“Develop Your Human Capital”

Session 1

Sponsored by: ING

Thursday, May 6 • 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Hear the latest from Washington in this update discussing legislative and regulatory initiatives impacting your workplace.

Josh Ulman, Chief Government Relations Officer, CUPA-HR; Christi Layman, Government Relations Manager, CUPA-HR

HR professionals are often placed in a position to facilitate career development for others. But what can be done to prepare the HR person for a promotion or a successful career change? In this highly interactive workshop, participants will explore contemporary career advancement strategies that work. A featured segment is the articulation of a well-constructed self-introduction, according to the new rules of the game, to jump-start the process of networking and give the career changer an edge in a highly competitive workforce.

Debbie Bullock, Director of Human Resources, Lincoln University

Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn … You’ve heard of them, but do you really know the benefits of and the potential risks involved in using social media sites as recruitment tools? This session will explore some of the innovative, efficient and exciting ways social media can be used to promote an institution’s employer brand while finding the right candidates for the budget. Learn how to develop and optimize your career site; sponsor jobs on Google, Simply Hired, and Indeed; and effectively use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Jody Robie, Executive Director of Business Development, Buyer Advertising; Kim Howard, Director of HR Services, University of Massachusetts Boston

Chatham University has partnered with the UPMC Health Plan on developing strategic initiatives and programs to develop and nurture a culture of health and wellness for employees. This journey had some bumps along the way, but the overall success is reflected in many success stories and increased engagement of our employees with the UPMC Health Plan. In addition, Chatham University has experienced two consecutive years of decreases in the health insurance premiums with no plan design changes.

Seth Grattan, Senior Account Executive, and Rose Gantner, Senior Director of Sales and Product Development, both with UPMC Health Plan; Frank Greco, Director of Human Resources, Chatham University

More and more HR job postings include the phrase “PHR/SPHR certification preferred.” In a competitive job market, having achieved an HR certification can serve to differentiate candidates with similar backgrounds, and not having a certification can adversely impact a qualified candidate’s chances for consideration. This session will focus on the reasons for pursuing and achieving HR certification and will offer suggestions on how to prepare for the exams.

Linda Anguish, Manager of HR Content, HR Certification Institute (HRCI); Steve Marley, Director of Human Resources, Harvard University

Executive compensation is under a great deal of scrutiny in all industry sectors, and higher education is no exception. There have been a number of universities in the news recently regarding their executive compensation practices. This session will walk through a case study of the executive compensation process at DePaul University, discuss the latest executive compensation trends, and provide practical advice for how the HR professional can be a valuable resource in the executive compensation process.

Rosa Perez, Associate Vice President for Compensation and Benefits, DePaul University; Warren Kerper, Managing Principal, Sullivan, Cotter and Associates, Inc.; Michael Rosenbaum, Partner, DrinkerBiddle

The session will cover an institutional review of compensation, including the importance that benefits play in an employee’s total compensation package. The presenters will cover health, dental and life insurances, retirement, and tuition programs as they relate to recruiting and retaining the best employees and providing for an attractive work environment.

Robert Shorb, Executive Director/CEO, The Tuition Exchange, Inc.; Regina Campo, Co-Director of Human Resources and Risk Management, Gettysburg College

Session 2

Sponsored by: ING

Thursday, May 6 • 1:15-2:30 p.m.

Now that the 403(b) regulations have finally arrived, what can we be doing to simplify plan administration and manage plan compliance? This session is designed for benefits administrators and technology officers and will explore the various ways 403(b) compliance can be achieved, even in a multi-vendor environment. The presentation will include an overview of the challenges and a case study about how those challenges were met.

Don Harris, Senior Vice President, VALIC; Stewart Mixon, Chief Operations Officer, Medical University of South Carolina

This session will examine best practices in retirement planning and cost-effective measures that can assist HR professionals with the implementation of a variety of strategic ideas. Participants will collaborate with other HR professionals on what has worked or not worked regarding phased retirement plans.

Barbara Perry, Vice President of Marketing and Membership, Emeriti; Kelly Rickert, HR Manager, Shenandoah University

Whether you were recently hired to be an HR change agent or an incumbent asked to reinvent the department, you are not alone. Many colleges and universities are just now realizing that their HR practices are not sustainable business operations and are seeking change. This session draws from the experience of two practitioners from two different types of institutions who have led major HR transformation. Learn where to start, how to advance initiatives, and how to avoid the obstacles that have prevented progress in the past.

