CUNYLogo_Untitled 

 


The City University of New York

Office of Human Resources Management 


OHRM Insights

 

March 2011

Ginger ThumbnailWe're back!  In our ongoing efforts to provide information on topics of interest to CUNY's administrators and human resources professionals, we are resuming publication of OHRM Insights.  With both the environment and our OTPS budget in mind, we're distributing this periodic newsletter electronically, so please don't toss us into the spam bin!

 

Doing things more efficiently and economically seems to be the order of the day.  As you know, like other public universities across the country, our University is facing major fiscal challenges.  In times like these, it's a challenge to keep ourselves focused and forward-looking, but at the same time we must also foster a positive work environment so that our employees will stay engaged with their work and optimistic about the future.

 

Speaking at the Harvard Club, the Chancellor recently said, "Let's also remember that when we talk about budgets and financing, we're really talking about quality ... with state support continuing to decline, institutions must become even more creative ..."  Creativity and innovation will be essential to maintaining the quality of education and the services that CUNY provides to its constitutents.  It's the same with human rsources: throughout the University, we are endeavoring to re-imagine and re-engineer our business processes to meet financial constraints without diminishing the quality of our service.

 

Sharing resources and services can undoubtedly impact the bottom line.  To that end, one of OHRM's current initiatives is the consolidation of University payroll operations.  We are "phasing" the payroll centralization project:  we began with the Brooklyn senior colleges at space provided by Medgar Evers College at Metrotech in Brooklyn.  The dedicated staff who have relocated to this site have been essential to helping us understand what processes are needed and how they can vary from campus to campus.

 

Our goal as we go forward with the payroll project is to adopt the "best practices" that we discover as we work together.  We'll keep you updated on our progress with this exciting initiative.  Please don't hesitate to call me with any suggestions or comments you might have.

 

So, click your mouse and read on.  I sincerely hope you find this edition of OHRM Insights to be informative and useful.

 

 

 

 

 

Gloriana B. Waters

Vice Chancellor

CUNY Work/Life Program Offers Help to CUNY Employees Affected by Tragedy in Japan

 

Japan has suffered an unpredecented catastrophe including a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, a devastating tsunami, and an escalating crisis with crippled nuclear reactors in the northern part of the country.

 

The CUNY Work/Life Program, administered by Corporate Counseling Associates (CCA), is ready to offer immediate help to all CUNY staff who have been affected by the situation in Japan and other areas affeacted by the tsunami.  Services that CCA can provide include counseling and critical incident stress debriefings (CISD) throughout Asia. 

 

If any CUNY staff member, or member of his/her family, is in need of counseling, or if a CUNY campus requires CISD services, please call your Corporate Counseling Associates account executive immediately at 212-646-6827.

 

Please see the attached resources listing for assistance.  This and other information is also posted in the "News for You" section of the CUNY Work/Life website at www.cuny.edu/worklife.

 

Click here for resources ... 

Everybody Asks Raymond
About the New Multiple Position Policy

 

On January 24, 2011, the Board of Trustees adopted a revised Statement of Policy on Multiple Positions, and my phone has been ringing off the hook ever since.  Here are some of the questions that have been raised.

 

Q. When is the revised policy effective?

 

A. The policy took effect immediately when the Board adopted it.

 

Q. To whom does the policy apply?

 

A. The policy applies to full-time faculty (e.g., professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers, and instructors).  It does not apply to non-teaching instructional staff (e.g., HEOs, CLTs, and Research Associates), unless the College's governance plan recognizes such employees as faculty.

