Salaried Staff Advisory Council

Minutes December 14, 2005

Please submit agenda items for the February 8, 2006 meeting to Julie Skeen by February 1, 2006.

The meeting was called to order at 2:30 p.m.

SSAC members present were:

Member	District	Member	District
Marge Hadden	1	James Elfers	10
Susan Katz	3	Marlene Osborne	10
Katherine Kuck	4	Gwen RoBison	11
Mayra Focht	6	Mark Ressler	12
Michael DeMauro	7	Kimberly Doucette	14
Maggie Brumit	8	Mary Ann Brown	16

Members Absent: Kaci Madison-Beasley (#2), Wanda McCracken (#9), Charlene Mylin (#15), Paige Seppanen (#17)

Members Excused: Mark Ressler (#12), Patti Hall (#13)

Others Present: Maxine Colm, Thomas LaPenta, Nancy Wallace, Chris Ulrich, Julie Skeen

Minutes
The October 20, 2005 minutes were approved as written.

Classification Review
Nancy Wallace, Human Resources, reviewed the key areas of the classification review; current certification structure, the reclassification process, career ladders, proliferation of job titles, Fair Labor Standards Act compliance and the feasibility of establishing a “paraprofessional” job category. She then explained the status of preliminary recommendations made in mid-November by the Mercer Human Resource Consulting representatives. Final recommendations are anticipated by year’s end.

Old Business
None

Constituent Concerns
A constituent of Ms. Brown wanted to know if there are any University plans to offer on-line master’s degree programs. Dr. Colm indicated there were not. She noted, however, that the Health Services Administration Degree (MSN and MS) is available on-line and the Department of Business Administration’s Executive MBA program is partially available on-line.

Another constituent of Ms. Brown noted the continuing difficulty associated with getting new hires into the HR system, even when posted deadlines have been met. Ms. Wallace agreed, noting that at present, JEDs must now be hand-keyed by the Payroll office. She indicated that by July 1st, the JED form will be programmed by IT, resulting in a streamlined authorization process. Ms. Wallace also noted that a committee has been formed to look at other ways business practices in HR/Payroll could be changed to promote greater efficiency. The committee is comprised of members from Human Resources, the Provost's Office, Office of Graduate Studies, and the academic colleges.

Ms. Brown relayed a constituent’s observation that a menu board at the Figure Eight snack bar at the Fred Rust Ice Arena has yet to be provided. Irene Felker, Dining Services, reports that a menu board design is in progress for the Figure Eight, with approval and installation expected by spring semester.

Ms. Brown then raised a constituent’s concern about their inability to meet the age and service retirement requirement needed to secure tuition remission benefits for their child because of a physical disability. Ms. Wallace suggested that the constituent contact her or Chris Ulrich, Human Resources, to explore options in this unique situation.

Announcements
Ms. Ulrich noted that the open enrollment period for Flexible Spending Accounts would end December 16. Dr. Colm reminded the group of the PAC/SSAC Holiday luncheon on the same date and extended her best wishes for a safe and happy holiday.

The meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Thomas LaPenta

Reviewed by Marge Hadden as authorized by SSAC.