Strategy: Recruit, Develop and Retain a Distinguished and Diverse Faculty and Staff

Point People:  Barbara Horwitz, Dennis Shimek, and Phyllis Wise

Narrative Summary of Year Two (2004-05) Implementation Efforts:

As the increase in student growth moves from its rapid to steady state phase, the pace of faculty recruitment will also slow.  Academic year 2004-05 saw the manifestation of that slower pace as the campus hired approximately 58 new ladder faculty compared to 94 ladder faculty hires in 2003-04.  As described below, we have continued to build on the efforts of existing faculty, chairs, deans and other administrators to facilitate the recruitment, development, and retaining a distinguished and diverse faculty. 

Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent with the Strategy (Faculty):

• Continued meetings with the chairs of search committees to explain the use of hiring goals and utilization data/availability pools for women and underrepresented minorities and to discuss best practices for ensuring a diverse applicant pool. 
• Continued emphasis on hiring at the junior level (Assistant/Associate ranks) and utilization of the department’s five year hiring history in reviewing their requests to upgrade recruitments from junior to open or to senior searches.  Such upgrades were approved only under unusual circumstances.
• Continued utilization of work-life balance provisions for child bearing/adoption for ladder faculty on the general campus (http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/worklife.cfm) and work on the development of work-life balance provisions for all faculty in the School of Medicine (http://som.ucdavis.edu/fs/academicaffairs/policy/somleave).
• Continued utilization of the Partner Opportunities Program (http://popprogram.ucdavis.edu/), the Mortgage Origination Program (http://homeloans.ucdavis.edu/), and off-scales where necessary for competitiveness in hiring and retention.
• Continued monthly brown bag lunches with new and continuing department chairs to discuss issues related to academic leadership of departments and programs as well as strategies that have worked and those that have not.
• Developed a two day workshop for new chairs which will had its “trial run” September 14 & 15, 2005.  This workshop included both policy and best practices for a variety of issues, including the role of chairs in faculty advancement/faculty success, faculty searches, managing department resources, compliance with financial management standards/responsibilities, fostering a positive and productive work environment). 
• Completed a web-based Handbook for Department/Program Chairs that discusses both the “nuts and bolts” of being a chair and provides a core of information on best practices and web resources to assist chairs in effectively managing a department (http://academicpersonnel.ucdavis.edu/chairs_handbook.cfm). 
• Expanded the monthly brown bag lunches with new faculty to include a variety of topics related to academic success (e.g., the development of effective teaching, managing labs and mentoring graduate students, grantsmanship, work/life balance policies, and personnel policies/preparing dossiers).
• Continued to streamline the reviewing of personnel actions by reducing the use of ad hoc committees for personnel actions that the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Personnel (CAP) and the Academic Federation Personnel Committees felt that they had the expertise to evaluate. 
• Developed the initial design and process mapping for the anticipated implementation of an on-line academic recruitment process.
• Refined the functional aspects of a campus wide process for generating and reviewing personnel actions in preparation for expansion of the number of units piloting the process during the 2005-06 academic year.  
• Continued efforts to obtain endowed chairs – current count is 90
• Modified the Academic Personnel web page to make information regarding faculty diversity easier to locate/access.

Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent with Strategy (Staff):

• Human Resources has analyzed the current employment profile and corresponding labor markets through the preparation of updated “data” reports.
• Established an outreach committee and conducted focused recruitments; analyzed referral/interviewing and hiring data
• Strengthened general recruitment initiatives to increase referrals to achieve diversity
• Provided hiring authorities with relevant employment and goal-related data
• Required diverse selection committees
• Required mandatory training for hiring authorities in the selection process
• Development of a computer system that will improve the efficiency of job postings and review of classification requests.
• Continued emphasis on customer needs to provide prompt service to complete the selection process.
• Assigned critical job classifications to higher salary grades to meet competition.
• Initiated and supported equity (salary) adjustments in order to recognize performance and maintain our competitive positions.  Encouraged managers to review classifications and current salaries in order to “retain” employees.
• Plans underway to create a third child care center and increase number of lactation sites.  Received public recognition for lactation centers.  Responding to employee needs to position UC Davis as an “Employer of Choice” position.
• Supported a complete array of Career Development training programs (at no cost to the department) to build retention and prepare employees for future openings.  Provided funding to departments to support local training needs.
• Established a management training program.
• Invested in a work-life project to best communicate to our employees the many advantages at UCD i.e. wellness program, flex time, shared appointments, ASAP, child care and elder care.
• Continued support to departments to establish local recognition programs available under current policy.

Plans for 2005-06 (Faculty):

• Continue all efforts described above related to search committees, new faculty, department chairs, and faculty/chair leadership issues.

• Continue development/testing of the in-progress e-dossier program/database for personnel actions.

• Develop an FAQ for Academic Federation Employees.

• Continue work on ways to facilitate departments/programs/deans in nominating faculty for prestigious extramural fellowships, awards, etc.

• Continue to modify the Academic Personnel web page to make location of information more intuitive.

Plans for 2005-06 (Staff):

• Administration of a competency program that will help managers better evaluate applicants, conduct performance reviews and classify positions.
• Implementation of a program to train and prepare managers for positions in academic departments.
• Establish a program to prepare employees for future career openings in professional classifications
• Working with campus management and Senior Advisors to strengthen the administration of our Staff Affirmative Action and Diversity program in order to focus resources on the accomplishment of our goals.
• Support additional recognition programs i.e. educational leaves, performance incentives, mentorships and internships.
• Continue work on child care support programs including services in the new “West Village”, and financial support for child care subsidies.
• Establish internships, as well as support mentorships, to respond to projected retirements and diversity needs.
• Continue work with community groups, campus constituent groups and unions to form partnerships that will “advertise” UC Davis as an employer of choice in order to attract a strong and diversified pool of applicants.