“Magnet recognition provides our community with the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of patient care,” said Shari Kretzschmer, UofL Health senior vice president and chief nursing officer. “Achieving Magnet recognition reinforces the culture of excellence that is a cornerstone of how we serve our community. It’s also tangible evidence of our nurses’ commitment to providing the very best care to our patients, of which we are extremely proud.”

With this credential, UofL Hospital and Brown Cancer Center join the global community of Magnet-recognized organizations. Just a small and select group of U.S. health care organizations have achieved Magnet recognition. In Kentucky, UofL Health is one of just five health care systems with nursing teams worthy of the acknowledgement.

“Magnet designation is both a well-deserved honor for our UofL Hospital and Brown Cancer Center nurses and a promise to our patients,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “When you have a high-quality nursing team, patients get high-quality care. I’m proud of our nurse leadership and all the nurses on this achievement.”

Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:

• Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information
• Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates
• Higher job satisfaction among nurses
• Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions

“The opportunity to be recognized as a Magnet organization is a wonderful reminder of the great work that we do,” said Jill Beierle, UofL Hospital ICU nurse and Nursing Congress chair. “As a nurse, with more than 30 years of experience, at UofL Hospital, Magnet recognition means that we all do our best for every patient and that we are constantly striving toward excellence in care.”

Magnet recognition is a factor when the public judges health care organizations. U.S. News & World Report’s annual showcase of “America’s Best Hospitals” includes Magnet recognition in its ranking criteria for quality of inpatient care.

The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research and measurement of outcomes. Through this framework, ANCC evaluates applicants across a number of components and dimensions to gauge an organization’s nursing excellence.

The foundation of this model comprises various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care.

Now she is creating a sponsorship program to assist area children with clothing and supplies once they can go back to school.

UofL News talked to Miceli about her efforts, the support she has received and what needs still exist in the flooded communities.

UofL News: How have you been able to help those affected by the July flooding?

Chelsea Miceli: My work has varied greatly from day to day. I have assisted in coordinating hot meals to remote communities. I have prepared meals and delivered them door to door. I have taken up donations and delivered them to homes throughout Knott, Breathitt and Perry Counties. I helped find individuals to sponsor a Perry County High School football player who lost all his sports equipment. I worked with national disaster relief food organizations to create hubs for food pickup for those that still do not have access to roadways. I connected the shelters to resources to get oxygen for those staying in the shelters. I assisted in finding a location for a birthday party for a young girl that lost everything. I assisted in connecting affected individuals with showering and laundry services. The Trager Institute and Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic staff and I worked to coordinate services for the Deaf and Blind community that is being sheltered at Hindman Settlement School.

UofL News: What makes the work personal for you? 

Miceli: As a resident of Whitley County who has family members across Eastern Kentucky, I understand the value of Appalachia and the history surrounding the culture which makes these individuals and their families so strong. When the recent flooding disaster hit in Eastern Kentucky, I knew I could not sit idly and watch those that I have an obligation to serve suffer alone.

When a disaster of this magnitude takes place, it is an immediate call to help your neighbor. Given my connection to this region and these communities, this work is very personal to me as I understand the geographic remoteness of this area of our state. These communities already face structural and systemic inequities such as generational poverty and trauma, oppression and a lack of resources in rural areas, and this disaster will only exacerbate these challenges.

These are my people, the people that I want to serve, the people that I feel could most benefit from additional services, the people that I know need advocacy and the people I know that are appreciative of the simplest act of kindness.  

Living and working in this region, I know that the communities of Eastern Kentucky are tough and resilient people, yet we all need help from time to time. I have delivered supplies and food to homes where people have said, ‘I hate to take it if someone else could use it more than us.’ The culture of wanting to work for what you have and always lending a helping hand is something that is instilled in our communities from birth.  

UofL News: What specific skills and experiences have helped you in this work?

