A&F Notes
enhancing our culture by sharing informationNo. 4: Spring/Summer, 1997 (without graphics)
Paul's Page: A message from the vc of A&F
MEET..... the people who deliver your packages & supplies
working to improve safety in the workplace
Workplace safety is an important issue to the staff and management of A&F. Safety committees have been established in the Physical Plant, Dining Services, and Campus Services to listen to staff workplace safety concerns and to do their best to solve, or at least minimize, them. A safety committee is also in the works for the Campus Center. Rick Mears, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), serves as the coordinating member of each committee and acts as liaison to EH&S and other campus departments.
Physical Plant Safety Committee Chair: Al Lego
The Physical Plant’s safety initiatives include the appointment of a full-time Safety Officer, a Safety Employee of the Month program, complete review of hazard control process in the Lock Shop to reduce further injury, training in CPR and "right to know" matters, a prominently placed safety bulletin board, road safety initiatives, floor signage and striping, alcohol and drug testing, housekeeping issues, and ergonomics.
Dining Services Safety Committee Chair: Jeff Kellogg
Working as a committee since September, 1995, the Dining Services Safety Committee has tackled problems such as floor maintenance and sanitation, ventilation, cleaning of HVAC delivery systems, chemical handling, cleaning procedures, work request procedures, and the reorganization of maintenance staff. Improved training programs have been implemented, anti-fatigue mats are in use, and guards have been installed on appropriate equipment to reduce injuries.
Campus Services Safety Committee Chair: Linda Koscinski
The Campus Services Safety Committee, established in September, 1995, has focused on issues such as driver training, job safety analysis, wellness program, overcrowded work areas, equipment to lessen repetitive motion injuries, violence in the workplace, bus exhaust, smoking policies, and personal protective equipment.
Surveys conducted by these committees have identified a number of common issues and concerns. Issues include clear and consistently enforced policies and procedures, smoking, violence in the workplace, workplace injuries, employee awards and recognition, training, communication at all levels, and roadway safety, particularly pedestrian traffic, dangerous intersections, seatbelt use, and adequate seating in campus vehicles.
Paul's Page: A message from the vc of A&FEffective employee training and development is the cornerstone of an excellent organization. Human capital is the most important component of Administration and Finance. It is through our employees that we serve the campus community. This asset needs to be continually nurtured and developed to operate at peak effectiveness and efficiency.
Over the past several years we have expanded our training efforts in many significant ways. Several articles in this newsletter describe some of these efforts. Our Training and Development Unit has played a central role in assisting not only A&F but the campus as a whole. Their programs, offered through the employee training, organizational development and labor/management workplace education sections, provide a broad array of training opportunities to the campus community. Employees are afforded opportunities to participate in Five College and university-wide programs as well as professional organizations. Training also occurs at all levels of the campus, within individual units and through specialized off-campus programs.
It is important that training and development not be considered an isolated event where someone is sent and magically transformed. Training must be integrated into the daily fabric of how we do our jobs, relate to one another, grow as individuals, and support our unit and the community. We work in an educational institution, yet on occasion have forgotten this context in our own daily job responsibilities.
Many of us will find ourselves in a different position in the future as we undergo significant change in our job responsibilities. We may be asked to fulfill the role of trainers who assist our customers in making effective use of our restructured services. This is beginning to occur as we institute programs such as the ProCard, a new hiring process, and streamline the travel reimbursement process. We may need to develop new skills to carry out these functions, put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, and think creatively about how to prepare and present material which is complete, accurate, concise, and easy to understand.
I am convinced that we are up to the challenges that face us. We need to carefully put to effective use all the tools that we have available to us as an organization and as individuals keep an open mind and be willing to learn and teach others in an ever-changing environment.
A certificate ceremony was held in January at the Campus Center for 26 supervisors who completed an 11 week course on supervision. Participants in SUPERVISORY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT represented a cross section of supervisors in A&F, Environmental Health & Safety, and the Library. Collaborative efforts of A&F and SEIU, Local 509 have been instrumental in the development of the skills necessary for good supervision and the implementation of this series. Participants in the first Supervisory Leadership Development Program: Ed Mientka, Alicia Walter, Al Sorensen, Brian Mielnikowski, Charles Lehane, Jim Tocci, Gary Munter, Mary Lawrence, Barbara McAvoy, David O’Connor, Linda Marchesani, Dana Callan, Richard Ford, Marcia Edmonds, Barry Lanstein, Jim Fox, Michael Desmond, Laura Garney, Chester Czernich, Ann Koski, Bercia Zaniewski, and Deb McGill
100% of the participants of the first class rated the series as excellent or good in meeting their expectations. Some of the comments included:
"The information and handouts contained useful, practical applications."
