Concurrent Sessions 1: Monday, May 18 • 10:45 a.m.-Noon
1A: Health Benefits: A Path to the Future
Benefits
The U.S. healthcare system is broken, but how do we fix it? Participants is this session will examine the critical issues affecting cost and quality of employee health benefits in both the public and private sector. Participants will also discuss the future of healthcare in a changing environment and learn what steps they can take to positively impact the cost and quality of employer-based health benefits.
Sean McGuinness, Business Development Executive, Humana-Kentucky
1B: Creating and Maintaining a High-Performance Culture (In Today's World)
Training and Development, Organizational Development
Learn how organizations can keep employees engaged and performing at high levels when tough economic times are resulting in frozen budgets, staff reductions and open positions are closed. Explore the use of practices such as aligning individual contributions to the organization’s goals; recognition programs; talent mobility; exposure to new internal opportunities; and targeted training and development. The session will include an active discussion among participants on performance management techniques they have used, both successfully and unsuccessfully at their institutions.
Charlene Moore Hayes, Vice President for Human Resources, Johns Hopkins University; Lynell James, Senior Vice President for Human Resources, TIAA-CREF
1C: Strategies for Human Resource Leadership During Economic Downturn
HR Strategies/Leadership
Participants in this interactive session will build a repertoire of programs, approaches, tactics, policies and practices that have been successful and resulted in sustained employee commitment, engagement, performance and reward/recognition. Current practices such as talent management and investment in building internal leadership succession planning will be discussed so we can discover the contribution these practices can make during times of limited resources. When determining the strategies to which HR can contribute, it must select those with a positive outcome and must be willing to measure and be accountable for the results. Participants will practice this investment/measurement capability.
Barbara Butterfield, Senior Consultant, Sibson Consulting, a Division of Segal
1D: Immigration: Policies and Practices for Employing Foreign-Nationals
Legal Issues, Recruitment/Retention
Every U.S. higher education institution strives to attract the best talent in the world and at least occasionally hires foreign-nationals. This session will consider best practices for successfully navigating agency processes for obtaining temporary and permanent work authorization ("work visas" and "green cards") for foreign-nationals.
Russ Willis, Director of Human Resources, University of Southern Mississippi; Steve Springer, Attorney, David Ware & Associates
1E: Development and Implementation of a Career Progression Program
Compensation/Rewards
Understand the basic principles of a career progression program. Develop incremental levels, with differences in qualifications, focus, responsibilities and scope. Learn how to complete the cost/benefit analysis, formulate an implementation plan and evaluate the post-implementation effectiveness.
Deborah Carwile, Compensation Manager, University of Kentucky
Concurrent Sessions 2: Monday, May 18 • 1:30-2:45 p.m.
2A: Increasing Retirement Plan Participation Through a Plan Brand Identity Campaign
Benefits, Employee/Labor Relations
In this session, you will hear a case study and see examples of brands, tools and resources used by your peers in higher education institutions to build awareness of retirement plan features and benefits and to drive plan participation.
Kate Lewis, National Vice President; Russ Waesche, Chief Marketing Officer; and Cindy Dvorachek, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist, all of ING
2B: Managing the Challenges of Unexpected Organizational Change
Organizational Development
Examine critical issues that arise from unexpected change and how to effectively manage and lead your team through the tough economic times we are experiencing at our colleges and universities. Consider appropriate and fair change management and the challenges that exist under these adverse conditions.
Renisha Gibbs, Director, Human Resources, Diversity and Equal Opportunity and Chief Diversity Officer, Florida State University
2C: A Move Toward Transparency: 990 Reform and the IRS Compliance Questionnaire Initiative for Colleges and Universities
HR Strategies/Leadership, Legal Issues
This session will address the recent IRS not-for-profit compliance initiative that examines executive compensation and other practices within institutions of higher education in the context of earlier IRS initiatives for health care providers. We will also discuss the issues posed by the expanded executive compensation disclosure requirements of the new IRS Form 990 within this context. Additionally, we will explore the value of an independent review of executive compensation, benefit and expense reimbursement practices and board-established policies to support a rebuttable presumption of reasonableness and avoid excess benefit transaction classifications that trigger excise taxes. Join us and learn more on these new IRS initiatives.
Richard Smith, Senior Vice President, and David Nygard, Senior Consultant, both of Sibson Consulting, A Division of Segal
2D: Occupational Fraud in Higher Education
Legal Issues
In strained economic times, the risk of occupational fraud increases for all industries. This session will look at this serious issue with a focus on higher education. We will explore why fraud occurs, what the current research has found and how you can help reduce the risk of fraud at your institution. This fast-paced and interactive session will detail a number of real-life fraud cases within higher education.
Kevin Robinson, Executive Director of Internal Auditing, Auburn University
2E: Transitioning HR to a Strategic Consultative Role
HR Strategies/Leadership
Learn how to transition your HR department from a traditional silo-function organization to that of a more closely engaged, high-impact and strategic value-added partner. The consultative model approach provides for a better understanding of the operational needs, the business of higher education and future needs of the organization that HR serves. Through this model that significantly enhances the level of partnering with stakeholders and leadership, HR creates a higher level of visibility with demonstrated results that tie directly into meeting the university's goals and objectives.
Marci Bailey, HR Director; Donna Keener, Assistant Vice President of HR; and Shaureece Park, HR Manager, all of University of North Texas
Concurrent Sessions 3: Monday, May 18 • 3:15-4:30 p.m.
3A: Recruiting Online With a Human Touch: Strategies for Effective Hiring
Recruitment/Retention, HR Strategies/Leadership
Get practical advice for bringing the human touch back to the recruiting process — and landing great hires even as you take advantage of the efficiency of online recruiting. Learn how to make the information in your job database really work as advertising (think online dating, not online tax filing). Discover the three absolute no-no's of online recruiting and take an inside look at one institution's successful online recruiting practice. You'll leave with lots of simple, effective ideas for improving your online recruiting efforts — and the quality of your hires.
Rick Plotkin, Senior Account Manager, Inside Higher Ed, and Lewis Bosworth, Employment Specialist, University of Kentucky
3B: Leadership Development at Emory University: Strengthening the Business in Higher Education
Organizational Development, Training and Development
Learn how Emory University's high-level leaders provide the strong basis for a successful leadership development initiative and how different departments within the university come together to achieve results that benefit all members and levels within the university.
Jane Whitmore, Manager of U.S. Education Channel, DDI; Wanda J. Hayes, Ph.D., Director of Learning Services, Emory University
3C: Zero to Metrics – How the University of North Texas Measured Up
HR Strategies/Leadership
In this session, you will learn how to design and implement initiatives and programs that address HR needs within your organization that are based on data instead of assumption. Find out how to creatively utilize the information you gather to determine gaps and be proactive in partnering with business units. Incorporate business practices in HR that help identify areas in need of an "overhaul" to allow for more value-add involvement with your organization.
Marci Bailey, HR Director; Donna Keener, Assistant Vice President of HR; and Shaureece Park, HR Manager, all of University of North Texas
3D: What Makes a Great College a Great Workplace?
Recruitment/Retention, Employee/Labor Relations
Learn from The Chronicle's partner in the "2008 Great Colleges to Work For" program. Interact with fellow participants in an engaging discussion about best practices, common traits and differing methods of creating and sustaining a great workplace. Review benchmark data on great colleges designed to help HR professionals build a great workplace.
Richard Boyer, Senior Partner, ModernThink LLC
3E: The Benefits and Risks of Using Social Sites for Hiring
Legal Issues
We'll discuss benefits, pitfalls and legal concerns of the use of social sites for networking, recruiting, screening and other similar activities in this informative session. Understand the trends and the best use of these sources. Utilize best practices and understand privacy and relevancy issues as they relate to HR processes.
Robert Capwell, Chief Knowledge Officer, Employment Background Investigations (EBI)
Concurrent Sessions 4: Tuesday, May 19 • 10:45 a.m.-Noon
4A: Building a Successful Health and Prevention Program: What Works, What Doesn't
HR Strategies/Leadership, Employee/Labor Relations
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This classic concept is being recognized by universities around the U.S. with the adoption of a variety of campus or other worksite health, prevention and disease management initiatives. University administrators, in response to escalating health care costs, have answered back with health and prevention programs that have reduced costs, lowered absenteeism, improved productivity and created happier staff and faculty (all of those positive results contributing to better financial results for universities).
Laura Kenerson, Director of Human Resources, University of Rhode Island; Anne Marie Ludovici, Senior Consultant, Hewitt Associates
4B: Succession Planning and the Imposter Phenomenon in Higher Education
Recruitment/Retention
Session attendees will explore the link between succession planning and the imposter phenomenon and consider the impact of an imposter in both the succession pipeline and the day-to-day workplace. The session will also provide attendees with specific strategies to minimize the impact of an imposter in the workplace, minimize the impact of an imposter in the succession pipeline and retain the imposter.
Roxanne Beard, Associate Professor of Management, Ohio Dominican University
4C: Update on 403(b) Compliance — Industry Roundtable
Benefits
This session will recap the U.S. Treasury's decision to move the required date for plan documents to January 31, 2009 and examine those regulatory elements that were not delayed and must be in place today to insure plan sponsors are acting in compliance with the new rules. The panel will also update attendees on new retirement plan proposals being considered by Congress and the new Administration. Part of this update will look at issues such as fee disclosures, appropriate target date methodologies and the mandatory purchase of annuities for all or a portion of a participant's balance in retirement.
Fidelity Investments, VALIC, TIAA-CREF, Aon Consulting
4D: Legislative Update
Legal
Political changes in Washington, D.C., have brought about a major shift in the workforce agenda this Congress. Labor issues have been brought to the forefront, producing legislative and regulatory changes that directly impact the higher education community and its human resource professionals. We will discuss the current political climate and the current legislative agenda on workforce issues, including anti-discrimination legislation, changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act and other leave mandates to help prepare attendees for the changes ahead.
Christi Layman, Government Relations Manager, CUPA-HR
4E: HR & EEO Merging to Face the 21st Century
Legal/Recruitment/Retention
This session will help HR and EEO professionals to develop ideas and techniques necessary to confront the pressures all institutions face in the area of recruitment, retention, and employee relations. Through the use of case studies and interactive exercises the audience will be presented a body of cutting edge techniques designed to utilize the EEO function within the organization's strategic initiatives.
Gaston Reinoso, Director EEO/AA and Employee Selection; Becky Hoover, Director of Employee Relations; and A.G. Monaco, Associate Vice President, all of the University of Akron
Concurrent Sessions 5: Tuesday, May 19 • 1:30-2:45 p.m.
5A: Solutions to Workforce Challenges Due to Shifting Economic and Demographic Trends
Benefits, HR Strategies/Leadership
Examine the demographic and environmental trends prevalent in the higher education workforce. Understand how shifting trends are impacting the health and productivity of your institution's employees. Learn how to proactively address these challenges to reduce costs, retain and recruit key talent and improve the overall health and productivity of your employees.
Stan Kulesa, Assistant Vice President, Standard Insurance Company; Laurel Long, Assistant Vice President of Human Resources, University of Alabama in Huntsville
5B: Managing Virtual Teams: Advantages, Challenges, Good Practices
Employee/Labor Relations
Virtual teaming has the potential to allow universities to cut back expenses while giving employees more flexibility. They have been found to cut bureaucracy, reduce cycle time, improve service and reduce expenses during tough economic times. Along with advantages, there are some challenges. The session will discuss potential university areas that might work well as virtual teams, the advantages and challenges of virtual teams and good practices in creating these teams.
Mark Palazesi, Associate Director for Human Resources, The Florida State University
5C: Challenges of Recovery
Track information coming soon …
This session will provide an overview of the Virginia Tech Human Resources' response in the aftermath of the events that occurred on campus on April 16, 2007. Learn how to focus on the logistics of responding to a mental health disaster and the intricacies of benefits administration in the wake of mass casualties. Attendees will identify ways to incorporate planning for a mental health disaster into the institution's disaster response plan.
Patricia "Pat" Burton, Employee Relations Manager, and Judy Ridinger, Director for Staffing and Employee Relations, both of Virginia Tech
5D: Building a 21st Century Accountability Model for Diversity
Diversity, Organizational Development
This workshop will present major findings from Chun and Evans' just published book: Bridging the Diversity Divide: Globalization and Reciprocal Empowerment in Higher Education (Jossey Bass, 2009). A review of diversity strategic plans in higher education reveals that, by and large, institutions have found it difficult to move from conceptual identification of goals to the attainment of concrete results. While institutions have been able to identify the what of diversity, they have frequently foundered in efforts to link the how of diversity with the who. This workshop provides a comprehensive and practical guide to developing an accountability model for diversity based upon leading-edge best practices.
Edna Chun, Vice President for Human Resources and Equity, Broward College, and Alvin Evans, Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Kent State University
5E: Leading Without Authority
HR Strategies/Leadership, Organizational Development
This is a compelling discussion that challenges attendees to look closely and consider leadership like never before. Many leadership roles for human resource professionals in higher education are completed without real authority (positional authority) but instead with personal authority. Many elements of leadership will be discussed: vision, credibility, the political terrain, passion and stakeholder engagement.
Hamish Blackman, President, The Wellness Corporation
Concurrent Sessions 6: Wednesday, May 20 • 8:30-9:45 a.m.
6A: Threat Assessment Teams and the Reduction of Risk on College Campuses — Evidence From the Front Line
Worklife/Wellness Issues
This session examines the use of threat assessment teams in college and university environments. We will examine research that evaluates policies, procedures and technology platforms that support these teams. Data from exisiting threat assessment teams is used to evaluate effectiveness of these teams at reducing personnel risk.
Stephanie Hughes, Associate Professor, Northern Kentucky University and founder, RiskAware, LLC; Jennifer Holt, RiskAware, LLC
6B: Lessons Learned in the Development of a Succession Planning Program for Virginia Tech
Organizational Development, HR Strategies/Leadership
With retirements at the university projected at a higher rate in the next six years, the recruitment of new employees and the development of current employees will be critical. In the age of growing capital and technical advancements, gains will be made by those who find ways to attract, engage and retain the top talent within their respective organizations. Succession management is a concept that has not been practiced in universities. Virginia Tech is in a unique position to become a leader in the field as it works to build, implement and integrate a formal succession management program. The presenter will share lessons learned in the implementation of the program.
Mekeisha Williams, Director of Organizational Development, Virginia Tech
6C: Training Alignment — Making Your Training Program Meet Organizational Objectives
Training and Development, Organizational Development
This session will help participants identify the steps necessary to align training initiatives with their institution’s strategic objectives and departmental goals. Participants will learn how to develop and measure training to improve performance and increase institutional effectiveness while taking a critical look at the resources available to help provide training using a variety of methods.
Marci Bailey, Human Resource Director, Donna Keener, Assistant Vice President of HR, and Shaureece Park, Human Resource Manager, all of University of North Texas
6D: Diversity Recruiting — Your Excuses Stop Here!
Diversity, Recruitment/Retention
Generate a fool-proof business case that will elevate your diversity strategies to the "short list" and keep your hiring managers accountable. Trade your worn-out job descriptions for employment ads that rival Super Bowl commercials. Capitalize on leading-edge selection tools like performance profiles and the "single best interview question" to corral the best diversity talent available.
Glenn Powell, Executive Director of HR & Diversity, Lone Star College System
6E: Putting HR Into Context: Lessons From Appalachian State University
HR Strategies/Leadership
Focus on the initiative taken by Appalachian to put the HR role into context by undertaking the process of workforce planning. Consider and understand how the concepts of workforce planning can be applied to university HR to build the role of HR into a strategic and relevant partner. Specific takeaways will be the application of high-impact metrics and the application of in-house intellectual capital to achieve the objectives of strategy and relevance.
Patrick McCoy, Chief Human Resource Officer, and Micah Fairchild, HR Consultant, both of Appalachian State University