 

Q. Have any changes been made to a faculty member's ability to engage in outside work or consulting?

 

A. The amount of outside work or consulting that may be approved has not changed.  It remains a maximum of an average of one day (i.e., seven hours) per week, or its equivalent over the course of the academic year.  However, there is new language in the policy that requires a faculty member who engages in work outside of the University to incorporate five principles into the agreement with the third party:

  • That the faculty member is serving in an individual capacity and not on behalf of the University;
  • That the faculty member's primary responsibility is to the University and that s/he is bound by the University's policies;
  • That in executing the external work for the third party, the faculty member may not make substantial use of the University's resources without the written permission of the University;
  • That the agreement with the third party may not grant rights to intellectual property owned by the University and/or the CUNY Research foundation without those entities' written consent; and
  • That the third party may not restrict the faculty member's ability to engage in research as an employee of the University, limit his/her ability to publish work generated at or on behalf of the University, or infringe upon the faculty member's academic freedom.   Read more ...
In This Issue
Assistance for Employees Affected by Crisis in Japan
New Multiple Position Policy
FOCUS on Employee Turnover
Final Tally for ERI-2010
A Payroll Office Grows in Brooklyn
Chancellor Authorizes Diversity Study
New Campus Representative
FOCUS

Welcome to FOCUS, a new forum for presenting selected data analysis of the University's workforce.  CUNYfirst has greatly expanded our ability to examine the University's human capital.  Each FOCUS will summarize a single topic or issue of interest to CUNY's administrators and HR community.  This month's edition looks at employee turnover at CUNY  Read FOCUS 

ORD Welcomes New Diversity Professionals

The Office of Recruitment and Diversity is pleased to introduce two new staff members.  Allison Pulizzi has joined ORD as a Diversity Policy Analyst.  A graduate of Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, Allison comes to the Central Office from the NYC Department of Health's World Trade Center Health Registry.


Kam Wong is the new Associate Director of University Workforce Compliance and Diversity Programs.  Ms. Wong is a graduate of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She has an extensive legal background as a litigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  

Kam & Allison

Allison Pulizzi and Kam Wong
Final Tally for ERI-2010


A total of 666 CUNY employees chose to participate in the Early Retirement Incentive offered by the University in 2010.  Of that number, 280 were faculty, 141 were non-teaching instructional staff, and 245 were classified staff.


Part "A" of the ERI, open to eligible employees age 50 or over with at least 10 years of service who were members of the NYC teachers' retirement system, the NYC employees' and Board of Education retirement systems, or participants in TIAA/CREF, drew 278 applicants.


Part B, which was available to eligible employees age 55 or over with at least 25 years of service who were members of the NYC teachers', employees' and Board of Education retirement systems, had 32 participants.


148 more CUNY employees took advantage of ERI-2010 than did in 2003, the last time such an incentive was offered.  ERI-2003 participants totaled 518, including 311 faculty, 125 non-teaching instructional staff, and 81 classified staff. 

Professional Development for CUNY Employees

This spring OHRM's Office of Professional Development and Learning Management (PDLM) will present courses designed to promote leadership skills, foster better communication in professional relationships, and create an environment of civility and safety in the workplace.
 
There are several new courses, selected free professional development opportunities, an expanded workplace violence prevention curriculum, special traIning for Affirmative Action Officers, and continuing education credits for PDLM technology courses. 

 

 

A Payroll Office Grows in Brooklyn

Phase I of University Payroll Centralization is Underway

In December 2009, a centralized University payroll unit opened at One Metrotech Center in Brooklyn.  The new satellite office consolidates the full-time payroll operations of CUNY's Brooklyn senior colleges, in the first phase of a planned University-wide initiative. 

 

"This project is the culmination of more than two years of preparation," according to Raj Singh, OHRM's Senior University Executive Director of HR Strategic Planning.  "We have met extensively with the College Presidents and Vice Presidents for Finance and Administration and received broad support.  We also met with the unions and the employees who were relocated.  Our plan is to standardize and streamline our business processes, and better integrate payroll and HR operations in preparation for implementation of the payroll pillar of CUNYfirst." 

 

There is also an important cost-saving element.  "Research in the area of centralized payroll operations and implementing best practices has shown a tremendous potential for cost savings," said Mr. Singh.  "In the end, our goal is to enhance efficiency, provide the best possible service, and at a reduced cost, too." 

 

This summer, the Manhattan senior colleges' payroll operations will be consolidated in newly leased space at 395 Hudson Street in Soho.  Future phases will centralize the payroll functions of the Bronx and Queens senior colleges, and the community colleges. 

