John Elliott, interim VP for HR, discussed flexible scheduling.

“From my perspective there can be a policy and the (Policies and Economic Development committee) is the most appropriate group to research this,” Elliott said. “This will take a lot of conversations and what may work for some departments won’t work for others.”

Elliott said there were 116 RIFs in 2016 and 36 percent of those affected employees were older than 50. The RIF process was discussed by employment manager Stacey Gardner, who noted there were several checks and balances in place before a RIF takes place, including underutilization, performance, grievances and disciplinary records.

Laura Carter, employee relations specialist, presented the revised performance management information. UofL created a work group with different constituencies to come up with a new approach to employee performance evaluations and benchmarked a number of other institutions. A new form was created that is a one-page, two-sided form. Also, a new rating was put into place that includes: Exceeding, Succeeding, Learning, Needs Improvement.

HR has also re-created the self-assessment form, which is one page. These new forms have been presented to the appropriate committees and will be presented to Faculty Senate in May.

Joseph Han, COO, discussed the process behind his 5-year plan. All department heads have completed initial drafts of their plans, which will include results from a climate survey sent out last month, which yielded a 20-percent participation rate. Twelve volunteers are going through the data, while 19 employees have joined the innovation team to figure out next steps.

“It’s an exciting time. It provides an opportunity for folks to look at operations-level projects,” Han said. “I’m asking folks to devote their time in this. I’ll weigh in with the resources we have and the challenges. There’s no initiative that goes unrecognized.”

A customer survey went out this week, and a comprehensive projects list is underway.

Han also discussed UofL’s mail and delivery services, which are being outsourced to Canon. The team received RIF notices last week and they have 90 days for it to go into effect. Han said it affects 22 employees in mail and print services.

Mark Watkins, AVP for Business Services, said Canon did not guarantee it would hire everyone back, but it did guarantee it would interview those interested. The pay is comparable if not better, he said.

Susan McKellep discussed the Employee Assistance Program, which is available to all employees and covers everything from test anxiety to relationship issues and grief. The service is confidential and free. The office also serves as a clearinghouse for resources, McKellep said, and phones are answered 24/7.

Employees have access to eight sessions with a counselor per issue. If long-term counseling is needed, the office will make that referral.

In other news:

Chair Will Armstrong announced he is not seeking a third term and encouraged senators to consider running for the spot.

Rhonda Gilliland, systems manager for HSC Shared Services, won the election for secretary/treasurer.

The UofL Foundation has agreed to include ex-officio roles, therefore the Staff Senate, Faculty Senate and SGA will have representation on the ULF Board.

The next Staff Senate meeting is May 14 at 2:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium.

Though Bendapudi doesn’t officially start at UofL until May 15, her early engagement with hundreds of UofL faculty, staff and students has been well received.��

“Dr. Bendapudi is absolutely the best fit for moving UofL forward to continued greatness. Her biography is striking: as an immigrant to this country, she learned early the value of public higher education and its transformative powers. She is an engaged faculty member, enthusiastic fundraiser, and a strong advocate for our students and the student experience,” said Will Armstrong, chair of the Staff Senate.��

“I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the times I’ve had the opportunity to speak with her I have felt genuine electricity. Her enthusiasm is infectious.”

Enid Trucios-Haynes, Faculty Senate Chair, said she “” with the choice of Bendapudi as president.��

“I am so delighted that she wants to be here,” she said. “And that she’s the first woman and person of color to lead our school speaks out loud to our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”��

SGA president Vishnu Tirumala tweeted that Bendapudi’s appointment makes him want to stay in school instead of graduating.��

A number of Bendapudi’s Kansas colleagues expressed their admiration for her via social media and on the record to local media outlets.

Sanjay Mistra, who teaches in the business school at Kansas, described Bendapudi to the as an “enthusiastic go-getter who sets big goals and works very hard to achieve them.” Mistra also pointed out Bendapudi’s fundraising prowess, noting that she led an initiative to build the $70.5 million Capitol Federal Hall on Kansas’ campus.��

On Facebook, Eric Pahls commented: “As a Jayhawk, I cannot tell you how great of a selection this is. While we will dearly miss her, our loss is your gain. She is a gifted leader.” And, on Twitter, a number of Jayhawks expressed their gratitude for Bendapudi’s leadership:��

“Neeli is absolutely amazing. She cares so much about students here at KU and in every interaction I’ve had with her she’s been so genuine. I’m so sad to see her leave KU but I’m glad she’s getting the recognition she deserves,” Katherine Riedel tweeted.