Richard Coladarci, Director of Human Resources, St. Francis College and Susan Basso, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Seton Hall University

This session will describe in detail RIT’s “Fit for Retirement” initiative (an intensive, year-long active effort to encourage and assist employees in increasing their retirement savings). As a result of the campaign, RIT’s employees are now saving for retirement at a much higher rate than they were, thus enabling them to be better prepared for a fulfilling retirement while also enabling RIT to benefit from having people ready to make this important life transition.

Judy DeCourcey, Senior Benefits Specialist, and Renee Brownstein, Associate Director of Human Resources, both with Rochester Institute of Technology

No doubt you have heard about top-down leadership initiatives, but what about leadership initiatives that have bubbled up from the front-line? In this case study, participants will learn about the University of Connecticut’s Interaction & Leadership program. The presenters will discuss the “managing-up” approach to the program, explore curricular components of the program, including a hands-on leadership exercise, and ask session participants to share how their institutions have attempted to change a culture as it relates to leadership and civility.

John-Paul Lacombe, Manager of Organization/Staff Development, University of Connecticut; Celeste Barros, President, CWB Resources

Understand how to develop outcome-driven, cost-effective leadership development programs even in a challenging economy. Learn what is important to senior leadership regarding leadership development and how to enlist their support. Learn how to efficiently manage sizable development programs without straining busy HR departments by sharing responsibilities with external service providers. Understand how to measure program effectiveness and prepare for future interventions.

Brigette S. Baynes, Director of Student Accounts; Christopher Barto, Dean of Student Financial Services/Chief Compliance Officer; Michael T. Donohue, Senior Vice President of Finance & Operations/Treasurer; Andrea L. Granville, Associate Director of Human Resources, all of LIM College; Scott Klein, Founder, Hudson Horizon Consulting LLC

This session will review the “must know” seven steps that you should take to meet your fiduciary responsibilities and minimize institutional risk when constructing an investment menu for participants under your institution’s retirement plan. The presenter will review why utilizing “compliance guided” services are a critical component to constructing and monitoring a sound retirement plan investment menu and the compliance services to implement to assure choices that are suitable for all employees, facilitate wealth accumulation and generate adequate lifetime income.

Paul Gallagher, Vice President of Institutional Product Management, and Timothy G. Walsh, Managing Director of Investment Services, both of TIAA-CREF; Meredith Tulli, Vice President, Human Resources and Organizational Development, Harrisburg Area Community College

Session 3

Sponsored by: ING

Thursday, May 6 • 3:00-4:15 p.m.

Examine the importance and benefits of providing development opportunities for administrators in conjunction with a formal mentor program to develop and retain your top talent. Discuss the details, implementation, metrics/analytics and results to date of Marist College’s successful Women’s Mentoring Program and Women in Higher Ed initiative.

Eva Jackson, Director of Employee Relations, and Jenna Rosenberg, HR Generalist, both of Marist College

The business of higher ed is a complex interweaving of history, concepts such as academic freedom, governance, teaching and research, and a focus on contributing to the betterment of society through education. What lies behind this unique culture? How does it influence policy and decision making? What are the major themes and issues facing higher ed? Explore these important topics and perhaps gain some insights and strategies to enhance your effectiveness in the higher ed enterprise.

Ken Tagawa, Chief Learning Officer, CUPA-HR

Lawsuits for negligent hiring are among the fastest growing area of personal injury litigation today. In this session, audience members will act as jurors and play other roles in a negligent hiring mock trial demonstration where an educational institution has hired a staff member with false credentials and a criminal record including convictions for violence, and a visitor was victimized. Audience members will deliberate on a verdict. An educational episode of “Law and Order” for higher ed HR professionals.

Lester Rosen, Attorney at Law, Employment Screening Resources

This in-depth session will explore everything you need to know about 403(b) retirement plans. Refresh your knowledge of the basics and discuss past and current regulations, operational compliance, and optional provisions including loans, Roth features, contract transfers and much, much more. Learn about the latest and greatest including several big announcements about what’s coming down the pike in 2010.

Bob Architect, Vice President of Compliance and Market Strategy, VALIC

This session will examine the critical issues leaders face in advancing their campus diversity programs beyond compliance to a more effective and credible stage of inclusion. Attendees will learn how to develop a coherent and comprehensive competencies model for leading diversity in an organization based on best practices.

Arthur McCombs, Senior HR Director, Johns Hopkins University

This interactive session will provide an overview of the impact of Web 2.0 technologies such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn on staffing and recruiting, focusing on the specific needs of higher ed and identifying areas that require a unique approach to social media use. You’ll learn how leading institutions are using social media to enhance their employment brand and improve their ability to attract high-caliber candidates.

