Administration responds to Faculty Council resolution on fiscal management of CU Health Trust

Saying she was “concerned that the Faculty Council was asked to act on (a) proposal without complete or accurate information,” a top CU administrator read a letter to the council responding to its recent motion that called into question details about the financial reporting of the CU Health and Welfare Trust.

E. Jill Pollock, vice president for employee and information services, noted that she was traveling and unavailable to respond in person when the council voted in favor of the action at its Aug. 22 meeting. Speaking at the council’s Sept. 26 meeting, she read from a letter intended “to offer context and perspective on several issues raised in the proposal.”

The Faculty Council in August voted in favor of a motion asking that university leadership direct auditors to assemble more detailed reporting about the finances of the CU Health and Welfare Trust, which funds health benefits for employees and eligible dependents of CU, University of Colorado Hospital and University Physicians Inc.

“Whenever there’s a resolution of this nature, we take it very seriously,” Pollock told the council at the Sept. 26 meeting. “Since mid-2010, I’ve been able to talk with you whenever you’ve expressed concerns about the Health Trust …. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that (in August). So when that resolution was passed, which you have every right to do, I believe and University Counsel believed we needed to prepare an official response to you.”

Pollock read the letter without taking questions; she said the letter was prepared by University Counsel with input from her and Mark Stanker, assistant vice president, CU Health Plan.

Click here to see the letter, supporting documents and the proposal voted on earlier by Faculty Council.

In other business at the Sept. 26 Faculty Council meeting:

• Pollock reported that 4,425 employees are taking part in the Be Colorado Move. program, meaning about 16.4 percent of all Health Plan members, which include CU employees and others.
• Deborah Keyek-Franssen, associate vice president for digital education and engagement, provided an update on digital education and engagement. She said the task force for new technologies that preceded her arrival at system has been disbanded, but that a new group will be formed and will involve faculty from the campuses.