Miceli: As a recent graduate from the Kent School and now a Trager Institute and Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic employee, my educational and professional background has instilled in me the value of taking action. During my time in the MSSW program and as an intern, I learned the importance of trauma-informed care and the long-term implications that you can have on someone’s life through acknowledging what they endured.

Throughout my time helping in Eastern Kentucky, my main goal has been to offer dignity and worth to individuals who have lost everything. Taking the time to stop and hear their stories and let them know that someone is there for them and is working with them is the best service anyone can offer.  

UofL News: How has your position at UofL and hat connection been helpful?

Miceli: As a program coordinator with the Trager Institute and Republic Bank Foundation Optimal Aging Clinic, I develop and facilitate services, provide education, training and supervision to our student interns and facilitate collaboration and services with partnering sites across Eastern Kentucky for our projects funded by Health Resources & Services Administration grants. One of the core missions of these projects is to provide workforce development and services to rural communities across the state.  

The team has been instrumental to my flood relief work. I have reached out numerous times needing assistance in identifying contacts and resources to provide services to these individuals. Without hesitation, they connected me to individuals and organizations that could assist with high priority needs of the communities including oxygen, hearing aids and sign language interpreters.

The staff has gone above and beyond to help me serve these individuals, most of whom they will never see nor meet. Without their help I don’t know if my work in Eastern Kentucky would have been as fruitful.

Our partner sites across Eastern Kentucky have faced many challenges during this time as well, primarily Mountain Comprehensive Health Corporation. However, any time I picked up the phone and explained a need they were quick to act and put me in contact with individuals and resources to resolve the issue.  

UofL News: Tell us about your project to gather supplies for students as they go back to school.

Miceli: I am working to create an ‘Adopt-a-Student’ sponsorship program. We will ask sponsors to purchase a backpack, clothing essentials (e.g., socks, shoes, underwear and two outfits), along with basic school supplies to be distributed to students in Knott County when they are able to return to school. With so much uncertainty surrounding when school will begin, this gives us time to begin gathering items in hopes that as students return, they will not have to worry about having school clothes and supplies. Given the financial hardship the parents are already facing, between clean-up costs and restarting their lives, the goal is to relieve some of the burden on them as well. This program’s goal is to let the students and parents start this school year without additional stressors during this trying and difficult time.

An has been created for school supplies for the students. To contribute to the Adopt-a-Student program, contact Miceli.

Chief Financial Officer Dan Durbin told senators the university entered the academic year with a balanced budget with expectations to generate sufficient revenue to cover expenses. These costs included last fall’s 1% salary raise and $1,000 bonus for university employees, and the return of retirement contributions to pre-COVID levels.

“We also had a provision for an additional 1% raise in the spring; we said we would revisit that raise based on how we were doing from a tuition revenue standpoint,” Durbin said. “We have looked through the fall semester and through spring registration. The good news is our tuition revenues are higher than last year; the challenging news is that those tuition revenues are below budget by almost $7.9 million.”

Despite this challenge, administration maintained the additional raise would be within the best interest of the university. The 1% raise was authorized by the Board of Trustees and went into effect in March. Senators were informed that a financial plan was developed to ensure adequate funding for the institution-wide pay increase. Tactics of this financial plan included withholding a 3% contingency back from the units to cover unforeseen costs, as well as an increased emphasis on the importance of funding available to colleges and units through the University of Louisville Foundation.

“While we have tactics to ensure that raise, we still continue to work on enrollment not only for spring, but for the fall and beyond. Applications look really encouraging at the moment, but it’s all hands on deck to make sure we can get back to our original estimates on enrollment so the university can be on good, solid footing next year,” Durbin said.

Kari Aikins, director of Total Rewards for UofL, provided senators with information on the . Segal, an HR consulting firm with expertise in higher education, is currently reviewing data collected from the employee survey. The survey closed March 1, and an aggregate report of this data, which Is being generated by Segal, will provide input on remaining aspects of the HR initiative.

