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Program
EVP/COO Introduction
Jon formally introduced Mr. Leonard Sandridge, the Executive
Vice President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sandridge
said he is glad to be with us and that we've made it through
another fiscal year in pretty good form. He thanked everyone
for his or her participation with graduation and getting ready
for the end of the year. Mr. Sandridge acknowledges
there is no such thing as a downtime anymore. Mr. Sandridge
commented on the benefits of questions from the council, which
help Mr. Sandridge stay on target and understand employee concerns.
He sees the sessions as an opportunity for him to get
a feel for what is problematic, what is important and what we
need to be worrying about. Council members should highlight
some of things we need to be focused on. He feels we are about
to go through a period of change.
Capital Campaign
We are about to go into a capital campaign more ambitious than
any other public University has ever undertaken.
It will be announced that the capital campaign goal will be
about three billion dollars. It is important to the University
to achieve those goals. The nature of this institution is changing;
it is more dependant on tuition and private support. The State
financial support is going to stay with us but is not going
to invest in us as deeply as what we feel we need.
Changes in UVa. and Higher Education
Mr. Sandridge feels this is a better place than before, which
makes the institution more demanding and complex. We are
taking bigger steps. There is a lot going on which will have
positive impacts. Mr. Sandridge feels there will be fiscal and
technological advances from the nature of the work we do at
the University. There will be tremendous growth in the
health care area. We are going to see an increase in student
population. There are 1,000 more students this year than
there were ten years ago. There is another thing about
our customers that have changed dramatically: previously you
attended the University with the expectation that the school
would tell you what to do but today we have many privileged
students who have higher expectations. The new dorm housing
is going to a higher scale unit because that's what students
want.
Aspirations for Improvement
The President is pushing everyone to identify what we need
to do better, and what we need to be the best. We can't
sit still. We have the potential in the next decade to
be in the top 15. The research lab will be our growth area in
the next decade. Mr. Sandridge believes that we will see
the cures or management of major diseases discovered here.
The research is promising. At UVa., people are being educated,
cured, and their quality of life is being improved. We
are discovering new things in the classroom. We all have
an important role in the University, just take a pause and realize
we are part of a much larger thing than the tasks we have every
day. We need to remind people of that occasionally.
Alternative Health Insurance Coverage
Mr. Sandridge addressed a concern of whether the University
would consider extending health insurance coverage for alternative
treatment. He advised we have programs now that too few
people know about. All employees who participate in Southern
Health are offered a health program for alternative therapy,
discounts on massage, nutritional vitamins, etc. It is
not free but there are discounted programs, as a result of being
in the Southern Health program. Mr. Sandridge encouraged
people to call the ombudsman to get the information.
Mr. Sandridge has spoken with Tim Garson about the role of alternative
medicine in the role of health care. Dr. Garson feels
there is a place for alternative medicine in general health
care. Though society in general has not widely accepted
that yet, we do have those benefits where discounts are offered.
Often it is hard to generalize alternative medicine for
specific individuals.
Same-Sex Partner Benefits
Mr. Sandridge discussed the extension of benefits to same-sex
partners. The Attorney General of Virginia has made it
clear that we cannot provide health care benefits to partners.
Every year there is legislation introduced in Virginia
regarding this issue. It did not move forward in Virginia
. Same-sex partners cannot be married in Virginia
. Mr. Sandridge said we are looking "carefully"
to see if there are ways to extend other “soft benefits.” There
was a concern that same-sex partners could not have the same
benefits when a partner is hospitalized. If one is worried about
an individual's health preventing him or her from giving hospital-
bed instructions concerning visitation rights, that level of
involvement can be arranged for with prior planning. With regard
to recreation facility use, the University is looking at ways
to deal with that. There are some other models at public
institutions around the country. The preliminary opinion
of the Attorney General was that extending recreational facility
access to same-sex partners was not an option for public institutions
in Virginia .
Mr. Sandridge speculated that in five to seven years this will
no longer be an issue [meaning that benefits will be provided
to same-sex partners], since the movement and trend is in that
direction. He believes there is a lot of momentum toward
change. He doubts Virginia
will be the first state to step out and make the changes.
The University is regularly checking to see how far it is allowed
to go. Mr. Sandridge's opinion is that there is not opposition
at the administrative or Board level to do what we are allowed
to do. Clearly, to influence state changes, employees
would need to contact their legislative representative.
