UT System Employee Advisory Council Presentation by UTPA Representatives Teresa R. Garcia Velinda V. Reyes

History  Employee Advisory Council (EAC) was first established in 2000 by the Board of Regents  First meeting of the EAC was held in March 2001  First presentation to the Board of Regents occurred on Feb. 13, 2002  Primary goal is to develop feasible recommendations for consideration by Board of Regents

Membership 2 members represent each component of the UT System:  18 members from 9 academic components  12 members from 6 health institutions  2 members from System Administration

Standing Committees Issues are presented for review by the EAC by UT System or through the work of several Committees:  Benefits Subcommittee  Communication Subcommittee  Compensation Subcommittee  Policy Subcommittee

Benefits Committee Deliberates and provides recommendations related to benefits and well being of the U.T. System components and Administration, including  Improvement of employee group insurance;  Establishment of wellness programs; and  Enhancements of retirement programs, education, training and training benefits, and other programs of benefit to staff.

Communications Committee Maintains the Web page for the EAC and collects and disseminates information about the work of the EAC.

Compensation Committee Deliberates and makes recommendations on issues related to compensation levels, recruitment, retention, and support of the non-teaching staff, including  Policies on employee salaries, the basis for merit salary increases, and equity among U.T. System component institutions and System Administration in comparison to other universities;  Issues involving recruitment and retention of well- qualified staff capable of completing the mission of the U.T. System; and  Issues involving the proper classification of U.T. System employees.

Policy Committee Collects data from U. T. System and U. T. System component institutions concerning the implementation and impact of policies that affect non-teaching employees.

Summary of Topics Fall Meeting, October 1- 11, 2005 Austin, TX  Diversity  Post Katrina/Rita lessons  Difficult legislative session  Management Leadership Development Program  Board of Regents Planning Task Force

Diversity Presenter Grace Hernandez Office of Institutional Diversity University of Texas at San Antonio

Highlights of Ms. Hernandez’s Presentation o Diversity is defined as a concept encompassing physical, sociological, and ideological differences which identify a person both individually and in groups.

Diversity Continued  Shared similarities must be strengthened and built upon by management to create an atmosphere where individuals can succeed and fail without influence from group membership.

Diversity Continued To build diversity dimensions, leadership must have vision to  Move from unleveled to level playing field,  Build on diversity dimensions,  Provide equal access,  Provide educational access,  Understand different cultures, and  Teach members that perception about groups creates reality and that perceptions can lead to stereotyping.

Diversity Continued Creating a diversity-oriented organization requires that leadership is  linked to its unique contributors,  committed to diversity issues,  convinced that individual differences lead to strength, and  Shaped by member needs. Leadership must value member difference.

Diversity Continued Goals of a diversity-oriented organization are  To integrate all members,  To build on diversity dimensions, and  To create broadened standards that Provide inclusiveness Reduce cultural misunderstanding and tension Support a process for creating access Improve effectiveness and efficiency.

Presenter Dan Stewart Executive Director of Benefits Administration U.T. System

Management and Leadership Development Program  System is emphasizing need to nurture talent of current employees  System is recognizing need to tolerate some risk to capitalize on potential  One goal of System’s Management and Leadership Development Program is to “serve as a model for consideration and adoption by U.T. System component institutions”

Management and Leadership Development Program Continued Mission and goals of the Management and Leadership Development Program can be found at

Board of Regents Planning Task Force Presenter Geri Malandra Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Planning and Accountability U.T. System

Board of Regents Planning Task Force  Purpose of task force is to align goals of U.T. System to goals of components  Focus on critical issues facing System  President Cárdenas attended planning meeting in January

What the future holds for the EAC  Next meeting is March and will be hosted by The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston  Benefits subcommittee will investigate educational benefits for staff  Communication Subcommittee will work on campus highlight distributions

What the future holds for the EAC continued  Policy subcommittee will develop a best practice guide for grievance processes  Compensation subcommittee, chaired by UTPA’s Velinda Reyes, will look at overall pay increases including living, merit, exceptional merit, and cost market analysis adjustments.

Questions? Teresa Garcia Learning Specialist University Writing Center Velinda Reyes Director Career Placement Services