"I found the discussions with supervisors from around campus to be most helpful. It’s good to know I’m not the only one having to deal with difficult situations."
"The evaluations by my direct reports helped me to recognize my weaknesses."
"The handouts were very informative and I will use much of what I have learned on the job and in my life. Thank you."
"At first I didn’t think I would learn that much from the series. I was wrong. I learned a lot that I can use on the job."
"All the information has been applicable to my job. Most helpful to me has been other people’s perspectives to problems. Their solutions and insights were ones I would never have considered on my own!"
The second group of participants are taking the Core Competency Series this spring. Training and Development will offer another series this summer, with two additional series in the fall. Within the next two years, all A&F supervisors will be exposed to this model and receive training on its application.
Highlights of the Supervisory Leadership Development Program
• All new supervisors in A&F are required to participate.
• Open to supervisors from all executive areas of the university.
• Involves the direct interaction of the supervisors of participants as partners in the learning and skill development process.
• Certificate of Completion which certifies that the six core competency areas (Communicator, Organizer, Team Builder, Mentor, Mediator and Evaluator) are understood and information from the series is applied in the workplace.
OTHER TRAINING INITIATIVES
include a broad variety of sessions which train staff in the tools, techniques, and philosophy of continuous quality improvement and sessions on diversity and multiculturalism.TAKING CHARGE OF CHANGE
was designed to provide administrative managers and supervisors with the tools, skills, and leadership strategies and models to successfully manage change in their workplaces and support their staff in what, at times, can be a stressful environment. Eight managers and supervisors from A&F participated in a five day program, sponsored by the five campuses and the President’s Office and delivered by the Washington-based Cortland Company. Participants engaged in a range of learning activities that helped them focus on such topics as Communication, Team Building, Performance Management, Change Management, and Action Planning. One of the tools used in the program was the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, an instrument that provides individuals with feedback regarding personality preferences. Participants found this tool to be helpful in understanding their own preferences and the strengths of other personality types.Given the success of this program, plans are in the making to conduct a second round of the program starting in late spring. Training and Development is ready to support administrative managers and supervisors with learning and support opportunities as we prepare for the changes that lie ahead.
Participants had an opportunity to reflect on what they had gained from Taking Charge of Change:
"The biggest thing is that I’m looking at change differently, and realize that even small changes do impact us, and now I have strategies to deal with them."
"I realize you can set up models for change and use them for affecting change. No single formula is always going to work. Now I have more alternatives I can go to."
"I’m much more comfortable and focused on what is essential. I’m thinking differently about things."
"I gained a lot of knowledge in where I’m coming from, how I act, how others act around me."
An important feature of the program was bringing together participants from the five campuses and the President’s Office to learn together, discuss common situations, and network for support.
"Symbolically it was very important to begin to make efforts and have connections that are more system based."
"It was an opportunity to see that people from different campuses had the same or worse problems."
Taking Charge of Change Participants: Yvonne Campbell, Employment Office; Charlie Gibson, Procurement Office; Sam Killings, Controller’s Office; Jayne Krause, Controller’s Office; KathleenO’Dowd, Controller’s Office; Meredith Schmidt, Campus Center; Tom Stolarski, Procurement Office; Ruth Yanka, A&F
Congratulations to Bill Hebert, Building Envelope Supervisor at Physical Plant, for his role as a star witness in a "slip and fall" case against the Commonwealth. Thanks to Bill’s continuous assistance, enthusiasm, and initiative, the jury returned a verdict favorable to the Commonwealth in less than an hour. In addition to building a model of the gutter system in question, he assisted Cynthia Gagne, Assistant Attorney General, by proposing questions for cross-examination and testifying for the defense. In a letter to Brian Burke, Assistant University Counsel, Attorney Gagne wrote, "On direct examination, Mr. Hebert simply charmed the jury. He came out from behind the witness box and using his model, he became a professor of gutters!" and "Simply put, Mr. Hebert deserves some recognition for his outstanding efforts in assisting this office in its defense of UMass in this case." Well done Bill.