Brandon Phipps, Vice President of Sales and Speaker Development, PeopleAdmin; Jack Matson, Director Staff Relations and Recruitment, Syracuse University

Examine the causes and manifestations of mental illness at work. Consider the costs and impacts of mental illness on job performance, employee engagement and retention. Learn how to reduce mental illness concerns at your university and improve the overall well-being of your faculty and staff.

Stan Kulesa, Assistant Vice President of Benefits, The Standard; Laurel Long, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Session 4

Sponsored by: ING

Friday, May 7 • 10:30-11:45 a.m.

Social networking sites have gone from nowhere to ubiquitous almost overnight, especially in higher ed. Social networking is not without legal risk. If considered in hiring or promotion decisions, there are discrimination, privacy and other risks. If used by faculty and students together, professional, sexual and social lines may blur, creating a minefield of legal claims. Even so, you can’t stop social networking any more than you can stop e-mails or internet surfing. The key is to develop reasonable guidelines that will survive the campus culture. This session discusses the legal risks as background but then emphasizes the preventive steps institutions can and should take.

Jonathan Segal, partner at Duane Morris LLP and managing principal of the Duane Morris Institute

HR professionals are expected to contribute and add value to organizations. Opportunities for coaching and developing others may present themselves in various and often non-traditional ways. Understanding and applying the concepts of learning and mentoring styles are critical for coaching and developing others, and are at the core of leadership competencies. This session will help you identify your learning and mentoring style so that you can guide others and help them enhance their performance.

Barbara Saat, Manager of Human Resources, and Jill Bowman, Human Resources Representative, both with University of Rochester

CUPA-HR’s new HR Benchmarking Survey was developed at the request of members and is intended to provide HR departments with important benchmark information on structure, size, responsibilities and performance. This session will showcase how your colleagues in other institutions are using the results of the survey to complement their planning processes to make better and more informed decisions. Learn what types of metrics other institutions have developed for the workforce and the HR function and how they use them — and how you can develop a metrics scorecard at your institution.

Elyse Lyons, Consultant, Sibson Consulting; Linda Harber, Associate Vice President Human Resources, George Mason University; Jack Giarusso, Executive Director of Human Resources, University of Massachusetts Lowell; Ashleigh Dillon, Director of Member Service and Human Resources, CUPA-HR

The IRS reports that it audited 6,298 retirement plans in 2008. Your institution may be next — so be prepared. Get the facts and planning strategies in this session. Learn how the IRS selects retirement plans for audit, how the audit is conducted and what problems are most commonly found in various plan types. Hear details and lessons learned from a peer based on their experience in prepping for and working through an IRS retirement plan audit. In addition, attendees will receive reprints of the in-depth article, “Why and How to Prepare Your Retirement Plan for an IRS Audit,” published in the Winter 2010 issue of the Journal of Pension Planning & Compliance.

Susan B. Dzierson, Human Resources Officer, The J. David Gladstone Institutes; Tom Peller, Vice President, Fidelity Investments

Learn how Washington and Lee University transformed its HR function to support the university’s strategic vision for employees — a journey that began with basic research. Discuss how HR earned the support of administration and key stakeholders, creating a partnership for change that made them ongoing allies and advocates. See the tailored performance development program that emphasizes employee development and career enhancement in an environment where traditional promotions are often limited, helping to keep and attract talented employees.

Wendy Hirsch, Principal, Mercer; Amy Diamond Barnes, Executive Director of Human Resources, and Steven McAllister, Treasurer/Vice President for Finance & Administration, both of Washington and Lee University

This session will detail the new healthcare reform legislation that has been passed and will examine how it will affect the benefits you offer your faculty and staff in the short term and the long term.

David Trainor, Associate Vice Chancellor, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, Human Resources and Labor Relations, Connecticut State University System Office; Bob O'Brien, National Practice Lead for Higher Education, Aetna Inc.

Most people are familiar with employment trends at their own college or university. But how do those trends compare with other institutions in the U.S.? In this session, we’ll examine the findings from the most recent Higher Education Employment Report published by HigherEdJobs. We will also examine data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and HigherEdJobs and discuss how these trends may affect the future of higher education.

John Ikenberry, President, HigherEdJobs; Jane Federowicz, Director of Human Resources, Rosemont College

Session 5

Sponsored by: ING

Friday, May 7 • 1:00-2:15 p.m.

