Feedback from governance groups shaping strategic planning process

The co-chairs of the strategic planning committee presented an update on the university’s strategic plan, which is intended to create a roadmap to focus CU priorities over the next five years, to the University of Colorado Staff Council (UCSC) during its Oct. 17 meeting at CU Boulder.

Todd Saliman, system vice president for finance and chief financial officer, and Sharon Matusik, dean of the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder, told council members that several refinements were made to the plan following feedback from several entities, including UCSC, Faculty Council and campus chancellors.

Matusik said one of the biggest changes that came out of discussions was to take the focus area on diversity and access, which had been under the education pillar, and break it out to form a fourth pillar: diversity, inclusion, equity and access. “That was a direct result of feedback,” she said.

The other three pillars of focus are fiscal strength; discovery and impact; and access, affordability and student success.

Another change, based on feedback, was to the wellness and mental health focus area. Originally, the plan targeted students, but now has been broadened to include faculty and staff.

Matusik said the working groups attached to each area of focus will be responsible for three deliverables: best practices to achieve results; specific metrics to assess progress; and prioritized action steps. Working groups are scheduled to report their findings by Feb. 21, 2020.

The groups, which are composed of stakeholders from administrators to students, also will be asked to conduct an initial analysis of the resources needed to achieve the goals. Following that assessment, a fiscal feasibility team, composed of university chief financial officers, will take a closer look at costs.

To learn more about the strategic planning process, as well as working group member lists and contact information, visit the strategic plan website: https://www.cu.edu/strategic-planning

While council members praised the changes made to the plan, said UCSC Chair Ryan Untisz, some are concerned that the plan is silent on issues that matter to staff, such as salary equity, pathways to career advancement and efforts to retain staff.

In other council business:

• Untisz said he continues to meet with university administration members regarding the tuition assistance benefit and how it can be improved, specifically in regard to staff members.
• The CU Denver l Anschutz Medical Campus Staff Council has received reports that staff members are receiving false or misleading information when they inquire about when and how to use the parental leave benefit. The Denver l Anschutz council is considering ways to remedy the problem, including the creation of an informational video to explain the benefit. Untisz asked UCSC members to talk with their campus staff council to determine if the issue is systemwide. If the problem affects more than one campus, UCSC will consider helping address the problem.