Office of the President
Room 212, College Building
107 Administration Place
Saskatoon SK S7N 5A2
Telephone: (306) 966-6612
Fax: (306) 966-4530
TO:
President’s Advisory Council and Department Heads
FROM:
Peter MacKinnon, President
DATE:
April 5, 2010
RE:
Results of the Human Resources Unit Review
Many of you will be aware that the Human Resources (HR) office has undergone a review at
my request. That review has now advanced to the point where I am able to share the report of the
three external consultants and the initial response from the HR leadership team with the university
community. All members of the university community can access these documents by following this
link: http://www.usask.ca/ip/assessment/reviews/unit_reviews.php
As I share this report and response with you, I am deeply grateful to the three external
consultants for their report and recommendations: Lisa Castle, associate vice-president, human
resources, University of British Columbia; Angela Hildyard, vice-president, human resources and
equity, University of Toronto; and Brian Mallory, human resource consultant, Mallory Consulting
and Global HR Solutions. As you read through the report I am confident that you will see that it
highlights and confirms the direction, progress and professionalism of the university’s Human
Resources office and that it identifies areas in which further improvements can be made.
I am appreciative of the manner in which Associate Vice-President Barb Daigle and her
leadership team have taken the report and its recommendations, and are building a plan to follow
through on this review into the future. I am confident that this feedback will be used to inform future
development and planning.
I believe that this review takes us a step closer towards realizing the goals enunciated in the
university’s new Framework for Assessment: Beyond Systematic Program Review. Although this
review occurred before the procedures for administrative unit reviews have been fully established, I
believe we can draw from this experience as we further develop the processes and guidelines for
future reviews as part of the university’s assessment portfolio and as we engage in other similar
reviews in the months and years ahead.
Finally, I am enormously grateful to the members of the university community who
participated in this review, who met with the review team to provide their views and insights, and
who took the time to write to my office.
If you have any questions, please contact Susan Bertolo at susan.bertolo@usask.ca or
966-6620, who will direct your inquiries.
cc:
Board of Governors