February 2020 President's Report

Mathew appointed two new reps to Staff Council, Michael Willis (unit 7) and Valerie Rickards (at-large seat #4).

Staff Council has put together an ad hoc committee to plan this year’s Staff Recognition and Development Day. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to serve on the committee.

Thank you to everyone who submitted applications for Staff Professional Development funding. We received a lot of submissions, and have now used all the funds. We were hoping to have the application form open throughout the semester, but the funds were awarded faster than anticipated.

Staff Alliance is focusing on HR. Erika Van Flein came to Staff Alliance to talk about the exit interview process. HR now has a formal exit process and survey. HR will be publishing the information quarterly to help identify issues about why people are leaving. HR is moving their benefits page from Roxen to OU Campus. Feedback for the benefits web page is welcome. HR is also starting a supervisor and leadership series in collaboration with Deer Oaks. Information can be found on MyUA.

The Joint Health Care Committee is the group that governs our health plan and benefits. The committee is considering removing a piece of the health benefit. Currently, a contribution to the deductible in the 4th quarter is automatically applied to the next fiscal year’s deductible. This costs UA about $300,000 when the contributions roll over. Contact Mathew if you have any feedback on this topic.

The Chancellor is hosting an enrollment forum on Tuesday, March 17 at 1PM.

Facility Updates: The sale for the Administrative Services Building has now closed. The Chancellor is considering expanding the Bunnell House Early Childhood Lab School to the Chancellor’s House. The Chancellor’s House is not frequently used and is a bigger space. The lab school is considering a trial period in the Chancellor’s House next year.

Banner 8 is nearing the end of its life. If you have Banner requests in the queue, let your supervisor know which ones are priority and which ones are not.