Rutgers
University
Administrative
Assembly
The Administrator
...the Assembly Newsletter & On-Line Home Page
Volume XXI, Issue 04: September/October/November 1996
The views and opinions expressed in The Administrator are those of the authors identified or of the Administrative Assembly and are not necessarily those of Rutgers University.
Table of Contents
Death and Resurrection
by Henry G. (Hank) Dziemian
After being told that my position was being eliminated due to budget reasons, I contacted the Administrative Assemby. They referred me to the Personnel department to help me find another position within Rutgers. I joined Rutgers five years ago as a computer programmer in RUCS (Rutgers University Computing Services) and enjoyed the working environment enough to want to remain an employee at Rutgers. During my search I was extremely aggressive and utilized the resources provided by the Personnel department.
The Rutgers and RUCS Personnel departments were very helpful in explaining all of the resources that were available to me. I was able to meet with all levels of staff in the Personnel department and discuss my options.
What I appreciated most was their concern for my situation. They worked aggressively at finding a match between my skills and the skills required for current open positions within Rutgers. They contacted various departments explaining my situation and skills and explored that departments current and future needs to find a suitable position for me. Numerous times I had questions and needed to speak to someone in Personnel and they always were there to help. There also is a department within the state that will search for suitable positions at all the state departments for state employees affected by a layoff.
After a few months a position opened within RUCS where my skills matched. It's tough to find an exact match of your skills to the needs of other departments. Other departments might do things a little differently from your current department; and they would rather find a perfect match. This is why I believe it's best to increase your skills constantly, because it's obvious that you never know what will happen.
Overall, I was satisfied with the service provided to me by the Rutgers and RUCS Personnel departments. They responded as if it were their position being cut. That attitude immensely increased my opportunities at Rutgers.
It's a Girl!
Busch Campus delegate Carl Lahetta and his wife Suzanne had their first child, a seven-pound, 2 ounce girl, Meredith K. Lahetta, at 4:35 in the afternoon on November 11, 1996. Both Suzanne and the baby are doing well. Carl is reported as having survived the experience… thus far. Lahetta was the 1995 vice-president of the Administrative Assembly.
Opinion
Quality Communications
by Charles Olszewski
Rutgers University has been pursuing its own version of Total Quality Management (TQM), called the University Program for Quality and Communication Improvement (QCI). It is to be regretted that to date the Communication Improvement has not impacted the Merit Awards program for A/P/S personnel.
I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the Merit Awards system in recent months. I have listened to a great many complaints about the program. I have chewed over many of my own misgivings. These all lead me to an inescapable conclusion: Even if the present program were the most fairly and impartially administered program of its sort in the history of humanity, no one will ever know it. Further, even if this program were the most biased, inequitable, and unfair program possible, no one could ever prove it.
Why not? Because, other than a few guidelines promulgated by the University, no standards exist for the program; and because neither the recipient nor the remainder of the staff is told clearly the basis upon which an award was made.
This all seems rather curious. The only good reason for merit pay is to encourage productive job behavior by rewarding it. Yet, if no standards are adduced, how is productive behavior to be identified in such a way as to encourage its pursuit? And if the behavior being rewarded is not identified, how is the awardee to know what practices to continue? And how are the non-recipients to know what practices to emulate?
In the Merit Award program, what we have here is a failure to communicate.
Attend Assembly Meetings
The Administrative Assembly meets on the second Thursday of each month at 12:00 Noon. The Assembly considers issues of University policy that affect Administrative, Supervisory, and Professional (A/P/S) non-faculty employees of the University. Frequently, there will be a guest speaker on a related topic. The meetings are held at sites on every campus, across all three geographic centers (Camden, New Brunswick, and Newark) of Rutgers University, on a rotating basis. The location of each meeting can be found in the "Next Meeting" section of the Assembly's Home Page.
Please try to attend the meeting when we come to your campus.
CUPA Honors Otzenberger
Stephen J. Otzenberger is the delegate to the Administrative Assembly of the Office of the President of the University. He is the Director of Personnel Services at Rutgers. He holds membership in the College and University Personnel Association (CUPA). That association has designated him the 1996 recipient of the Donald E. Dickason Award.
Citing from CUPA's publicity about the award:
"CUPA's highest honor is named for the founder of CUPA, Donald E. Dickason. Established in 1970, this award honors outstanding service to CUPA over a sustained period of five or more years.