Fire Drills
A question of whether fire drills could be dealt with
in orientation was posed to Mr. Sandridge. There are certainly
requirements for evacuation plans to be posted in buildings.
What is required depends on how the building is used.
If there are areas where there is a level of anxiety, these
are worth focusing on. Gerald Drumheller of the Environmental
Health and Safety Department will go to a department and give
a presentation. Fire safety is being pursued to be included
in the orientation program. There is a lot more focus
on the fire safety issue. There have been four fires off
grounds in the last several months, which were related to student
housing. In the dorms smoke detectors were replaced
with ones that could not easily be disabled or tampered with.
The City and University are looking at local student housing
and having conversations with local landlords. It may
be possible to have the University join with the City on having
some UVa fire inspectors assist the city with checking off Grounds
housing. There are other types of emergencies, which also
include other concerns (i.e. chemicals). These issues need to
be addressed. Eighty times every month the fire department responds
to an alarm at UVa. The University gives approximately
$130,000 annual to the Charlottesville
city fire department for the services they provide.
Charter Status:
Mr. Sandridge discussed Charter Status – he addressed the concerns
of what it means for job security and reliability of salaries,
and the grievance program. Will one be worse off if UVa gets
more authority than one is today as a State employee?
Mr. Sandridge believes that most of the resistance to the Charter
will come not from the Governor, State or other institutions
but from our own employees, as fear of the unknown.
Mr. Sandridge shared that the University has been working for
at least twenty years to get more decentralized authority.
Charter status is an extension of what we have been doing for
years. It is saying that rather than having the decision
made by the state on matters of procurement, facilities and
construction, and Human Resources, decisions would be made made
by UVa.'s Board of Visitors. Last fall, the BOV approved a plan
to make a three-year commitment for adjusting compensation.
On November 25 th we implemented not only the state increase,
but also an additional 1.75% to the faculty. The Board
wanted to do the same for classified employees, but was not
allowed by the state. Instead, the BOV funded an in-band adjustment
program and a bonus pool for classified staff. Charter status
would have allowed the Board to do the same for classified employees
as for faculty.
It is important to clarify that the University is not going
private. When codified autonomy was accomplished in the
hospital, similar benefits were afforded in the hospital. Mr.
Sandridge has felt that codified autonomy went well in the hospital.
Previously the turnover rate was about 24% in the hospital [compared
to a turnover rate in spring 2004 of about 15%]. Today
the hospital has a larger patient population than it has ever
had. The University is looking at building a Cancer
Center. Mr.
Sandridge is not getting the same volume or severity of complaints
from employees about compensation, retirement or working situations
as he did eight years ago. They have agreed in the Medical
Center and the proposed
Charter to continue to have a grievance procedure. The
Charter proposal will also give opportunities to make changes
[and fix things] in other areas. There are some things the University
could do to make changes in the leave system. There are currently
43 different kinds of leave in the system.
Mr. Sandridge believes the Charter proposal is a good thing
for the University.
Bonus Pool
The payout for the bonus pool awarded by the Board will occur
before the end of this fiscal year. The information on
the amount available for bonuses will go to the individual vice
presidents in the next two days. The bonus pool total
is $200,000; about $91,000 will be disbursed for Mr. Sandridge's
area. Mr. Sandridge plans to allocate the pool based on
each area's number of employees and he would like for it to
be allocated before the end of this fiscal year. Not everyone
will get it; it is to be awarded on a merit basis. We
have also invested $250,000 for the in-band adjustment program.
This has been almost a year-long assessment in determining where
those needs are the greatest. The Board of Visitors approved
another $250,000 for next year. We are late for this year
in getting it out, but it will not be late for getting it out
next year. The mangers will have this year's money and
next year's money close together.
Use of Live Dogs in Teaching
Another question posed was whether the University has made
permanent its moratorium on its policy on using live dogs for
teaching purposes. Mr. Sandridge advised that animals
are not being used in the courses that were the subject of the
debate. Instead, there are new tools which are life-size
manikins of the human body and they are essentially computers.
They are expensive, available, and we are using them. Students
are not learning on dogs. There will be some surgical students
who will begin their operating training on live beings. The
first thing they operate on is not going to be a human being,
but it won't be a dog either. It will likely be swine.
Mr. Sandridge said we learned we were behind the times; we were
using dogs to teach procedures we didn't need to use dogs on.
A limited number of surgeons will be training on living things
other than humans. [See
“Medical Center
to Implement Changes Regarding Animal Use in Medical Education,”
UVa. Top News, February
27-29, 2004 , for the Review Committee Recommendations].