“One of the projects that this data will be used for will be our guiding principles and compensation philosophy, which we want to make sure aligns with our employee feedback and incorporates that input. We will also be using the data as we move through benchmarking, development of the career progression, leveling and some other components of the study that are still to come,” Aikins said.

Committee reports and a of the virtual meeting can be found on the . The next Staff Senate meeting will be held April 12 via Microsoft Teams.

Overseeing the Compensation and Total Rewards Study are co-chairs Kari Aikins, director of total rewards for UofL, and Krista Wallace-Boaz, associate dean of the School of Music. An additional of UofL faculty and staff members was also selected to serve as the voices of the campus community and provide feedback throughout the studies.

This comprehensive study comprises several studies that assess total rewards- employee wages and employee benefits (e.g., health care, tuition remission, paid leave, etc.). During May 2021, the six-phase compensation study began with the help of Segal, an HR consulting firm with expertise in higher education, and will conclude 18-24 months after the launch date. For a further look into the six phases, visit the .

Findings from the studies will provide the necessary framework for employee wages and employee benefits moving forward. If the compensation study shows a market position at a lower salary grade, UofL will not lower the employee’s salary.

During Phase 2 of the study, the university reviewed and/or developed job descriptions, minimum requirements, preferred qualifications, and essential duties for most university positions. This review ensured that position descriptions were up-to-date, accurate and consistent across all schools and departments, and was essential to obtain benchmarks comparable to similar jobs in the market.

“The goal was to submit job descriptions reflective of the role, not reflective of the employee in that role” said Aikins. “When we’re benchmarking for our compensation structure, we’re benchmarking the positions. Once we have our compensation structure in place and jobs are classified and graded based on comparable market data, we can then review and recommend equitable pay.”

More specifically, said Vice President of Human Resources Mary Elizabeth Miles,  “once we have the baseline data, the consulting firm will conduct a gap analysis that will look specifically at any unintended disparities that may cause women and minority employees to be paid less. These gap analyses will help us honor some of the other commitments made in the strategic plan and our anti-racism agenda.”

The study is now in phase three, with Segal and university leadership working to define a compensation philosophy for the university. This philosophy, developed by university employees in conjunction with Segal, will serve as guiding principles throughout the study.

“Our compensation philosophy will be a high-level statement that outlines our values as they relate to how we will compensate our employees, both through wages and benefits,” said Miles. “A compensation philosophy is needed so that we can establish our parameters moving forward.”

During this phase of the project, employees will receive a brief survey to complete on the university’s compensation and total rewards. A link to the survey will be distributed to all full-time (non-clinical) faculty and staff via email on Feb. 7, 2022. Responses will be confidential, and all are encouraged to participate.

For a description of future project phases, a project timeline and subcommittee members, visit the . Additional information can also be found on the .

The Web Improvement Project is focused on enhancing the daily lives of students, faculty and staff by modernizing and improving all university web-based experiences, as well as the processes behind developing and maintaining them. This digital overhaul will allow the university to attract great new students while fostering a stronger relationship with the community.

Due to the complexity and breadth of the project, it has been divided into three main phases with overlapping timelines. This phased approach will allow for the quick transformation of the highest traffic sites and ensure that all websites at UofL will be revamped for their appropriate audiences.

The project is currently in Phase 1, which focuses on how the university interacts with audiences externally, measurably closing the gap between expectation and experience on our web properties. By identifying the needs and building necessary pathways for our external audiences, prospective students, parents and community members will be more prepared to take meaningful action. The second phase will address the needs of current students to be informed and engaged, to further support their paths to academic success. Improving the digital workflow, creating processes and promoting collaboration between departments will be the focus of the final phase, impacting the platforms university employees use on a daily basis.

Overseeing this project is the Executive Committee, which is comprised of members from the President’s Office, Information Technology Services, Enrollment Management, Compliance and the Office of Communications and Marketing. The Executive Committee provides vision, direction and scope for the initiative while ensuring that improvements align with the university’s mission and values.

The Executive Committee is led by Michael Wade Smith, chief of staff and vice president for external affairs.

