• sitemap
• uhr home
• um gateway

• VOICES Home
• About VOICES
  • Mission Statement
  • VOS Selection Process
  • VOS Network
  • VOS Core Team
  • VOS Demographic Charts
• Teams & Issues
  • Alumni Team
  • Benefits, Health & Well-Being Team
  • Career Development Team
  • Core Team
  • Diversity Team
  • Environmental Stewardship Team
  • Faculty-Staff Communication Team

  • Leadership Development Team
  • Parking & Transportation Team
  • Rewards & Recognition Team
  • Technology / Best Practices Team
  • Work Climate Team
  • 2009 – 2010 Team Topics
• Results
• How YOU Can Participate
  • Use Your Voice
• VOICES in the News
• Presentations & Documents
  • VOICES of the Staff Progress Report 2007 – 2009
  • Annual Reports
  • VOICES of the Staff: An Introduction
  • VOICES Informational Toolkit
• Special Events
  • Annual Meetings
  • MSpeaks Town Hall Meetings
  • Managers' Conference
• Uniquely Michigan
• Building Great Places to Work
• University HR Home

Teams & Issues: Core Team

Focus

The VOICES of the Staff Core Team serves as an institution-wide contact point to learn about and understand the level of interest and commitment from the University of Michigan President, Executive Officers and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources in support of the work performed by our staff. The Core team works toward an increased understanding of, connection to, and participation in stewardship for research, teaching, service, and patient care. The team provides input to leadership on staff climate and the overall working environment and makes suggestions on opportunities to increase staff commitment and career investment. Being on the Core Team also provides members with a sense of ownership in and responsibility for the institution, in order to support the best, most focused, and most effective work effort, in work climates characterized by respect and trust.

Objectives

• Serve as a useful sounding board for the President and Executive Officers
• Serve as a conduit to share/disseminate information and feedback from Executive Officers to network groups and from the network groups to the Executive Officers
• Present opportunities/suggestions from the network groups to the Executive Officers
• Serve as a staff sounding board for the President, Executive Officers and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources on campus-wide opportunities, proposals and/or initiatives
• Plan and prepare material for meetings with the President and AVP Human Resources

Wins

Since its inception in 2005, the VOICES Core Team has met with University leadership to discuss a wide variety of topics of interest to the staff community.

• Tom Herbert, assistant vice president of the Development Major Gifts Program, discussed the Michigan Difference Campaign and the importance of staff members’ participation in contributing funds. The Core Team offered campaign strategy suggestions for ways in reaching staff members throughout the University.
• The president, executive officers, and/or the associate vice president for human resources Laurita Thomas met with the Core Team three times in 2006 to exchange ideas and prioritize issues.
• President Coleman and executive officers Dr. Robert Kelch and Tim Slottow and associate vice president for human resources Laurita Thomas met with members of the Core Team in September 2006 to discuss the sale of M-CARE to Blue Cross Blue Shield and its impact on U-M employees.
• Phil Smith, senior director of Human Resources Strategy and Planning, introduced the five-year HR Strategic Plan, and discussed issues impacting the plan, such as creating a healthy culture, the broad demographics represented in the University and the management implications of that diversity, and aligning HR efforts with major global and University issues and initiatives.
• Tom Waldecker, director of the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, proposed an emergency financial assistance program for staff. The program is designed to meet one-time emergencies with funds available to individuals through grants.
• Core team members met with Laurita Thomas in January 2007 to provide feedback to President Coleman’s Diversity Blueprints Task Force on ways of improving diversity within the U-M community.
• Vice-president E. Royster-Harper spoke with the team about student life at the University, generational differences, the goals and mission of the Division for Student Affairs, and how staff members can use their experiences and knowledge to build strong connections with the U-M student community.
• Provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs Teresa A. Sullivan discussed departments’ goals with respect to nurturing young faculty members and creating a positive work environment. This meeting also included discussion of a Performance Management Team proposal submitted to Laurita Thomas.
• Derek Collins and Catherine Shaw of the President’s Task Force on Ethics in Public Life Initiative Steering Committee discussed topics ranging from pandemic preparedness to power inequalities in units and how these can work against individuals.
• John P. Stephens, a doctoral candidate, and member of the High Quality Connections Research Team at the Ross School of Business sought the support of VOICES as participants for a survey about relationships between people at work. Their hypothesis is that connections of high-quality relationships at work are important keys factors to improving or creating positive changes in the workplace. The survey was deployed in February 2008.
• Laurita Thomas, associate vice president for Human Resources, consulted the Core Team regarding the Service Awards program. Rising expenses and decrease participations in some aspects of the program put to question the value and validity of the program, and Laurita asked input for ways to improve it at the same or reduced cost.

Return to top

Work in Progress

Serving as VOICES ambassadors to U-M leadership, members of the Core Team provide continuous updates on the accomplishments, findings, and ongoing research efforts of their perspective network teams and campuses. The Core Team supports the Program Management Team in matters affecting the entire network by offering suggestions on various issues.

Findings

Return to top

Network Team Members

2009 Team Roster (PDF)

Contact the Core Team

voices.core@umich.edu

Return to top