Spring has Sprung!!
by Kathleen Gallivan, Budget OfficeThe first signs of spring appear every year at the annual March bulb shows at Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges. And what a delight they are! As March rolls around most of us are tired of the cold, gloomy remnants of winter and anxiously wait for the first crocus to erupt or the first robin to appear. This year’s shows were as beautiful as ever with a tradition that goes back more than 75 years in greenhouses nearly 100 years old. A trip next year to either campus, beginning the first weekend in March, to see their spectacular showings will definitely launch you into a spring mode. (The shows will coincide in 1998 and run for two weeks.)
There may be snow outside but as soon as you walk into the greenhouse, you experience the fragrance of hyacinths and the sight of thousands of bulbs in every color of the rainbow bursts of color everywhere! Flowering bulbs range from tulips and narcissus (daffodils to most of us) to the beautiful large amaryllis flowers. Forsythias, various flowering vines, primroses, begonias, orchids-everything timed just right to bloom in unison! This year, Mount Holyoke=s flower show included a beautiful miniature display depicting each season in four small serene settings involving ponds and stonework . Either show will guarantee that you’ll leave with a smile on your face and spring in your heart. I know that I=ll be back again next year with my usual oohs and ahs!
The People Who deliver your packages & suppliesCampus Distribution Services (CDS) recently reorganized and expanded its delivery service to include direct services to departments. By delivering packages directly to departments versus a central location in the building, there’s better security control and verification of CDS deliveries.
With the addition of another driver, CDS expanded its delivery zones from 3 to 4 to accomplish the goal of more efficient services to its customers. Zone deliveries are UPS/RPS sized packages, office supplies (from OCS), completed orders from Printing Services, and 3rd and 4th class mail packages. A specialized team delivers bulk items requiring special handling.
John Bitetti and Rocky Barbuto and Brian Dupes load the CDS, OCS and Printing Services packages into CDS trucks beginning at 7:30 each morning.
Drivers Steve Strong, Mike Dufresne, Randy Bouvin and Rich O’Rourke annually distribute 85,000 packages to the campus community.
Coordinated by Carol Laizer, John Fitzgibbon and Chuck Niedzielski, typically handle and deliver 20,000 pieces of scientific lab and computer equipment, furniture, publication orders, and hazardous materials.
Sandra Anderson, Director, Campus Services and Linda Koscinski, Manager, CDS
Floor Supervisor Mike Robidoux and his staff Tawnya Wickline, Cheri Prisco, Michael Diamond, and Lori Wiles ensure that department delivery requests and pick-up notifications are efficiently handled to provide optimal service.
Yearly, CDS staff distributes 114,500 packages and retrieves an estimated 1,000 packages for vendor returns.
Letters to the Editor
I am most appreciative for the generous assistance provided by all Administration and Finance departments to the Commencement Planning Committee. More than one hundred individuals throughout A&F are directly involved in the planning and execution phases of this campus-wide initiative, including more than a dozen who will be serving as unpaid volunteers on the day of the ceremony. Your outstanding support, both in terms of quantity as well as quality, significantly contribute to the hoped for - indeed expected - success of this event. Special thanks go to Auxiliary Services, Campus Services, and the Physical Plant Division. As planning begins for 1998 - yes, already - it is reassuring to know that A&F can be counted on, as usual, for jobs very well done.
Thank you for your participation.
Robert N. Brooks, Director, Student Affairs Special Services, Commencement Coordinator
Campus Sender Opens
The Campus Sender opened its doors on March 12th with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Located on the second floor of the Campus Center, formerly housed by McGregor Travel, which has moved up to the 3rd floor, the Campus Sender is the new home of the U.S. Post Office substation, Peter Pan Bus Tickets, and a new shipping service using UPS. The fax service once available at the Campus Center Print Shop is now located in the Sender and a self-service copier is currently being evaluated. Shipping supplies, including bubble and foam wrap, envelopes, and boxes, are available for purchase.
All services are now open Monday through Friday. The Post Office opens at 8:30 a.m. and has extended hours until 5 p.m. A postal vending machine is available for those customers wishing to purchase stamps, postcards, and envelopes after 5 p.m. The bus ticket and shipping service are open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The consolidation of these services offers convenience to the campus community and more of the one stop shopping concept.
Juan Jarrett Named Assistant Vice Chancellor for HR
Juan A. Jarrett, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Personnel at the State University of New York System Administration office, has been named Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and assumed his new position on June 2.
A graduate of Lafayette College, Juan also earned a masters in public administration degree from Fordham University. At SUNY, he was responsible for all aspects of human resource and personnel policy development and the coordination and implementation of personnel procedures for the 64-campus system.
As assistant vice chancellor, Juan will provide leadership for the development and implementation of human resources policies and procedures for the campus.