“I’ve been affiliated with KU in some form for 31 years and would be hard pressed to name a Jayhawk who represents us better than (Neeli Bendapudi). UofL got a good one!” – Nick Kallail

When she was introduced last week, Bendapudi told the UofL community that it “is not about��any leader having the magic bullet or having the secret sauce. It’s about helping me help you to make sure our best days are ahead.

“I so appreciate your trust and the confidence you’ve placed in me and I give each of you my word, I promise you. Every single day, every single moment – in big things and small – I will try to do my very best for this university.”

Check out some behind-the-scenes footage from her whirlwind introductory week below. Additional photos from the Belknap and HSC welcome ceremonies are .��

Video by Mark Hebert.

“Athletics is such a small part of who we are, I think it’s 3 or 4 percent of the university’s budget. My job is to be looking out for everyone, for all of our programs,” he said. “What kind of job would I be doing if I was just focusing on 3 percent of the business all the time? Sadly, these past couple of weeks, I’ve had to do that more and I don’t like that. But we’ll get it back in balance, I promise you.”

Postel said there is plenty of positive news from UofL, including Dr. Roberto Bolli’s $13.8 million grant to study a promising new heart failure treatment, the UofL Foundation’s 12-percent gain on endowments through good investments, a positive visit from SACS, and a positive visit with the law school from the American Bar Association.

“The work of the university goes on. The front page of the newspaper doesn’t stop our focus,” Postel said. “What I am focused on is how to construct a good budget, especially in the context of what does and will come from the state.”

Postel said just 4.5 percent of UofL’s budget comes from the state and that number will likely be cut further to help with the pension crisis. To lessen the blow, administrators are looking at different scenarios that could play out in the next year, and trying to come up with more ways to generate revenue.

“This is why I’m so interested in holding open forums around campus. We’re trying to find out what’s important and what needs to be prioritized. The challenge will be how to grow revenue and we’ll be trying to get as much feedback from as broad of an audience as we can for those ideas,” he said.

Postel took questions from the senators, including why the presidential search is a closed search.

“I hope you know I am not being consulted about this. But I do think both open and closed searches are common and I think the logic is purely to not lose a good candidate, though I agree that it’s in stark contrast with shared governance,” he said.

Postel was also asked for a budget update, noting that many ideas have already been implemented by interim COO Lee Smith’s office.

“He is saving about $1 million a month in operational costs and much of that savings has come from ideas that were submitted by faculty and staff,” he said.

Postel was asked about how many RIFs have taken place since the beginning of the year, and that number is 103. A majority of job loss has been voluntary through attrition, he noted. He also mentioned that the hiring freeze is now considered a frost.

“The key is, whatever we call it, that we’re judicious about hiring, that we’re being smart with our resources,” he said. “Everyone who leaves doesn’t necessarily need to be replaced.”

Report: John Elliott, interim AVP for HR

John Elliott provided a report from HR, noting that Open Enrollment is Oct. 16-26 and notices and communications are out. He also provided the following updates:

• The RIF temp pool is now operational.
• The COO search is now posted and the committee is in place. There are “seven or eight” candidates.
• He has received many questions about the performance evaluation document. “It is long and tedious. I’m not sure if we’ll get the committee together and changes made before this year’s evaluations, but I hear you on this,” Elliott said.
• He said there was a RIF in HR and the department is going through a reorganization to combine compensation and benefits into one function.
• The Staff Recognition Luncheons are scheduled for Oct. 20 and 27 and will be facilitated by Will Armstrong and Vickie Tencer.

“I am two months into the job and I am trying to meet as many people as possible to help me prioritize what we need to focus on in the coming year,” Elliott said.

Committee and general reports

The Senate meeting opened with a report from Vice Chair Vickie Tencer, who said there have been several board meetings. Also, the CFO search is ongoing.���� Eight candidates have been interview, and the Staff Senate has provided a recommendation to Dr. Postel. Her .

The Credentials and Nominations Committee is finalizing goals and objectives and noted that a fall cookout last week was well attended.

