Date: June 2, 2000
Archive: Campus News
On May 26, Currents profiled four UC employees who shared their secrets for success at a recent staff development workshop sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and Human Resources. During that workshop, employees also had the opportunity to write down questions and concerns about the campus community. The following responses were provided by Vice President Mitchel Livingston and Stan Henderson, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management. We appreciate the time and effort involved in compiling the following information:
Question: I believe strongly
in networking, but am not comfortable doing it within the
university since it seems disloyal to my current employer. Is it
acceptable to network within the university with the hopes of
transferring out of your department in order to seek a promotion?
Response: We applaud you for your loyalty to your employer
but please keep in mind that the employer is the University of
Cincinnati and not just the specific department. We would prefer
to see you networking within the University than outside the
University. If your supervisor is open-minded and champions
career mobility, s/he should support your wishes for advancement
and networking opportunities.
Question: As a 925 member, am I
permitted to go to the Career Development Center to take tests,
seek counsel or take advantage of their programs during working
hours. If not then when?
Response: Employees are
permitted to go to the Career Development Center for the purposes
as described in the question. Employees must first seek approval
from their supervisor if they wish to access these services
during scheduled working hours. Managers may grant paid release
time to the employee for these purposes. Employees may request
to use accrued vacation time if paid release time is not
authorized by the manager. If the time off cannot be provided
during the scheduled work day, employees may use the services of
CDC during hours that they are not scheduled to work and the CDC
is open.
Comment: There is an east vs. west campus
mentality, a division of cultures, not a unified culture.
Response: The perceived division between the Medical
Campus and West Campus is real. It is important to recognize
that almost all of major research universities in the United
States that have medical campuses are separated either by
geography or mission perspective that also needs to be included
in this discussion. Most original medical research programs
evolved from hospital settings and not from the college setting
that was first established in the early years of this country.
The training of physicians and nurses was the charge of medical
colleges and hospitals and not the business of colleges or
universities. It was much later in the evolution of the modern
research university did medical colleges become integrated into
or married to universities. In many ways the perceived division
between the two sides of the university has only lessened over
the past several years.
As the West Campus becomes far more
involved in research and education that overlaps or is a
collaboration with the Medical Campus, the barriers among faculty
and researcher will only diminish more. Instead of focusing on
the perceived differences in culture, it is more important to
look for opportunities to build a common agenda. Increasingly,
medical students, graduate students and faculty on both campuses
are interacting more on institutional governance issues, efforts
to improve the quality of life, and the uses of information
technology to improve the learning environment.
Question: Why did
the VPs and Associate VPs receive such large increases in
salaries this past fiscal year when the rest of UC's employees
got very minimal wage increases? Does this explain the cuts in
departmental funds to cover the increases to the
VPs?
Response: The President determines salary increases
for individual vice presidents and subsequently each vice
president does the same for the associate vice presidents in
their respective areas. The President and vice presidents had
the same amount of money to distribute as deans, department
heads, and directors throughout the University. Last year's
available merit pool was 2.5 percent for unclassified,
unrepresented employees.
The three Ds, as well as the
President and vice presidents, had the opportunity to award from
0 to 5 percent (2.5 percent x 2) to each unrepresented employee.
Please keep in mind that the total available dollars for the
particular department, division, and/or President's Office was
2.5 percent. If a vice president or an associate vice president
received more than a 2.5 percent merit increase, another vice
president or divisional associate vice president should have
received less than 2.5 percent. The only exception to
aforementioned is the availability of additional dollars when
there is a vacancy in the specific unit.
Question: What plans does
UC have on building up the UC neighborhood? Where are these
facilities locations (shopping, restaurants, and entertainment)?
I always hear from others "I don't want to attend UC because
there is nothing around Clifton", the same goes for possible
Kingsgate guests.
Response: The University has formed
partnerships with the neighborhoods and business districts on its
eastern and southern borders. Three neighborhood development
corporations (NDC) exist in Corryville and CUF. The present
projects in development are: housing on MLK between Eden and
Highland; Urban Outfitters Store in the empty church at Ohio and
Calhoun; new stores and offices on the old "Primetime" site at
Vine and Calhoun; new stores on the University side of Calhoun
west of Dennis Street and across the street as well; new stores
on the east side of Vine Street at Calhoun, where the Provident
Bank branch is on; new stores on the St. George parking lot. All
of the above store sites would have apartments upstairs. The
stores will be national retailers, like Gap, Old Navy, Joseph
Beth. And a first run theater will occur somewhere.
Question: To
further accommodate students who want to broaden their "UC
experience" by taking courses throughout the system (CC, RWC, and
Main campus), why not provide some transportation/shuttle
service?
Response: Shuttles to the outlying campuses are
cost-prohibitive. The shuttle bus service is contracted to
private vendors. It costs $410 per day for each bus. It would
take at least two buses for Raymond Walters campus to keep the
route time to one half hour between buses. For Clermont, it
would probably take three buses. That means the shuttles would
cost a total of $2050 per day.
