For example, you have told us that the complexity of our organization–particularly with our consolidated relationship with Anschutz and our intricate relationship with AHEC–has not always allowed a singular focus on CU Denver’s mission and specific needs. And you told us that we need to diversify our faculty and staff to better reflect the diversity of our student body.
We have heard you, and we will continue to engage and partner with you as we enhance the positive changes we have already made and implement even more in the months ahead.
In that spirit, I am writing today to provide an overview of our operations, strategic priorities, current state, achievements to date, and work that we still need to address.
CU Denver’s HR Function & Priority Setting
To move forward as a people-centered best place to work, we need to set clear priorities and have CU Denver HR professionals in place to assist you with a variety of needs. With your input in mind, we have identified these as our highest priorities:
- talent acquisition to help recruit high-quality, mission-driven, diverse talent and reduce vacancies;
- compensation to ensure we are using best-in-class models for salary structures;
- learning and development to help develop a career progression strategy and growth opportunities for our employees;
- workplace engagement to create a culture of belonging and inclusion; and
- employee relations programs to provide supportive services to those who need them.
To that end, we now have several dedicated HR staff members, including me, to serve you. The names and positions of our team can be found online in a more comprehensive update from me.
Our Current State
Before delving into the specific initiatives that we are undertaking as part of Goal 5, I wanted to share a snapshot of where we stand today.
We’ve had 129 brand new faculty join us this fall, as well as more than 70 staff members this calendar year alone. We also continue to actively recruit and hire. We are currently recruiting for approximately 95 positions across all schools, colleges, and units within the university, and our employee retention rate remains steady over the last four years and competitive with the higher education industry at 86%. Our compensation is competitive with peers in the state and across the nation, and our benefits are the best among Colorado higher education. We are also investing in our own people’s professional development and growth.
Progress in Last Six Months
I wanted to share with you some of the progress we’ve made thus far and what’s ahead. Here are a few highlights:
- Launched the two-year Comprehensive Compensation Collaborative that will help us develop a compensation framework that embraces our ESI values, including equity in pay, by clarifying our current compensation system and identifying where improvements are needed. Recruitment is underway for a steering committee and a second committee that will lead an initial review of job families and compensation benchmarks. Both committees are expected to launch in November.
- Advanced the Search Advocates program to promote practices that prioritize equity, access and inclusion, and minimize bias and barriers. A total of 22 employees have been through the training including faculty and staff. Another 12 employees are completing the training this fall or in the spring.
- Developed and launched the inaugural Staff Supervisor Professional Development Program. The year-long cohort program gives 21 staff supervisors a monthly opportunity to develop and strengthen supervisory skills.
- Launched the Academic Leadership Accelerator program, a year-long experience for academic leaders (chairs/discipline directors, associate deans, and deans). This year, 88 participants are learning about what it means to lead in an equity-serving institution.
What Lies Ahead
In addition to our compensation initiative, we are working on dozens of projects in varying phases, and we plan to launch the following projects and many others in the next six months:
- Examine how we appreciate and celebrate our staff and faculty; we welcome your input in the following survey. Please complete the survey by Monday, November 7.
- Continue to improve our operations and data analytics, as well as reduce wait times for HR services including reposting and refilling vacant positions.
- Update and share organizational charts so there is common understanding of roles and responsibilities across the institution.
- Create a standardized method for our performance evaluation and development process and offer tools to enhance supervisor support and the employee experience and provide a framework for accountability.
In Closing
As we move forward, be on the lookout for stories featuring new HR programs and opportunities available to you in CU Denver News. You’ll begin getting routine updates from me about how we are doing on our way to creating an HR department you can depend on, and which will help create the kind of environment that will make CU Denver a people-centered best place to work.
If you have ideas or questions about university-wide HR operations, please don’t hesitate to contact me or other members of my team. We are in this together, and CU Denver’s HR is here to serve you.
Best,
teri engelke
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources