February 23, 2006
Initative team moves forward based on survey results
The Leadership, Community and Values Initiative is moving forward to implementation, based upon the findings in the Universitywide survey conducted in April, 2005.
“We have an amazing foundation upon which to build,” said Ana Mari Cauce, executive vice provost, in a report to the Board of Regents last week. “People really care about the future of the University. Across the institution, people feel they are part of a noble cause.”
One survey finding upon which action has already been taken is the desire for clear mission and vision statements for the University. Work to draft the statements began in the Office of the Provost, which met with the Board of Deans and various campus groups. A working draft of the vision statement was sent to all faculty and staff on Feb. 2 and on the very first day, 940 individuals responded. Provost Wise said the mission and vision statements would probably be finalized by May.
The LCVI survey conducted in April, 2005 showed that many people did not trust the central administration and did not understand how decisions were made. In response, Provost Wise met with all college and senior administrators in her first 90 days on the job. She had a town hall meeting, and plans to continue these public forums on a semi-annual basis. Both the President and the Provost are holding regular luncheon discussions with faculty from across the University. The Provost also has begun a restructuring of her office. And the Office of Research has been restructured, in part to focus more effectively on compliance issues.
Both faculty and staff who responded to the survey expressed a desire for more leadership training. “We plan to use the effective model developed by ADVANCE (which provides leadership training for women in engineering and the sciences), piloting next in the social sciences, then in professional schools, and later in the health sciences,” said Joanne Suffis, interim vice president for human resources. “We also plan to pilot 360-degree reviews of leaders (evaluation by subordinates, colleagues and supervisors).”
Conversations also are under way to make the partnerships between academic leaders (deans, department chairs and other unit heads) and their academic administrators more effective by offering a variety of joint experiences that strengthen leadership skills, provide mentoring opportunities, and expand professional development.
Career development opportunities for staff also emerged as a major issue in the survey. “We look at career development not only in terms of moving up the ladder, but also in acquiring a broader set of skills,” Suffis said. The initiative team will be using a framework developed by the President’s Staff Forum, and an examination of best practices at other institutions, to develop a model that can be customized to meet the needs of a very diverse population. This will include engaging in discussions with union representatives: SEIU 925 has already expressed interest in building a career development model within the collective bargaining framework.
In addition, Training and Development is creating two new certificate programs, in project management and in coordination of research activities.
The survey identified a number of concerns among faculty and staff of color regarding their work environment, and this issue is being addressed in several ways. Recruitment is under way for an associate vice provost for faculty advancement, who will assist with faculty searches to assure that efforts are made to attract a diverse pool of candidates, and that efforts to retain faculty of color receive increased attention. A parallel effort among staff will include the hiring of a diversity staffing specialist.
Both faculty and staff responded strongly to survey questions about the UW as a community, stressing their desire for more community building activities and events. Work is under way to plan a Universitywide celebratory event, to be held in conjunction with Washington Weekend. Plans also are being discussed for taking the “common book” project for freshmen (who will be reading Mountains Beyond Mountains before arriving in the fall) and expanding it to include faculty and staff. “We take seriously a statement that President Emmert has made many times,” Suffis said, “that we need to take more opportunities, as a community, to celebrate ourselves and our accomplishments.”
A related issue is expanding opportunities for recognizing achievements by faculty and staff at the unit level. Plans are being developed to provide “tool kits” that can be used by schools, colleges or departments to honor their members.
Suffis added that analysis of the survey was completed just six months ago, so all issues have not been explored fully. “We’re trying to maximize the resources which have been allocated for the initiative, to identify cost effective ways of addressing the most important issues,” she said.
The Regents stated their endorsement of this next phase of the initiative. “What’s going on is the right thing,” said Board Chair Sally Jewell. “We need to live what this institution represents. And this board wants to be a constructive supporter of these efforts.”