Question: What about the consumers
within UC, its own employees? Many of us would like to further
our education at the master's or doctoral level, but can't (take)
classes without using vacation/personal or sick time, if the
class is offered during the day. When will upper management
entrust flexibility with its employee's schedule? Particularly
if work is not sacrificed, so those employees can take some day
classes? In fulfilling dreams, many times evening/weekend is not
feasible due to family commitments.
Response: Employees are
permitted the use of vacation/personal time to attend classes
during the working day with supervisory approval. Managers may
grant paid release time for this purpose. Managers must balance
the needs of the operation against the needs of the individual
employee in order to determine whether or not release time (paid
or unpaid) can be granted. In some cases, employees must choose
between conflicting priorities in making difficult choices.
Under no circumstances is it appropriate for employees to use
accrued sick time to attend classes during the work day.
Question:
Will UC ever seriously court the "nontraditional" student,
offering all or most degrees on weekends or in the
evening?
Response: While I don't envision a time when all or
most degrees are offered to "nontraditional" students at
nontraditional times (e.g. evenings and weekends), I do see that
technology-mediated education (i.e. distributed/distance
learning) will continue to thrive making UC's curricula more
accessible to more people at more times. The secret is
technology and its more effective use. In addition, programs at
CECE, RWC and Clermont already attract sizable numbers of
"non-traditional" students at off-peek hours.
Question:_ Do we
short change students by not prosecuting them for vandalism? To
demonstrate that there are consequences for actions.
Response:
Although the question sounds to be rhetorical, the answer is yes.
The University has a Student Code of Conduct that provides
learning experiences for students who are found to be responsible
for unacceptable behavior.
Question: How can we accommodate
married, single parents, etc? Current housing is inadequate.
Response: Currently, Campus Planning is reviewing various
designs for additional graduate housing speculated to be placed
on Calhoun Street.
Question: How can we accommodate students with
simple things like parking, red tape, and too strict policies
with no flexibility?
Response: Parking Services is working to
improve the parking experience for UC students. Special rates
have been implemented for students to offset some of the increase
in costs, registration for decals is available on the Parking
Services web site, application for the parking lottery is
available on this web site also. We are exploring partnerships
with community-based businesses to keep down the costs of new
garages. Student representatives have been appointed to the
Parking Advisory Committee.
Question: Who pays for student abroad
study?
Response: We are ambitiously promoting
education-abroad programs. The University attaches a high
premium to the globalization of the curriculum. A grants program
is available through the Institute for Global Studies Affairs
(IGSA). Normally, students bear the major expense with the
colleges and IGSA helping with some cost sharing.
Question: I see
the 17 wonderful colleges working independently of each other.
How can they become re-united to make a University
again?
Response: A major initiative is now in place that is
dedicated to the promotion of better linkages between and among
UC's colleges. The primary result will be a more
student-centered, learning-centered university.
Question: Future
will need more "International" housing-how?
Response: In
actuality this is not an international student issue, but a
university-wide concern. Again, as new housing is developed, it
will be responsive to the needs of all University students.
Currently there are several undergraduate and graduate housing
projects being reviewed for future implementation.
Question:
Change is so rapid. How do you prepare employees?
Response:
Ideally, employees or their representatives should be included in
the planning process regarding an organization's challenges as
much as possible. When employees are given the facts of the
case, most organizations have found that employees can make very
rational and productive suggestions as to how an organization
might best respond to its challenges. Because "people believe
their own data," they will be much more supportive of a plan that
has their fingerprints on it than one that comes from "out of the
blue." After a plan has been agreed upon, employees need to be
included in the implementation process as well. When they are
informed of the process as it moves forward via all possible
media (official and unofficial), there is much less shock, fear,
and resistance. Giving employees some sense of control over
their work situation greatly enhances the success of any change
management effort.
Question: How can you get UC values to all
employees?
Response: Inclusion in the process of defining
values is again a key to acceptance. Because of the great
diversity of backgrounds, one is unlikely to find many statements
which will receive unanimous approval, but the concept of
consensus says that people should be able to be 70 percent
comfortable with the group's decision and willing to support the
decision 100 percent. Consensus can only be reached when these
discussions are held in every work group, and the consensus of
those groups is fed back to leaders for consolidation. Values
that some from a high level person or group without worker
involvement seldom have any impact on behavior in the workplace.
After values are agreed upon, employees watch their leaders
carefully to see if they live the values they espouse.
Question:
How can we increase course availability ?
Response: The initiative is called the UC
Collaboration for Student Success. See the web site.
Question: What is the percentage of dropouts of on-campus
vs. commuter
students?
Response: I am not aware of any
research done at UC in this area. National studies show that
retention rates for residential students tend to be higher than
those for commuter students. Students who live on-campus
generally feel more connected and involved in their
college/university. Students who are involved in campus life
tend to stay. There is no anecdotal evidence to suggest that UC
differs from national standards in any way.
Question: With all
the emphasis on technology and growth, why can't a major
department like Admissions get up to date computers laptops and
presentation devices?
Response: Presentations made in the UC
Office of Admissions are supported with high-tech software
(PowerPoint) and hardware. The same is true for presentations
made outside the office wherever and whenever it is practical.
Be that as it may, I believe that funding should be provided to
supply every Admissions Officer with a laptop and projector, as
well as software training. The investment would be significant,
but the payback would be great, in my view.