 

"So far, so good," says Leslie Williams, OHRM's Executive Director of Shared Services.  "We've assembled a great team at Metrotech. They've met every deadline and the project is making progress every day."  Sherry Azoulay, Director of University Payroll Operations and Systems, concurs.  "The proof will be in the pudding, and right now the 'kitchen' at Metrotech is humming right along!"

Chancellor Authorizes Diversity Study

Office of Recruitment and Diversity Leads Initiative

This spring, the University will conduct a study to examine the effectiveness of its recruitment and diversity activities over the past 10 years.  The study will also assess the experiences of underrepresented groups and identify best recruitment and retention practices within the CUNY system and at peer institutions.  There will be a special focus on faculty diversity.  The goals of the study are to develop a framework for improving the representation and experience of underrepresented groups, and to strengthen the climate for diversity and inclusion across the University. 

Chancellor Matthew Goldstein has appointed a Diversity Study Steering Committee (DSSC) to oversee the study and make recommendations for enhancing diversity and compliance activities.  The DSSC will work with ORD and the consulting firm Cambridge Hill Partners, a firm with many years of experience in the areas of diversity and strategic innovation in higher education. 

 
The members of the DSSC encourage all full-time faculty to participate in this study through a system-wide survey that has been designed to evaluate the climate for diversity and inclusion at CUNY.  The survey will be sent out in the next few weeks. 

 
Interested members of the University community may also volunteer to participate in faculty focus groups that will be organized around the following categories:  individuals with disabilities, gender, race/ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation.

Finally, the DSSC will hold borough-wide strategy sessions in which any faculty member may participate in a thoughtful dialogue on how the University can increase its diversity and foster an environment of inclusion.

 

Should faculty members wish to participate in a focus group or strategy session, they should send an email to [email protected].

 

A similar effort for staff will commence in Fall 2011.

Katherine IsaacsOHRM Names New Campus Representative

Katherine Isaacs of Central Office HR Tapped for Pilot Program

 

Katherine Isaacs has been named OHRM's new campus representative for Lehman and the New Community College.


In its ongoing efforts to improve customer service to CUNY's colleges, OHRM has assigned Ms. Isaacs, a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) with a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology, to provide on-site assistance and guidance to the administrators and human resources officers for Lehman College and the New Community College.  "Katherine will be tasked with helping find solutions to each college's HR needs, from expediting everyday approvals processes to shepherding sensitive or out-of-the-ordinary personnel actions," said Vice Chancellor Ginger Waters. "She is our first emissary from the Central Office to provide dedicated, hands-on HR service to a college.  Based on the results of this pilot program, we hope to be able to provide more OHRM representation on other campuses in the future."


"I'm so excited to launch this effort under the leadership of Vice Chancellor Waters and Ray O'Brien," said Ms. Isaacs.  "This new role expands on my current Central Office responsibilities for performance management, employee communications, training, recruiting, and classification.  I will seek first to learn the Colleges' business operations and culture, and then collaborate with administrators and the Central Office to get things done.  The campus representative initiative is an important phase in OHRM's effort to transform the way it serves CUNY's colleges and employees. I foresee it giving OHRM and the Central Office more insight into campus operations, so that together we can achieve better business results." 

About Us
The CUNY Office of Human Resources Management is responsible for developing the University's human resources guidelines, standards, rules and regulations. We enforce federal, state and local employment laws, and ensure compliance with the CUNY Board of Trustees' policies and procedures regarding employment, including affirmative action and equal opportunity employment. OHRM administers employee benefits and professional development programs for University staff, and oversees the administration of Civil Service examinations. 
 

Our Mission:  To provide strategic, consultative and effective human resources services that promote organizational success, individual achievement, inclusiveness and excellence.

 

Our Vision:  OHRM will serve the University community by embracing the dual roles of transaction and transformation in response to the current and emerging needs of the University and its workforce.  It will become a model for human resources as internal consultant and problem-solver; it will provide expertise and leadership to enable the campuses and the University to achieve their goals while complying with pertinent HR policies and regulations.  In all matters, OHRM will carry out its duties in a manner that is respectful, knowledgeable, and that reflects the highest standards of inclusiveness and excellence.

 

Let us hear from you!  
Send your comments or suggestions to [email protected].