The Policy and Economic Development Committee reported that the RIF policy was posted in September, extending the policy to 18 months and giving preference to RIF candidates. The committee is also working on an internal hiring policy to send to HR, and a shared leave initiative. Other initiatives in the works include a telecommuting policy – UofL does not have one currently – and flex scheduling. The telecommuting policy is in line with the 21^st century initiative to enhance campus climate. It could also contribute to a reduction in UofL’s green footprint and add productivity. The policy recommendation is .

The Grievance Committee is planning training for the year and establishing a relationship with the new ombudsman, Mindy Eaves.

The Staff Morale and Community Outreach Committee has a new website that needs more content and an FAQ page, which are in the works. The committee is also planning on a staff recognition page, and is working on bylaws to better define the committee’s work.

Chairman Will Armstrong provided the Chair’s Report, noting that the CFO search is down to seven or eight candidates, and a committee has been formed for the VP of Enterprise and Risk Management. He also commended the PED committee for its “incredible work” and relationship building efforts with John Elliott. Armstrong reminded senators about the anonymous feedback section on the Staff Senate website.

“A lot is going on at UofL right now and that feedback will help guide me to speak for you through all of it,” he said.

Finally, Armstrong said the budget advisory committee is starting to morph into more of a committee focused on strategies instead of a workgroup formed in response to the budget deficit.

The next Staff Senate meeting is Nov. 13, 2:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium, Ekstrom Library.

The senate approved the qualifications and qualities of an A+ University President, including:

• Visionary with a focus on strategic planning
• Terminal degree
• Commitment to academic excellence
• Experience in academic leaderships
• Experience with demonstrated knowledge of sources of income, revenue and managing fiscal affairs.

The full list is .��This list was pulled from feedback from all staff employees via a survey on Survey Monkey.

Another ad hoc committee created a new mission statement for the Staff Senate:

“The University of Louisville Staff Senate, as a partner in the Shared Governance structure, is an advocate for the interests and concerns of staff, in support of the University community and its mission.”

The statement was approved.

Report: Dr. Greg Postel, interim president

Postel opened his PowerPoint presentation with 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.

Postel wanted to reiterate to the Staff Senate that the administration is not immune to the budget issues, noting that a number of positions will go unfilled, such as his chief of staff and the Chief Administrative Officer.

“The office of the president is down to four people. We had over 20 a year ago,” he said.

There are a number of appointments and searches underway:

• President, interim, Board of Trustees process
• Provost, interim, no search plan
• EVPHA, interim, no search plan
• Chief of Staff, will not be filled
• CAO, will not be filled
• VP of Advancement, interim, no search plan
• VP of Community Engagement, interim, no search plan
• VP of HR, interim, no search plan
• CFO of HSC, national search completed
• CFO of Belknap, interim, national search underway
• COO, interim, under consideration
• Ombudsman, search conducted by provost
• VP, ERM, under consideration

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.

“This is frustrating, but it’s a part of our life and we have to get past it. 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 not appealing any of the findings.

“We want to send a message to the community loud and clear that we’re not trying to make light of anything that happened,” Postel said.

UofL is, however, 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 told the Faculty Senate a week prior. “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.”

Postel conducted a Q&A after his presentation, fielding many questions about the 6-percent procurement tax that has been proposed to each unit to help reach a $10 million procurement savings.

“I think it’s for the birds, but it’s a step that is being taken to kick off this savings effort. It may very well morph into something different, but this is a start,” Postel said.

Postel added that the procurement tax will be assessed soon and encouraged faculty and and staff to cut back on purchases and buy only what is needed.��

Report: Jeanell Hughes, AVP of HR

Hughes said the HR Tours launched in the spring have been well attended. HR is currently developing reports on attrition so we will know where we are month to month. The department is also developing a compensation report.

A program is being developed for any RIF employees that allows them to put their resume into a pool to be notified should any opportunities come up across campus. It is an opt-in program.

Hughes noted that July 21 is her last day with UofL.

Report: Faculty Senate

Dr. Bob Staat provided the Faculty Senate report from the week prior, which is . Staat is retiring Dec. 31.

“It has been a great pleasure serving in this role. You learn what’s really going on at this university with this group,” he said.

Chair Will Armstrong provided the Staff Senate Chair’s Report, also .��

Also at the meeting, new senators were welcomed and committee reports were provided, including ��and .��

The treasurer’s report indicates that there is $2,347.53 in the general fund as of the end of May. The SHARE fund is $14,712.47, and the tech fund is $1,674.

The Staff Senate will not meet in August. The next meeting is Sept. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in Chao Auditorium.