We feel that there were errors made in the way these penalties were decided. Some of the players ended up not even playing for UofL, for example,” Postel said. “We have to balance being fair but accepting our punishment.”

The appeal process will run at least until the fall, when the next hearing is scheduled.

Postel said there is not much to update on the UofL Foundation’s forensic audit. The board of trustees continues to study the report and a detailed discussion will take place at the next board meeting, July 20. This, he said, will kick off additional conversations.

The Jewish Hospital/Frazier Rehabilitation Center are on the market. These are KentuckyOne Health’s largest facilities and UofL owns the ground and much of the programming that takes place there (about half of the admissions).

“We’re trying to understand what we can do that produces no-to-minimal risk for the university but is in the best interests of the community because these facilities provide a big safety net for many, many people,” Postel said. “Two of the three busiest ERs in the city are for sale and as a service we can’t look away, but we can’t do something at the peril of the university.”

Finally, UofL will “reassess” the current, “extremely conservative” budget in the fall to see if we can change strategies.

“Will we have to be as harsh about hiring? Procurement? We should be able to know more by then. Nothing is going to be easy or popular,” Postel said. “But we are busy trying to make this as painless and short term as possible. I am also confident we are going to have donors back again and soon. We’re all in this together.”

There is no Faculty Senate meeting in August.��

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.

The first phase of the go365 rollout is currently underway. Employees will be notified in advance of their scheduled migration date and migrations will be done through the evening hours to reduce impact on day-to-day university operations.

Most who also have ownership of a campus service account will have those migrated simultaneously with their individual accounts. Those individuals with large accounts will be migrated over the weekend.��

In addition to email migration, some calendar and scheduling modifications will be necessary.

Lee Smith, interim COO, said users should not notice any major changes with their email functionality; test groups have been working to solve any issues before the full rollout. Smith and his team have also already migrated successfully.

The biggest driver of the change is to increase storage. Currently, email systems are hosted on internal UofL servers. With Outlook365, everything will move into Microsoft’s dedicated cloud-based servers. This will remove storage limitations and employees can send larger attachments and have access to unlimited archives.��

Office365 also offers a better disaster recovery plan – if UofL experiences an outage, information will be accessible remotely. Smith also notes that the new system is very secure.��

“We still own all of our data even though it will be in the cloud,” he said.

Students have been using Office365 , so they will only see slight changes with the migration. For employees, some technical adaptation will be necessary. For example, employees will have to change their login and update email settings on the laptops, desktops and mobile devices.��

Tier 1 employees have been trained to assist everyone through the transition, and customer service and technical support will be available before and after individuals’ migration dates.��

IT has a dedicated website and will add more information as it becomes available: .