Human resource professionals have always encouraged collaboration across campus. Now more than ever, when faced with the current economic crisis, the need to be creative and source new ways to add value and reduce costs is crucial. Pooling resources and thinking strategically are critical to making collaborative efforts successful. This panel will discuss working with colleagues across their institution and other institutions to combine resources and develop programs and services that reap significant cost savings as well as enhance the work experience at their institutions. Panelists will describe the benefits and challenges of these collaborations. They will provide helpful examples from identifying the “low hanging” fruit to more complex, politically-charged projects.

Anne Gill, Vice President for Human Resources, Wentworth Institute of Technology; Lauren Turner, Director of Human Resources, Mount Holyoke College; Linda Lulli, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Bryant University

In this highly application-oriented and interactive session, you’ll learn how Pace University leveraged process improvement, teamwork and collaboration to bring significant positive change to a group of high performers and the institution. With hands-on exercises and tools, you’ll begin your own journey toward process change in support of your school’s vision and strategy. We’ll also examine how process change creates personal value through professional development, knowledge transfer and peer coaching.

Karen Robilotta, Vice President for Human Resources, Pace University

Deploying staff during an emergency is an issue that universities should be considering in their emergency preparedness planning. Determining who is essential and who can be reassigned is the first step. Learn how to build an Emergency Labor Pool (ELP) system that will allow you to reallocate available resources to those areas that are most in need.

Laura Bryant, Director of Recruitment and Staffing, and Mary Anne Mahin, Chief Human Resources Officer, both with Georgetown University

Discover a process that will engage employees in the development of their own improvement plan. Analyze a case study where this process model was successfully implemented. Observe a live demonstration of “The Framework of Leadership” in action.

Ouida Vendryes, President, Resolution Management; Christel Colon, Director of Human Resources, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Review the challenges and opportunities the economic crisis has created on campuses around the country. Identify best practices developed by colleagues and corporate partners. Learn about the results of an economic issues survey conducted by CUPA-HR in January 2010. Share ideas and best practices through small group discussion about strategic restructuring, communications with employees, retention practices, morale on campus and other challenges.

Lynn Bynum, CHRO, Bellarmine University; Kay McFarlin, Managing Director, National Advocacy Programs, TIAA-CREF; Ken Tagawa, Chief Learning Officer, CUPA-HR

In a tough economy, institutional leaders are fond of saying, “We have to do more with less.” But is that even possible? We focus easily on the “with less” component, and frequently give little consideration to the strategies that allow our workforce to actually “do more.” This results in not only having less, but also in getting less from those we keep. In this session, you’ll learn how to break this cycle, effectively make the business case for investment in talent management, and develop a roadmap for building an organizational development organization. We’ll also examine the critical success factors for employee development and offer a set of concrete strategies for improving managerial skill and increasing employee productivity in bad and good economic climates.

Scott Morris, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, University at Buffalo

If you sponsor a 403(b) plan or a 401(k) plan, or both, you should be aware of the pros and cons of the different features available under these plans and the regulatory compliance rules. This session will help you decide how to balance compliance requirements and administrative capabilities with plan design, plan objectives and participant needs. You’ll learn how to develop a checklist to enable you to assess conformity with regulatory requirements and how to incorporate simple and practical procedures and practices in support of regulatory compliance.

Kim Solecki, Compliance Consultant, ING; Mary D’Ambrosio Zielinski, Assistant Director, Benefit Services, Cornell University

Session 6

Sponsored by: ING

Friday, May 7 • 3:00-4:15 p.m.

Learn what makes a college a great place to work based on benchmarks provided by The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Great Colleges to Work For survey. Examine industry trends in compensation, benefits and other employment issues.

Rich Boyer, Founder and President, ModernThink LLC; Jeffrey Selingo, Editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education; Janet Walker, Work/Life and Communications Coordinator, George Mason University; Dave Jordan, Associate Vice President of HR, Howard Community College

Are you looking for a way to provide training that’s high return but low cost? Learn from those who have looked outside of their own academic walls to collaborate with area colleges and universities to provide an innovate program that exceeds the needs of their audience.

Michael Noll, Acting Training and Development Manager, Towson University; Mark Emmel, Manager of Training and Development, University of Baltimore

This session will involve role playing by two very experienced trial attorneys who have defended sexual harassment and retaliation cases on behalf of universities and colleges. In every case, the investigators learn from the process of defending their investigation and tell us “if I had it to do over again, here is what I would do differently … ” This program permits attendees to learn, in a role-playing setting, from the mistakes of others without the pain of the lesson.

John Gaal, Chair of Higher Education Practice Group, and Louis DiLorenzo, Chair of Labor, Employment and Employee Benefits Group, both with Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC

There has been a surge of violent events on college campuses in recent years, and cases (ranging from sexual misconduct to murder) implicating employees suggest that the problem of violent or inappropriate behavior is an organization-wide phenomenon, going well beyond the student population in both its reach and magnitude. This session will offer a new approach, designed specifically for higher ed, to classic threat assessment initiatives targeting staff and faculty.