IQ Health
The question of whether IQ Health could be extended to family
members was discussed. The faculty and employee assistance
program (FEAP) is available to employees and their
immediate families. FEAP has counseling available to help deal
with stress that will help with work impact. Those services
are available to dependents. The Occupational Health Risk Management
Program is not currently available to anyone beyond the employee.
The Occupational Health Risk Management program includes risk
reduction programs and the opportunity to participate in education
programs, as well as a personal wellness profile. Mr.
Sandridge advised that we are currently working with a consultant
to examine the cost and benefits of extending that service to
dependants. Crutchfield has done some things where they
are actually paying people to do certain things. Bill
Crutchfield has several levels where he is paying people to
lose weight and giving rewards for particular milestones.
Charter status would allow for different options.
ACAC
Mr. Sandridge discussed ACAC and the possibility of giving
employees extra time to exercise. He does not see in the
foreseeable future a program with ACAC. The Hospital looked
at a program, and those negotiations broke down. The state
doesn't allow time for exercise as paid work time. Mr.
Sandridge offered to help facilitate flexibility in the work
schedule for employees who want to use the University's facilities.
He would like to discuss the issue with a management team.
Mr. Sandridge wants to work with a test case to see what can
be done. He would like to see employees use UVa. recreational
facilities more conveniently.
Parking Rates
Why did parking rates on grounds go up more than those in the
hospital parking garages? The central grounds lot was
raised to $60 a month. Spaces that are returned to Parking
and Transportation in the central grounds lot are not being
rerented. The Medical
Center is charging
$50 a month in their garage. Outside the University, rates
for private parking are over $100 a month. Mr. Sandridge
guaranteed that employees will always have a low cost parking
option with shuttle service. The demand for close-in parking
is extraordinary; he feels those prices will likely continue
to increase.
W-2s
Mr. Sandridge shared there were 26,000 W2 forms issued by the
University last year.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS
Increases in Compensation under Charter Status
Vicki Bradt asked about increases for employees.
It concerns her with the University having “charter” authority,
how long will it take for the University to feel like it does
not have to match state increases. Mr. Sandridge said there
will be checks and balances. He pointed out that there would
be quite an uproar if state employees received a higher rate
than the University rate. If UVa. gets Charter status,
the measurement will be against state action regarding wages.
Today is a different environment than in the past. Mr. Sandridge
believes that UVa.'s classified system should be different than
the state system that was designed and operating for 100,000
Commonwealth employees. Mr. Sandridge said this question goes
back to whether employees have more confidence in decisions
made in Richmond
or at UVa. It bothers Mr. Sandridge that UVa. employees in Charlottesvilleare
on the same pay scale as those who live in less expensive regions
of the state. A cost-of-living increase like state employees
receive in Northern Virginia has been
requested from the state and has been turned down.
Mr. Sandridge pointed out that discussions among UVa.'s Board
of Visitors or in the President's Cabinet are never about doing
less for employees, but always about doing more. Since the Medical
Center received decentralized authority, the average increase
has been higher than state increases. The Medical Center
has not missed a year in salary increases [like the state has].
The VRS will not be taken away from employees. It is
a solid retirement system. 8.91% of a classified staff
person's salary goes into VRS for retirement.
Board of Visitors
Jon Rice asked how the Board of Visitors is selected. Mr. Sandridge
explained the Board of Visitors is appointed by Governor for
four-year term, four members turn over each year. A member
can serve two terms. There is a commission that screens
candidates. They aren't picked or approved by the University.
The University is alerted to the candidates.
Miscellaneous
Mr. Sandridge discussed the replacement for the CIO, Dr. Reynolds,
who will be retiring. He expects to begin the search for a CIO
this summer.
As a chartered university, UVa. will still
be a public political subdivision with an appropriation from
the State. The University introduced the Charter bill with the
concurrence of two other institutions, and it was carried over.
There is some committee work to be done before the next session.
There are some legislators who may be opposed to it. It
is not a slam-dunk. We have made changes in the last two years
to make it work and implemented ACCESS UVa. Access UVa.
works because we have so few families, relatively speaking,
with a financial need who are coming to this University. We
can deal with the smaller need. We can raise tuition to get
more money to do what is needed to be done. We depend
on our endowment , which levels out our financial peaks and
valleys. The only nonpredictable piece is the state contribution.
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