“The web is the first stop on many, maybe most, journeys with UofL. The outcome of this project will be a university website that increases the value of our UofL brand, quickly drives visitors to the information they seek, and makes it easy for those wanting to more deeply engage with UofL – by applying, donating, partnering and more – to do so,” Smith stated.

Recommendations to the Executive Committee on the topics of tools, support, processes, governance and change management across all three phases are generated by the Steering Committee. This committee has provided an avenue for open and honest conversations with the university community about our digital environment and facilitated necessary workgroups throughout the multi-year project. These groups have created the opportunity for more in-depth discussion and collaboration around various digital topics, helping us leverage the expertise spread across the university in a way that benefits all of our organization.

Co-leading the Steering Committee and the progress of the project overall are Amber Peter of the Office of Communications and Marketing and Brad Andersen of Information Technology Services.

“We’ve been really intentional, ensuring this project not just be about the replacement of an enterprise technology system, but a change in the way we work in this space. Even more important to our success than the system that is chosen, is the environment around that system. Providing everyone with the resources, training and support they need to accomplish their goals in this digital environment is paramount to the success of this project,” Andersen stated.

In addition to addressing the system and the resources available, woven throughout this project has been continual campus involvement. According to Peter, “From the beginning, we set out to get as many varied perspectives on this topic as possible, and that has not only helped keep our recommendations balanced, but has also provided an invaluable reminder of the cascading impact decisions such as these carry.”

To-date, surveys, committees and workgroups have been the most tangible ways campus has been able to engage with the project. Employees have also been encouraged to get involved by contacting members of the Steering Committee to share concerns or questions or through requesting involvement in . There will even be an opportunity in the coming months for campus community members to provide feedback regarding final CMS selection. Faculty and staff members can stay informed about the project through multiple channels, including UofL Today, UofL News, the as well as communications from leadership as significant milestones are achieved.

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.

“We have so many employees who are dedicated to creating meaningful educational experiences for you. Many have really gone above and beyond expectations to provide support to you as you navigated this very difficult year. I want to bring attention to these individuals on our campus who have been steadfast in their support when it was most needed. As provost, it is important for me to know who on our campus has provided critical support to help you succeed.”

Over 1,100 students submitted the two-minute survey provided in the provost’s email, yielding 778 different faculty and staff member names. This inaugural recognition effort from the provost’s office honored all the nominated employees as Student Champions. Twenty-one schools, colleges and offices were represented in the 778 Student Champions.

The College of Arts and Sciences boasted the most nominations, with student submissions recognizing 243 faculty and staff across multiple departments within A&S. Students also recognized 87 employees in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, 61 employees from the School of Medicine, and 50 employees from the J.B. Speed School of Engineering as Student Champions.

Many recipients of the award received multiple acknowledgements from the student body. , director of Multiple Pathways and assistant professor with the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, was nominated by 14 different students – the most of any employee. , a clinical assistant professor also with College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, received 12 acknowledgements and , an academic advisor with A&S, received eight student submissions.

In order to facilitate a student-first culture at the university, the recognition of the Student Champions and their contributions toward making UofL a great place to learn will be conducted annually. Student Champions and the leaders of their respective colleges, schools and offices were recognized by Provost Gonzalez and President Bendapudi via email, and a certificate honoring their commitment to student success will be awarded to them later this summer.

All faculty and staff names that were submitted as Student Champions can be viewed

Learn how they are in the Spring 2019 edition of , and read more about UofL’s efforts in innovation and student excellence. 

• : The Brown Fellows program is celebrating 10 years of providing academic and international study opportunities to students. 
• : UofL is the place to be if you have big ideas. 

Lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those taking advantage of the promotion can choose from a full buffet, soup/salad, the special of the day, or order from the menu.

The open dining promotion is a way to extend a welcome to new faculty and staff, said Linda Johnson, director of membership at the University Club. Tours are also available.

For reservations, call 852-6996.

More information about the U Club is available below: