Committee to select survey thrust areas

A steering committee formed to analyze the results of the employee survey, "Assessing the Workplace," is finalizing its selection of five thrust areas that will be addressed by special survey action teams.

Leaders for the action teams will be picked by the steering committee, while members will be chosen by the survey action team co-chairs, directorates or by self-nomination.

The thrust areas will be announced in a Newsline article Oct. 5. Today’s issue of Newsline also kicks off a new column, also called "Assessing the Workplace," which will update employees on the progress of the survey steering committee, action teams and other survey issues. The column, which will appear on page 3, will run on an as-needed basis but will move to a weekly schedule beginning Nov. 2.

In addition, several other communications tools will be utilized to keep employees up to date on the status of the survey actions, including the Grapevine and communications materials for managers and supervisors to discuss with their employees.

"We want everyone to be aware the process is moving forward, and we want employees to know they are integral to the decisions being made," said Jan Tulk, AD for Administration and co-chair of the survey analysis steering committee.

Tulk is co-chairing the committee with Deputy Director Jeff Wadsworth. Other committee members include Human Resources Manager Gloria Kwei; Affirmative Action & Diversity Programs Director Tommy Smith; Engineering AD Spiros Dimolitsas; acting Director of Communications Dave Leary; Monya Lane, from the Engineering AD’s staff, and Lynda Yon and Lamar Coleman, both from the Director’s Office.

The thrust areas will be chosen after extensive analysis of the survey results. The steering committee will choose which areas are to be addressed by assessing the volume of response and whether the issue applies to the institution as a whole. Some special focus areas may be chosen for further study. The steering committee will then come up with a charter for each of the action teams.

Nomination forms to join the survey action teams will be placed on the Grapevine and sent to all directorates on Oct 5. Nominations will be due by close of business Oct. 12; survey action team members will be announced Oct. 17.

Action teams will get under way in late October. Each team will analyze its selected area and develop recommendations that will be delivered to Director Bruce Tarter.