Eileen Weisenbach Keller, Assistant Professor, Northern Kentucky University; Stephanie Hughes, Associate Professor, Northern Kentucky University, and Founder, RiskAware, LLC

This case study will examine how Champlain College built the business case for onboarding technology, including cost-justification, and the anticipated impact on HR/IT as well as departmental administrative resources and adjunct faculty. You’ll learn how the college automated certain onboarding processes, including background checks, new hire information gathering and compliance documentation, and what HR’s role was in facilitating onboarding.

Sarah Potter, Director of HR and Organizational Development, Champlain College

This session will provide an overview of the competitive market for development professionals; the use of succession planning principles and performance reviews in nurturing development talent; an overview of Boston College’s tremendously successful talent management program for advancement officers; best practices in training programs that teach management skills; the importance of nurturing “individual contributors” in the advancement office; and the evolving role of the recruitment director within advancement.

Amy Bronson, Director of Recruitment and Training/University Advancement, Boston College; Lois Lindauer, CEO and Founder, Lois L. Lindauer Searches; Holly Wolk, Director of Recruitment and Professional Training, Boston University

The news of a tragic event — a natural disaster, an act of violence, the death of a student or employee — on a college campus occurs all too often. Every event is unique, and each shatters the lives of many. In this session, you will confront a mock tragic event on campus and help plan a campus-wide response.

Donna Cable, Senior Director of Employee Relations and Staffing, Yale University; Laura Althoff, Director, Account Services, The Wellness Corporation

CHRO Connections

Sponsored by: Sibson Consulting, A Division of Segal, and TIAA-CREF

An additional fee applies to attend the CHRO Connections. Please see the registration page for details.

Please note that this program is intended for chief human resource officers at higher education institutions. Registrations for individuals who are not chief human resource officers may be declined and refunded.

Wednesday, May 5 • 1:00-3:30 p.m./Thursday, May 6 • 7:00-8:30 a.m.

New this year is the CHRO Connections program, focused on bringing together individuals who hold the top HR leadership roles at their institutions. These additional two sessions (pre-conference and an early morning prior to the opening keynote) will offer a chance to discuss key issues facing higher education and interact with a panel of experts including: Neil Strodel, associate vice president and CHRO, Syracuse University; Mary George Opperman, vice President and CHRO, Cornell University; David Trainor, Associate Vice Chancellor, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, Human Resources and Labor Relations, Connecticut State University System Office.

This program will include discussion related to the changes that have taken place on campuses during the past 18 months, the impact of those changes and key organizational challenges faced by panel members. Attendees will learn what actions were taken by leadership teams to address those challenges and will hear from the panel on topics ranging from measuring success on your campus through key operational indicators to HR’s evolving role as it adapts to changing conditions in higher education during the next three to five years.

A special bonus will be an opportunity to hear the perspective of Mary Grant, current president of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, as she looks to the future of higher education — with a focus on HR’s role in what may lie ahead. There will be time for questions and interaction with Grant following her prepared presentation.

Seating for the CHRO Connections program will be limited, so sign up right away!

Neil Strodel, Associate Vice President and CHRO, Syracuse University; Mary George Opperman, Vice President and CHRO, Cornell University; David Trainor, Associate Vice Chancellor, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, Human Resources and Labor Relations, Connecticut State University System Office

Understanding Higher Ed

Wednesday, May 5 • 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Higher education is a unique environment that brings with it unique challenges. Past Presidents and Past Chairs of CUPA-HR’s Board of Directors have developed and will present this new and expanded full-day workshop specifically for HR professionals who are new to higher education. This pre-conference program, presented by seasoned higher ed HR leaders, will provide you with the knowledge you need while answering your questions about issues specific to colleges and universities.

Highlights will include:

• An orientation to the history and philosophy of “The Academy.”
• An understanding of the characteristics of higher education and how it differs from the rest of the world of work.
• An explanation of protocols, traditions and vernacular peculiar to higher education.
• A review of the ways institutions are classified, organized and governed.
• A tutorial about budgetary and financial aspects of colleges and universities.
• Terms and conditions of employment for administrators and academics.
• A discussion about the future of higher education and how it will affect you.
• Rich resources for continued education and reference.

This is your opportunity to learn from the leaders who have shaped higher education HR across the country. This workshop consistently sells out at the CUPA-HR Annual Conference, so be sure to register early and take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity at the region level!