"The 1996 recipient of this award is Stephen J. Otzenberger, Director of Personnel Services at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. A member of CUPA since 1978, Otzenberger is known for his high level of leadership, his expertise, his logic and thoroughness, and his capacity to mentor others. He has been the architect of some of the most important contributions to CUPA in recent years. Otzenberger has served as CUPA's president-elect, president, past president, national treasurer, chair-elect and chair of the Northwest Region, chair of the Management Information Systems Council, chair of the Search Committee for the Executive Director, and also has been a member of CUPA's National Executive Committee. He has been instrumental in implementing CUPA's strategic planning efforts, having served as the organizer and chair of CUPA's Strategic Planning Retreat in 1991.
"In addition, Otzenberger has been a tireless presenter at a number of CUPA regional conferences and national conventions. Otzenberger also has shared his expertise by authoring articles for CUPA News and CUPA Journal."
The Administrator Masthead
Contest!
The Communications Committee regrets to report that, as of the October 25 closing date of the contest, no entries were received. The Committee, and the full Administrative Assembly, are debating whether to extend the contest further, or to go to another source for a new masthead.
From the Editor…
Since this will be ‘the only issue’ for which I serve as editor, I feel compelled to communicate something to you all.
Happy Holidays to everyone! This year has had many twists and turns of both positive and not-so-positive outcomes. Personally, I feel encouraged that the coming year will be one of good balance and rewards.
And speaking of balance and rewards…smile…HOLD THIS DATE (June 7, 1997) for another Heart Ride! Last year’s bicycle ride was such a huge success that we’re going to do it again. This year (on June 7) I would love to see the Rutgers Team increase its number of riders (perhaps to even double); and also to diversify even more by increasing participants from faculty, staff, and student bodies from New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden campuses.
This type of activity, which is totally non-professional, allows us to experience each other in a non-competitive, friendly, warm manner. It sure was fun last year, and I am sure it will be even better this coming Spring. As I get more details, I shall pass them on to you with the hope that I have sparked an intense interest in fresh air, camaraderie, good exercise, and warm, fuzzy feelings).
Edith Frankel,
Editor
Recently Passed Assembly Motions...September 12 through November 14, 1996
At the November 14 meeting, the Assembly passed a motion which identified to the delegate from the President's Office those items that the body felt were of highest importance for the University Administration to work on on behalf of the Assembly and its constituency. The three priority items were:
Cost of Living Adjustments –
Recommend that hereafter, pensionable, cost of living adjustments be forthcoming for A/P/S personnel as part of the total University salary and compensation to guard against inflation. The University has repeatedly responded that Rutgers will not add a step 9 to its salary and compensation tables for A/P/S personnel. Central administration would much prefer that the issue be replaced with discussion about pay-for-performance. Regardless of whether or not Rutgers maintains the merit award process or abandons increments and replaces both programs with pay for performance, the workforce needs to protect the marketable value of its work effort.Deferred Compensation
Cost sharing for active A/P/S employees who currently have 25 or more years of service should be University funded. These Rutgers employees have a property right to cost free, undiminished health care coverage upon retirement, including either prescription reimbursement at previous Blue Cross levels or pharmacy card privileges. To do otherwise smacks of victimization and amounts to a reduction in take home pay. Additionally, vested A/P/S employees on the University payroll when the legislation enacting cost sharing was passed (1996) should remain eligible for cost free, undiminished health care coverage upon retirement with 25 or more years of Rutgers University service.Equitable Hiring, Promotion & Reclassification –
For several years, the Assembly has worked via committee with Personnel on language changes to the reclassification policy. Agreements were reached on numerous items. Those changes could be implemented immediately. Likewise, appointment letters for active A/P/S personnel should be forthcoming, as well.
The following motion, proposed by the Salary, Compensation, and Benefits Committee, was passed by voice vote at the November meeting:
Whereas, the Merit Award Program does not always equitably benefit A/P/S staff due to the distribution of awards based on instances of favoritism between units, and
Whereas, the Merit Award Program does not reward exemplary performance by an A/P/S staff member whose director or supervisor refuses to put forth a nomination, and
Whereas, some unit directors or supervisors neglect to provide annual performance appraisals for the A/P/S staff members, thus denying them the opportunit to receive a merit award, and
Whereas, performance appraisal is nont, therefore, a standard measure of performance at the university,
Therefore, neither the current Merit Award Program nor the performance appraisal system can serve as the basis for a pay for performance program and until they have been improved, the Administrative Assembly does not endorse the concept of pay for performance. The Salary and Compensation Committee, however, will continue to work with central administration to improve the performance appraisal system and Merit Award Program.
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